Carol Burnett

format_quote When someone who is known for being comedic does something straight, it' s always 'a big breakthrough' or a 'radical departure.' Why is it no one ever says that if a straight actor does comedy? Are they presuming comedy is easier?

stars  Bob Mackie' is her favorite designer. She often wore his costumes for the Carol Burnette Show. Godmother of Emma Walton, daughter of best friend Julie Andrews. Personal Quotes (On her youth): Sometimes a guy would ask me to jitterbug, but nine times out of ten, they were not only a foot shorter than I was, but geeks to boot."

stars  Biography in: "Who's Who in Comedy", by Ronald L. Smith, pg. 74-76. New York: Facts on File, 1992. ISBN 0816023387

stars  In 1981, she successfully sued the "National Enquirer" for libel, prompted by its article describing her alleged public drunkenness during an altercation with then-Secretary of State Henry Kissinger while in a Washington restaurant. The case remains a landmark in the study of libel cases involving celebrities, even though the unprecedented $1.6 million verdict (including $300,000 in personal damages and $1.3 million in "punitive" damages) was later reduced on appeal and the case was eventually settled out of court. Burnett donated the money to charity. She said she pursued the lawsuit because, as the daughter of two deceased alcoholics, the gossip paper's fabrication wounded her emotionally and that they should be punished for their irresponsibility when writing lies about celebrities.

stars  Comedy is tragedy -- plus time.

stars  At age 10, comedian Jim Carrey sent her his resume.