Born 1933 in San Antonio, Texas, American actress, comedian, singer, and writer Carol Burnett performed in nightclubs in New York City and had a breakout success on Broadway in 1959 in Once Upon a Mattress, for which she received a Tony Award nomination. She soon made her television debut, regularly appearing on The Garry Moore Show for the next three years, and won her first Emmy Award in 1962.
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Burnett had her television special debut in 1963 when she starred as Calamity Jane in the Dallas State Fair Musicals production of Calamity Jane on CBS. She moved to Los Angeles and began an 11-year run as star of The Carol Burnett Show on CBS television from 1967 to 1978. She created many memorable characters during the show’s run, and both she and the show won numerous Emmy and Golden Globe Awards.
During and after her variety show, Burnett appeared in many television and film projects. Her film roles include Pete ‘n’ Tillie (1972), The Front Page (1974), The Four Seasons (1981), Annie (1982), Noises Off (1992) and Horton Hears a Who! (2008). She appeared in various well-regarded guest roles, such as in Mad About You, for which she won an Emmy Award. She returned to the Broadway stage in 1995 in Moon Over Buffalo, for which she was again nominated for a Tony Award.
Burnett has written and narrated several memoirs, earning Grammy nominations for almost all of them, including a win for In Such Good Company: Eleven Years of Laughter, Mayhem, and Fun in the Sandbox. In 2019, the Golden Globes named an award after her for career achievement in television, the Carol Burnett Award, and Burnett received her first award.
Take a look at these vintage photos to see portraits of young Carol Burnett in the 1950s and 1960s.
