Carol Burnett is an entertainer who needs no introduction.
Not surprisingly, she became one of the most beloved stars in America.
“I can’t wrap my head around it,” Burnett toldPeopleof entering her ninth decade.
“I still feel like I’m about 11, but I’m amazed.
It sure went fast.
This is how she got to where she is today.
Sadly, Burnett blamed herself for her parents' split and their heavy drinking.
“There was an awful lot they were going through that I, as a child, took personally.
“There are some that were happier and some that have been really miserable.
Mine was not miserable.”
Burnett may have grown up poor, but she was also in the epicenter of the entertainment industry.
Despite being flat broke, her grandmother’s one indulgence was taking the girls to the movies.
you might be happy,” she toldPeople.
Burnett became an instant sensation.
“And we did,” Burnett toldBroadway World.
She reprised the role in a 1964 television version, and another in 1972.
Star Garry Moore was so impressed that he invited her to join the cast and she did.
This led to some hectic moments.
Her work on the show led to her first Emmy in 1962.
During one episode, she even metJulie Andrews.
Together, they performed a song.
Burnett stuck to her guns, insisting on producing a variety show.
“They had to put it on and they didn’t want to,” she said.
“And they thought we would bomb.”
“The Carol Burnett Show” decidedly didnotbomb.
It ran for 11 successful seasons as the cornerstone of the powerhouse CBS Saturday night lineup.
“Ours was a true rep company,” Burnett explained.
“There were no second bananas.”
The show’s signature bit featured Burnett taking unscripted questions from audience members.
Burnett decided to do the same thing, but she televised it.
Viewers had never before seen Burnett display her chops as a dramatic actor.
In 1982, she played wicked orphanage manager Miss Hannigan in the musical film “Annie.”
Burnett returned full-time to TV with her 1990 series “Carol & Company.”
Despite what the title may have suggested, this was not a variety-show rehash of her earlier show.
“It’s an anthology,” Burnett explained in aninterviewahead of the premiere.
“So we’re doing different stories every week.”
“I said, ‘Absolutely!’
According to Burnett, soap acting is not for the faint of heart.
Burnett returned as Verla a few more times over the years.
“Verla Grubbs is a beloved member of the ‘All My Children’ family.”
Her third marriage became her happiest
Carol Burnett has been married three times.
Her first marriage to college boyfriend Don Saroyan ended with a quickie Las Vegas divorce in 1962.
In 1963, she married Joe Hamilton.
“And I feel so fortunate at this time of my life to be with him.
And all of my friends have just totally embraced him.
And he loves all of my buddies, so it works out great.”
Speaking withPeople, Burnett addressed her and Miller’s unconventional age gap.
“He’s funny and not easily intimidated,” she said.
“As we get older, the gap between our ages narrows.
The play was based on Burnett’s childhood living with her grandmother.
More than two decades later, Burnett still struggled with her daughter’s death.
“We worked together, we laughed together, we cried together.
She was a force.”
In that interview, Burnett also shared the enduring lesson that her daughter had left her with.
“One day, a nurse at the hospital said, ‘Carrie cheers us up.’
That’s the key word, decide.
I say that to myself every morning.”
Even in the 2000s and beyond, she remained a frequent fixture on television screens.
For a soap fan such as Burnett, the role was right in her lane.
“When he sees it, I want him to be surprised.
I’m pretty sure it’s going to raise my credibility in his eyes.”
This time, it was surrounding her other daughter, Erin Hamilton.
AsCNNreported in 2020, Burnett and husband Brian Miller filed to obtain legal guardianship of Erin’s teenage grandson.
A few weeks later, Burnett and her husband were appointed temporary guardians for one year.
In 2023,RadarOnlinereported that Burnett and Miller were seeking to have their guardianship made permanent.
“I have done a lot of work.
A lot of different shows.
A lot of guest appearances,” she said in anAMC interview.
“Some were 10s and some were 5s, if you want to rate them.
I would say this was an 11.”
“I wanted to work with these people and get to know them.”
So it was a slam dunk.”
