Carol Burnett is ringing in her 90th birthday in 2023! The famed American actress, singer, and comedian who was born Carol Creighton Burnett on April 26, 1933, in San Antonio, Texas, United States has completed another year around the sun.
Throughout her decades-long career in the entertainment industry, Burnett worked hard and paved a path for herself in Hollywood as she came from humble beginnings. Read on to delve deep into the life of the legendary actress Carol Burnett.
Carol Burnett’s net worth revealed
As of 2023, Carol Burnett has an estimated net worth of $45 million. She is the recipient of six Primetime Emmy awards, a Tony award, a Grammy award, and seven Golden Globe awards.
Carol’s groundbreaking variety show titled The Carol Burnett Show which premiered in the year 1967 on the channel CBS ran for a total of 279 episodes until 1978. At that time, it was one of the first shows to be hosted by a woman. The talk show aired again in 1991 for nine episodes.
During an April 2023 interview with Page Six, the Emmy winner said, “I don’t think a network would go for what we did. We had a 28-piece live orchestra, we had 12 dancers, we had two guest stars a week and Bob Mackie designed—get this—60 to 75 costumes a week, everything everybody wore in all the sketches and all the musical numbers, on and on and on.”
She continued, “And no network today would spend that kind of money. The money that it would cost today would be astronomical. So, they’re not gonna go for it. And they, you know, they feel that variety is dead, which I don’t believe it is. … There are many people who could do a variety show, but … they couldn’t do what we did because of the cost. That’s the problem. That’s why there aren’t any shows like ours or Dean Martin or any of those, you know, just can’t happen today.”
All you need to know about Carol Burnett’s early life
Carol Creighton Burnett came into the world on April 26, 1933. She is the daughter of Ina Creighton and Joseph Thomas Burnett. After completing her graduation from Hollywood High School in 1951, she got admitted into UCLA but her family could barely cover the cost of $30 per month in rent and hence, couldn’t pay the university’s $50 yearly tuition.
One day, Carol found an envelope which consisted of $50 from an anonymous donor. Up until this day, she doesn’t know the name of the person who helped her with her university fee.
Later on, Burnett’s future first husband Don Saroyan supported her by lending her a $1,000 loan without interest so she could move to New York post college. They crossed paths at a party in San Diego where she performed with other students in her third year at UCLA.
Carol Burnett’s acting career explored
Carol landed her first acting gig with the sitcom Stanley which lasted from 1956 to 1957. She played the role of Celia, the girlfriend of Buddy Hackett’s character, in the show. Then, she made guest appearances on shows like The Tonight Show and The Ed Sullivan Show.
The turning point in Burnett’s career came when she was cast in the 1959 musical Once Upon a Mattress. She bagged a Tony nomination for her performance in the musical. Then, she became a regular on The Gary Moore Show for which she won an Emmy award.
In 1967, Carol started hosting her own talk show The Carol Burnett Show, which won 23 Emmy awards during its 11-year-long run. Her TV credits include Law & Order: SVU and Hawaii Five-O.
We wish Carol Burnett, a belated happy birthday. Sending lots of love and happiness to the iconic actress. Don’t forget to stay tuned with us for the latest updates from the world of showbiz.
