We all know Carol Burnett as a celebrated American artist, comedian, writer, and singer. She has earned herself a long and successful television after which she emerged as one of the most beloved and well-known figures throughout the entertainment industry. Best known for hosting her own show, The Carol Burnett Show, on CBS, Carol Burnett has also acted in various movies, television, radio, and even theater. No wonder, she has earned herself a big name and prosperous wealth.
Here’s everything about the star, including her personal life and net worth.
Carol Burnett’s Early Life
Carol was born Carol Creighton Burnett on the 26th of April, 1933, in San Antonio, Texas. Her parents were involved in the acting world. Her mother was a publicity writer for movie studios, whereas her father managed a cinema. But Carol has not been closest to them. In fact, she was raised by her grandmother, as both her parents struggled with alcoholism.
After the divorce of her parents, she moved to Hollywood and lived with her grandmother, where she was raised in a boarding house alongside her half-sister. Carol’s grandmother was a trained musician, and her mother played the ukulele. Thus, Carol developed an interest in music and started singing from a young age. She would also accompany her grandmother to movie theaters, which then sparked her early interest in film. As a young girl, Carol even worked at a movie theater.
Carol graduated from high school in 1951. Following it, she was anonymously given an envelope containing enough cash to cover for a year of her tuition at UCLA. During her college education, she focused more on theatre arts and English. Reluctant at first, Carol developed an interest and finally became passionate about performing.
She even received appreciation for her acting from the audience, which pushed her to pursue her talent. After several positive experiences, she appeared in several university theater productions. Although her mother disapproved of her acting ambitions, Carol managed to travel to New York to star in a musical.
Carol Burnett’s Early Career
Initially, Carol failed to book any acting jobs, but eventually, she landed a minor role in The Paul Winchell and Jerry Mahoney Show in 1955. As a start to her career, she even followed up with a role in the sitcom Stanley. Carol gained notoriety with her live performances in New York’s nightclubs and cabarets. She even gained the attention of US Secretary of State John Dulles with the performance of ‘I Made a Fool of Myself Over John Foster Dulles’.
Burnett continued to steadily gain momentum with various Broadway musical performances and appearances in game shows and variety shows such as The Gary Moore Show and Pantomime. She won an Emmy for her performance on the latter show, raising her star power by leaps and bounds. Carol also raised to headline shows and theater productions from this point onward.
The Introduction of The Carol Burnett Show
Carol Burnett began hosting The Carol Burnett Show in 1967. The variety show became incredibly successful during its 11-year run. It also won 23 Emmy Awards. In the beginning, Carol became a beloved entertainer of her era. Her show involved various genres like endless parodies, musical numbers, interaction with the audience, and her trademark Tarzan yell.
After the enormous popularity of The Carol Burnett Show, Carol appeared in many movies and television series. Some of her notable movie roles were in productions like The Four Seasons, Noses Off, Seasons of the Heart, Horton Hears a Who, and more. Besides this, she continued appearing in television programs such as All My Children, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Desperate Housewives, and Hawaii Five-O. Her other career highlights include many Broadway productions, including Moon Over Buffalo and Putting it All Together.
Carol continued her stints with acting till the 2010s and decided to lessen it after that, preferring to stay out of the public eye.
What is Carol Burnett’s Net Worth?
With such a successful career that ran for decades, Carol earned herself immense fame and a handsome amount of wealth too. Per reports, Carol Burnett’s net worth goes up to a whopping $25 million. She has earned this enormous wealth over the years of her acting career.
Carol Lives a Luxurious Lifestyle
Carol has invested in many properties across the United States of America.
In 1999, she purchased an ocean-view house in Montecito, Santa Barbara, at a whopping $2m million. She made several extensive renovations to her new one-story, 5000-square-foot home, including extensive kitchen remodeling.
When Oprah Winfrey spent an obnoxious amount of $50 million on a home in Montecito in 2001, it sparked a lot of words. The house wasn’t even on sale, and journalists dubbed it ‘the Oprah Effect’, which influenced other homeowners of that area to list their homes for inflated prices. Carol was one of the homeowners in that area. Thus, she listed her property for $36 million. Years later, it was reported that Carol was still living in her Montecito home.
Burnet sold her Trump Towers apartment in 2008 for $5.58 million. The luxury property boasted a 2,000-square-foot condo with crown moldings and an overlooking Central Park.
She once bought an apartment on Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, at $1.2 million, which she recently sold for a whopping $4.2 million. Currently, Carol also owns a property in Santa Fe.
Is Carol Burnett Single or Married?
Carol’s love life has been full of ups and downs. During college, she met her first husband, Dan Saroyan. The couple got married in 1955 and divorced in 1962. Shortly after her divorce, Carol married her second husband, Joe Hamilton, a TV producer, in 1963. The duo lived a happy life for 21 years and had three children before deciding to part ways. Reportedly, one of the main contributing factors to their separation was their daughter’s struggle with drug addiction. Carol then married Hollywood Bowl Orchestra drummer Brian Miller in 2001. Interestingly, her third husband is 23 years younger than her.
Know These Little-Known Things About Carol Burnett
- Not many people know this, but Carol never wanted to become an actor. She originally planned to study journalism but decided to switch to playwriting. It was only after attending a pre-requisite acting course, Carol discovered her love for performing.
- The Carol Burnett show and its subsequent reunions and specials have earned 77 Emmy Award nominations. Out of it, it won 25 times. Burnett has 23 Emmy Award nominations and 6 victories among them. She also has an honorary award.
- Throughout her career, Carol has received three Grammy nominations and won one. She has also been nominated for two Tony Awards and has been a recipient of a 1969 Special Award.
- Having been so close to her grandmother, Carol’s signature tug of her ear at the close of each episode of her series was her way of saying hello to her.
- After attending a party hosted by her professor, she ran into a man and his wife who offered to ride her home. She shared her dream of traveling to New York with them, and this mysterious man offered an interest-free loan of $1000 so that she and her boyfriend could take a trip to New York. The incident touched Carol, and she still has a memory of it.
- In the year of traveling to New York, Carol’s father passed away from long-standing complications related to alcoholism.
- It may sound weird, but according to Carol, bad weather is a good omen.
