The world is celebrating along with Carol Burnett, who turned 84 years old on April 26. In honor of her birthday, we’re sharing some surprising secrets about everyone’s favorite funny lady.
It’s hard to imagine a world without the hilarious and timeless sketches Carol provided on her weekly variety show, but that was nearly the case before she got struck by her passion for comedy.
All of those iconic moments, like when she casually reacted to an earthquake while a young Michael Jackson guest starred in an episode with the Jackson 5, were the farthest thing from her mind growing up in San Antonio, TX. Even when she moved to Hollywood and graduated from high school, she still never had an inkling of just how much joy and happiness she would bring to the world.
That’s just one of the surprising things you can learn about Burnett if you dig a little into her past. I was honestly surprised by how much sadness she endured behind her bright, smiling face throughout her career.
Take a look to learn more about the talented lady and let us know in the comments if we missed your favorite little known fact from Burnett’s life.
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1. She Had An Imaginary Twin Sister
Shown here with her actual sister, Chrissie, Burnett also created an imaginary twin named Karen when she and the family moved to a boarding house in Hollywood. She went so far as to quickly change her outfits and enter from the fire escape to trick the neighbors.
When she got tired of the ruse, Karen disappeared without a word of explanation.
2. An Anonymous Donor Paid For Her College
Not only is the act of kindness from a stranger a surprisingly heartwarming gesture, but the tuition for her first year at the University of California Los Angeles in 1951 was only $50 for the whole year.
3. Her Parents Were Troubled
When she was still very young, her parents battled with addiction, leading them to leave her and her half-sister to be raised by their grandmother. The trademark ear tug on The Carol Burnett Show was famously her way of saying hello to her grandmother at the end of every episode.
4. She Was Always Shy And Reserved
It’s hard to imagine the wacky woman we’ve come to know and love on our screens was ever quiet and frequently anxious, but she described herself saying, “I had always been a quiet, shy, sad sort of girl,” and that she had “so much coldness and emptiness in my life” before she found an outlet in comedy.
5. She Never Wanted To Be A Performer
Her first major at UCLA was journalism, but she soon switched to the playwright program where it was a requirement that she take one acting class. Despite having never aspired to entertain, Burnett explains how the passion snuck up on her while on stage:
“Don’t ask me why, but when we were in front of the audience, I suddenly decided I was going to stretch out all my words and my first line came out ‘I’m baaaaaaaack!’ They laughed and it felt great.”
6. Another Donor Sent Her To NYC
After a performance at a party for a UCLA professor, a man and his wife caught Burnett stuffing cookies into her purse to take home to her grandmother. However, instead of getting into any trouble, he and the woman complimented her talent and asked about her future plans in acting.
Burnett said she wanted to go to New York and try her hand at musical comedies, like her role as Calamity Jane seen above, but couldn’t afford it. So, right there on the spot, the man offered to loan her and her boyfriend at the time $1,000, totally interest-free, under the condition that it be repaid within five years, his name would never be revealed, and if she found success, she would go on to help other aspiring young actors just like her.
7. Her Mom Never Approved Of Her Acting
Burnett battled insecurity about her looks while growing up due to her mother’s admonishments about her non-traditional appearance. Even as her star was rising, her mom never relented.
She would tell Burnett, “You can always write, no matter what you look like,” which Burnett commented on in her autobiography saying, “God, that hurt!”
8. Marlene Dietrich Came To One Of Her Early Performances
While living at the Rehearsal Club in NYC, an all-girl building for those seriously pursuing acting careers, the group decided to put on their own revue and sent invitations to agents and famous faces like Dietrich and Celeste Holm.
Both of the actresses showed up for the performance, which helped open doors for Burnett and several of the other girls.
9. Alfred Hitchcock Got Her Fired
Well, sort of, anyway. While working as an usherette in college, Burnett noticed a couple was about to enter the theater for Hitchcock’s Strangers on a Train during the last ten minutes of the previous screening. She warned them to wait so as not to spoil the twist ending, but her manager let them in and promptly fired her from the position.
Today, her Walk Of Fame star can be found outside that same theater.
10. She Romanced The Secretary Of State
All in good fun, of course. After gaining popularity on the New York cabaret circuit, her first big success was singing a parody tune called, “I Made a Fool of Myself Over John Foster Dulles.”
Later, in 1957, when Dulles was asked about Burnett during an interview on Meet the Press, he carried on the joke saying, “I never discuss matters of the heart in public.”
11. Lucille Ball Died On Her Birthday
The hilarious pair of redheads became close friends after meeting in 1966 when Ball became her mentor. On April 26, 1989, Burnett’s 56th birthday, she woke up to the news that Ball had died.
Later that afternoon, flowers were delivered to her house with a note reading, “Happy Birthday, Kid. Love, Lucy.”
Did we miss any little known facts about the funny lady? Let us know below and be sure to Liked Video with your friends!
