Coordinates	40°42′15.0″N73°55′4.0″N
{{infobox character | name	Ellen Harper Jackson
first	Episode: "Vint and the Kids Move In" (January 1983)
last	Episode: "Best Medicine" (July 1986)
alias	Mary Ellen Harper (birth name)
gender	Female
occupation	Socialite
family	Carl Harper (father; deceased) Thelma Harper (mother) Eunice Higgins
spouse	Bruce Jackson (divorced)
children	Mary Beth Jackson (daughter, with Bruce; mentioned on The Carol Burnett Show)
relatives	Fran Crowley (maternal aunt; deceased) Bubba Higgins (nephew) Sonja Harper (niece) Buzz Harper (nephew)
portrayer	Betty White
creator	}}

Ellen Jackson (née Harper) is a fictional character who made sporadic appearances in the sketch comedy, The Family, and its spin-off sitcom, ''Mama's Family''. She was played by Betty White.

Biography

Ellen Mae Harper was born on December 19 in Raytown to Carl Harper and Thelma Crowley Harper. Snobbish by nature, affluent by marriage, Ellen is the oldest of Carl and Thelma Harper's three children. Even as a child, her snobbish tendencies asserted themselves. Typically, she prefers not to associate with anyone in her family—-unless it benefits her in some way. She was married to an often spoken of but never seen husband named Bruce Jackson, whom she later divorced. Her ability to do anything well irritated her resentful younger sister, Eunice, to no end. This, added to the fact that Ellen was Carl and Thelma's clear favorite, added to the explosive rivalry between the two sisters. Ellen later learned of Bruce's infidelity from Eunice, who gleefully exposed it to her face. Ellen's relationship with her brother Vinton "Vint" Harper tends to be amicable, although like the rest of the family, she usually dismisses him for being a bit dim.

Shortly after her divorce from Bruce Jackson, Ellen began to date a much younger man named Glenn, to which Thelma vehemently objected. She later began seeing Alvin Tutweiler, mayor of Raytown. Ellen saw him as the ticket back into the high society that she missed since her divorce. When confronted on this conniving by her mother, she flippantly replied: ''"it worked for Nancy Reagan."'' Ellen was clearly resentful towards her mother when she decided to run against her boyfriend for mayor. Despite Ellen's conniving, Thelma won the Mayor's race. However, Thelma realized that she couldn't run Raytown, so she relinquished the Mayor's office back to Tutweiler.

When the show went into syndication, it was presumed that Ellen still lived in Raytown, but she wasn't seen much after the second season (Betty White was, by this time, starring in ''The Golden Girls''.)

Despite being her mother's favorite, Ellen (like her siblings) isn't spared Thelma's criticism, insults or wrath. When Fran died and Ellen's presence was not at her funeral, this caused a huge rift in Thelma and Ellen's relationship, and Thelma threatened to not speak to her again. Afterwards, Ellen made an attempt to mend fences with her mother by showing up with a peace offering, but Thelma remained unmoved and ordered her out of the house. Thelma let go of her animosity when she soon after learned that Ellen had been checked into the hospital for surgery (in reality, she had a mere fanny tuck). It was there that Thelma admitted to Ellen that she had always favored her the best of her three kids.

Ellen was chosen as Raytown Country Club's Woman of the Year, and was embarrassed when Thelma, Vint, and Naomi showed up at the awards ceremony. She has also dated a successful businessman named Glenn, who was so young that Thelma observed "She's old enough to have lived two of his lives."

However, in "The Family" sketches on the Carol Burnett Show, Ellen has no qualms about snapping back at her mother, when she is annoyed with her. In those sketches, she was also near gleeful whenever she got something that Eunice wanted, like a Tiffany lampshade, or a box of fine china. She also tended to rub it into Eunice's face that she was favored, and Eunice was not.

Trivia

In ''The Family'' sketches, her husband's name was Arthur and they had a spoiled daughter, named Mary Beth.

Harper, Ellen

Coordinates	40°42′15.0″N73°55′4.0″N
name	Carol Burnett
birth name	Carol Creighton Burnett
birth date	April 26, 1933
birth place	San Antonio, Texas, U.S.
medium	Stand-up, television, film, music, dancing
occupation	Actress, comedian, singer, dancer, writer
genre	Sketch comedy, satire
years active	1955–present
spouse	}}

Carol Creighton Burnett (born April 26, 1933) is an American actress, comedian, singer, dancer and writer. Burnett started her career in New York. After becoming a hit on Broadway, she made her television debut. After successful appearances on ''The Garry Moore Show'', Carol moved to Los Angeles and began an eleven-year run on ''The Carol Burnett Show'' which was aired on CBS television from 1967 to 1978. With roots in vaudeville, ''The Carol Burnett Show'' was a variety show which combined comedy sketches, song, and dance. The comedy sketches included film parodies and character pieces. Burnett created many endearing characters during the show's television run.

Early life

Burnett was born in San Antonio, Texas, the daughter of Ina Louise (née Creighton), a publicity writer for movie studios, and Joseph Thomas Burnett, a movie theater manager. Both of her parents suffered from alcoholism, and at a young age she was left with her grandmother, Mabel Eudora White. Her parents divorced in the late 1930s, and Burnett and her grandmother moved to an apartment near her mother’s in an impoverished area of Hollywood, Los Angeles, California. There, they stayed in a boarding house with her younger half-sister Chrissy.

When Burnett was in the fourth grade, she briefly invented an imaginary twin sister named Karen, with Shirley Temple-like dimples. Motivated to further the pretense, Burnett recalled fondly that she "fooled the other boarders in the rooming house where we lived by frantically switching clothes and dashing in and out of the house by the fire escape and the front door. Then I became exhausted and Karen mysteriously vanished."

For a while, she worked as an usherette at what is now the Hollywood Pacific Theatre (the forecourt of which is now the location of her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame; see the section in the theatre's article for more information). After graduating from Hollywood High School in 1951, Burnett won a scholarship to the University of California, Los Angeles, where she initially planned on studying journalism. During her first year of college, Burnett switched her focus to theater arts and English, with the goal of becoming a playwright. She found she had to take an acting course to enter the playwright program; "I wasn't really ready to do the acting thing, but I had no choice." She followed a sudden impulse in her first performance; "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!'" The audience response moved her deeply:

They laughed and it felt great. All of a sudden, after so much coldness and emptiness in my life, I knew the sensation of all that warmth wrapping around me. I had always been a quiet, shy, sad sort of girl and then everything changed for me. You spend the rest of your life hoping you'll hear a laugh that great again.

During this time, Burnett performed in several university productions, garnering recognition for her comedic and musical abilities. Her mother disapproved of her acting ambitions:

She wanted me to be a writer. She said you can always write, no matter what you look like. When I was growing up she told me to be a little lady, and a couple of times I got a whack for crossing my eyes or making funny faces. Of course, she never, I never, dreamed I would ever perform.

The young Burnett, always insecure about her looks, described her reaction to her mother's advice of "You can always write, no matter what you look like", in her 1986 memoir ''One More Time'': "God, that hurt!"

In 1954, during her junior year, a professor invited Burnett and some other students to perform at a black-tie party. A man and his wife approached her afterward, as she was putting hors d'oeuvres in her purse to take home to her grandmother. Instead of reprimanding her, the man complimented Burnett's performance and asked about her future plans. When he discovered that she wanted to go try her luck with musical comedy in New York, but did not have enough money, he offered her and her boyfriend Don Saroyan each a $1000 interest-free loan on the spot. The conditions were that it was to be paid back in five years, his name was never to be revealed, and if she became a success, she would help others attain their dreams. Burnett took him up on his offer. She and Saroyan left college and moved to New York to pursue acting careers. That same year, Burnett's father died of causes related to his alcoholism.

Career

Early career

After spending her first year in New York working as a hat check girl and failing to land acting jobs, Burnett along with other girls living at The Rehearsal Club, a boarding house for women seriously pursuing an acting career, put on The Rehearsal Club Revue on March 3, 1955. They mailed invitations to agents, who showed up along with stars like Celeste Holm and Marlene Dietrich, and this opened doors for several of the girls. Burnett was cast in a minor role on ''The Paul Winchell and Jerry Mahoney Show'' in 1955. She played the girlfriend of a ventriloquist’s dummy on the popular children’s program. This role led to her starring role opposite Buddy Hackett in the short-lived sitcom, ''Stanley'', from 1956 to 1957.

After ''Stanley'', Burnett found herself unemployed for a short time. She eventually bounced back a few months later as a highly popular performer on the New York circuit of cabarets and night clubs, most notably for a hit parody number called "I Made a Fool of Myself Over John Foster Dulles" (Dulles was Secretary of State at the time). In 1957, Burnett performed this number on both ''The Tonight Show'', hosted by Jack Paar, and ''The Ed Sullivan Show''. Burnett also worked as a regular on one of television's earliest game shows, ''Pantomime Quiz'', during this time. Burnett's mother died in 1957 just as she was achieving her first small successes.

Burnett's first true taste of success came with her appearance on Broadway in the 1959 musical ''Once Upon a Mattress''. In the same year, she became a regular player on ''The Garry Moore Show'', a job that lasted until 1962. She won an Emmy that year for her "Outstanding Performance in a Variety or Musical Program or Series" on the show. Burnett portrayed a number of characters, most memorably the put-upon cleaning woman who would later become her signature alter-ego. With her success on the Moore show, Burnett finally rose to headliner status and appeared in the 1962 special ''Julie and Carol at Carnegie Hall'', co-starring her friend Julie Andrews. The show was produced by Bob Banner, directed by Joe Hamilton, and written by Mike Nichols and Ken Welch. ''Julie and Carol at Carnegie Hall'' won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Program Achievement in the Field of Music. Burnett also guest-starred on a number of shows during this time, including ''The Twilight Zone'' and a recurring role as a tough female Marine in ''Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.''. Burnett became good friends with the latter show's star Jim Nabors, who would later be her first guest every season on her variety show.

In 1963, Lucille Ball became a friend and mentor to Burnett, and after having the younger performer guest star on ''The Lucy Show'' a number of times, Ball reportedly offered Burnett her own sitcom called "Here's Agnes", to be produced by Desilu Productions. Burnett declined the offer, however, deciding instead to put together a variety show. The two remained close friends until Ball's death in 1989. Ball sent flowers every year on her birthday. When Burnett awoke on the day of her 56th birthday in 1989, she discovered via the morning news that Ball had died. Later that afternoon, the flowers Ball had arranged arrived at Burnett's house, with the note "Happy Birthday, Kid. Love, Lucy."

In 1964, Burnett was cast opposite Caterina Valente and Bob Newhart on the variety show ''The Entertainers'' which ran for only one season. She also starred in the Broadway musical ''Fade Out - Fade In'' but was forced to quit after sustaining a neck injury in a taxi accident. The show’s producers sued the actress for breach of contract, but the suit was later dropped.

''The Carol Burnett Show''

The hour-long ''Carol Burnett Show'', which debuted in 1967, garnered 23 Emmy Awards and won or was nominated for multiple Emmy Awards every season it was on the air. Its ensemble cast included Tim Conway (who was a guest player until the 9th season), Harvey Korman, Lyle Waggoner, and the teenaged Vicki Lawrence (who was cast partly because she looked like a young Burnett). The network did not want her to do a variety show because they believed only men could be successful at variety but Burnett's contract required that they give her one season of whatever kind of show she wanted to make. She chose to carry on the tradition of past variety show successes.

Burnett became known for her acting and talent, and for ending each show by tugging her ear, which was a message to her grandmother who had raised her. This was done to let her know that she was doing well and that she loved her.

A true variety show in its simplest of forms, ''The Carol Burnett Show'' struck a chord with viewers through parodies of films ("Went With the Wind" as a parody of ''Gone With the Wind''), television ("As the Stomach Turns" parodying of the soap opera ''As the World Turns'') and commercials. Burnett and team struck gold with the original skit "The Family", which eventually was spun off into its own television show called ''Mama's Family'', starring Vicki Lawrence.

The show also became known for its closing theme song, with the following lyrics: :''I'm so glad we had this time together :''Just to have a laugh or sing a song :''Seems we just get started and before you know it :''Comes the time we have to say, 'So long.'

During the show's run, Burnett's grandmother died. During a biography on Burnett, she tearfully recalled her grandmother's last moments: "She said to my husband Joe from her hospital bed 'Joe, you see that spider up there?' There was no spider but Joe said he did anyhow. She said 'Every few minutes a big spider jumps on that little spider and they go at it like RABBITS!!' And then she died. There's laughter in everything!"

''The Carol Burnett Show'' ceased production in 1978, and is generally regarded as the last successful major network prime-time variety show. It continues to have success in syndicated reruns. She was open to her fans, never refusing to give an autograph and had limited patience for "Those who've made it, then complain about loss of privacy."

Other roles

Burnett starred in a few films while her variety show was running, including ''Pete 'n' Tillie'' (1972). After the show ended, Burnett assumed a number of roles that departed from comedy. She appeared in several dramatic roles, most notably in the television movie ''Friendly Fire''. She appeared as Beatrice O'Reilly in the film ''Life of The Party: The Story of Beatrice'', a story about a woman fighting her alcoholism. Her other film work includes ''The Four Seasons'', ''Annie'', and ''Noises Off''. She also returned to star in a different role as Queen Aggravain in the movie version of ''Once Upon a Mattress.''

Burnett also made occasional returns to the stage: in 1974, she appeared at The Muny Theater in St. Louis, Missouri in ''I Do! I Do!'' with Rock Hudson and eleven years later, she took the supporting role of Carlotta Campion in the 1985 concert performance of Stephen Sondheim's ''Follies''.

Burnett made frequent appearances as a panelist on the game show ''Password'', an association she maintained until the early 1980s. She was also the first celebrity to appear on the children's series, ''Sesame Street'', on that series' first episode on November 10, 1969.

In the 1980s and 1990s, she made several attempts at starting a new variety program. She also appeared briefly on ''The Carol Burnett Show's'' "The Family" sketches spinoff, ''Mama's Family'', as her stormy character, Eunice Higgins. She played the matriarch in the cult comedy miniseries ''Fresno'', which parodied the primetime soap opera ''Falcon Crest''. She returned to TV in the mid-1990s as a supporting character on the sitcom ''Mad About You'', playing Theresa Stemple, the mother of main character Jamie Buchman (Helen Hunt).

Burnett has long been a fan of the soap opera ''All My Children''. She realized a dream when Agnes Nixon created the role of Verla Grubbs for her. Burnett suddenly found herself playing the long-lost daughter of Langley Wallingford (Louis Edmonds) and causing trouble for her stepmother Phoebe Tyler-Wallingford (Ruth Warrick). She hosted a 25th anniversary special about the show in 1995 and made a brief cameo appearance as Verla Grubbs on the January 5, 2005 episode which celebrated the show's 35th anniversary. It was announced in June that Burnett will reprise her role as Grubbs in September 2011 as part of the series' finale.

In 2008, she had her second role as an animated character, in ''Horton Hears a Who!''. Her first was in ''The Trumpet of the Swan''. In 2009, she made a guest appearance on the ''Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'', for which she was nominated for the Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series. In November 2010, she guest starred on an episode of ''Glee'' as cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester's mother.

Personal life

The first house Burnett lived in was the Beverly Hills house formerly owned by Harry James and Betty Grable. Growing up in rented rooms, an actual house was "a luxury", as "A Murphy bed was [her] idea of spacious."

She married Don Saroyan on December 15, 1955; the couple divorced in 1962. On May 4, 1963, Burnett married TV producer Joe Hamilton, a divorced father of eight, with whom she had three daughters: actress and writer Carrie Hamilton, Jody Hamilton, and singer Erin Hamilton. The marriage ended in divorce in 1984, and Joe Hamilton later died of cancer (1991). On November 24, 2001, she married Brian Miller (principal drummer in and contractor of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra), who is twenty-three years her junior.

In January 2002, Carrie Hamilton died of lung and brain cancer at the age of 38. She had become addicted to drugs as a teenager. Burnett and Carrie wrote a play together called ''Hollywood Arms'', which was adapted from Burnett's bestselling memoir, ''One More Time''. The Broadway production featured Linda Lavin as Burnett's character's beloved grandmother, and Michele Pawk as Burnett's mother Louise. Pawk went on to receive the 2003 Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play.

Lawsuits

Burnett drew attention in 1981, when she sued the tabloid newspaper ''National Enquirer'' for libel after the ''Enquirer'' described her alleged public drunkenness, purportedly with Henry Kissinger. Carol was particularly sensitive to the accusations because of her parents' own alcoholism. The case, ''Carol Burnett v. National Enquirer, Inc.'', was a landmark for libel cases involving celebrities, although the unprecedented $1.6 million verdict for Burnett was reduced to about $800,000 on appeal. She donated a portion of that award to the University of Hawaii and University of California at Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism saying she hoped the suit would teach aspiring journalists the dangers of defaming individuals in articles. The money was used to fund Law and Ethics courses at the school. Burnett said at the time that she didn't care if she just won "cab fare", and that the lawsuit was a matter of principle.

In March 2007, she sued 20th Century Fox for copyright infringement, trademark violation, statutory violation of right of privacy, and misappropriation of name and likeness over the use of an altered version of her signature closing song and the portrayal of her charwoman character in an episode of ''Family Guy''. On May 26, 2007, the lawsuit was dismissed by a Los Angeles federal judge. The judge used Hustler Magazine v. Falwell as the general basis for the decision.

Awards and recognition

Emmy Awards

1962 – Outstanding Performance in a Variety or Musical Program or Series, ''The Garry Moore Show''

1963 – Outstanding Performance in a Variety or Musical Program or Series, ''Julie and Carol at Carnegie Hall'' and ''An Evening with Carol Burnett''

1969, 1970, 1971 – Nominated for Outstanding Variety or Musical Series, ''The Carol Burnett Show''

1972 – Outstanding Variety Series – Musical, ''The Carol Burnett Show'', shared with Joe Hamilton (executive producer) and Arnie Rosen (producer)

1972 – Nominated for Outstanding Single Program – Variety or Musical – Variety and Popular Music, ''Julie and Carol at Lincoln Center''

1973 – Nominated for Outstanding Variety Musical Series, ''The Carol Burnett Show'', with Joe Hamilton (executive producer), and Bill Angelos, Buz Kohan, and Arnie Rosen (producers)

1974 – Outstanding Music-Variety Series, ''The Carol Burnett Show'', with Joe Hamilton (executive producer) and Ed Simmons (producer)

1974 – Nominated for Best Lead Actress in a Drama, ''6 Rms Riv Vu''

1975 – Outstanding Comedy-Variety or Music Series, ''The Carol Burnett Show'', with Joe Hamilton (executive producer) and Ed Simmons (producer)

1976, 1977, 1978 – Nominated for Outstanding Comedy-Variety or Music Series, ''The Carol Burnett Show'', with Joe Hamilton (executive producer) and Ed Simmons (producer)

1977 – Nominated for Outstanding Special – Comedy-Variety or Music, ''Sills and Burnett at the Met'', with Beverly Sills and Joe Hamilton (producer)

1979 – Nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or a Special, ''Friendly Fire''

1983 – Nominated for Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program, ''Texaco Star Theater: Opening Night''

1993 – Nominated for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series, ''The Larry Sanders Show''

1995 – Nominated for Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program, ''Men, Movies & Carol''

1997 – Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series, ''Mad About You''

1998 – Nominated for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series, ''Mad About You''

2002 – Nominated for Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Special, ''Carol Burnett: Show Stoppers'', with John Hamilton and Rick Hawkins (executive producers), Jody Hamilton and Mary Jo Blue (producers)

2009 – Nominated for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series, ''Law & Order: Special Victims Unit''

Golden Globe Awards

1968 – Best TV Star – Female, ''The Carol Burnett Show''

1970, 1972, 1977, 1978 – Best TV Actress – Musical/Comedy, ''The Carol Burnett Show''

1971, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1979 – Nominated for Best TV Actress – Musical/Comedy, ''The Carol Burnett Show''

1973 – Nominated for Best Motion Picture Actress – Musical/Comedy, ''Pete 'n' Tillie''

1979 – Nominated for Best Motion Picture Actress in a Supporting Role, ''A Wedding''

1982 – Nominated for Best Motion Picture Actress – Comedy/Musical, ''The Four Seasons''

1983 – Nominated for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Comedy/Musical, ''Annie''

1983 – Nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV, ''Life of the Party: The Story of Beatrice''

1991 – Nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in a TV-Series – Comedy/Musical, ''Carol & Company''

Tony Awards

1969 – Special Award (for "her charitable work . . . From her roots in the theatre, she has drawn upon her experience to create a very special rapport with audiences in another medium -- television -- and she has widened the theatrical horizons of her viewers.")

Other

Burnett received a Peabody Award in 1962.

She was awarded the Women in Film Crystal Award in 1980. In 1997, she was awarded the Women in Film Lucy Award in recognition of her excellence and innovation in her creative works that have enhanced the perception of women through the medium of television.

She was a recipient of the 2003 Kennedy Center Honors.

President George W. Bush awarded Burnett the Presidential Medal of Freedom on November 9, 2005.

She was named the Grand Marshal of the 109th Rose Parade and the 84th Rose Bowl Game on New Year's Day in 1998.

She was the first honoree and presenter at second annual awards ceremony of the Back Stage West Garland Awards in 1999

On December 1, 2009, she was inducted into the California Hall of Fame at The California Museum for History, Women and the Arts.

Burnett was presented a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame located at 6439 Hollywood Blvd., in front of the Hollywood Pacific Theatre where she worked as an usher in 1957.

Work

Television

''The Paul Winchell and Jerry Mahoney Show'' (regular in 1955)

''Stanley'' (1956–1957)

''Omnibus'' (October 1956)

''The Garry Moore Show'' (regular from 1959–1962)

''Julie and Carol at Carnegie Hall'' (1962)

''The Twilight Zone'' (played Agnes Grep in episode "''Cavender Is Coming''" – 1962)

''An Evening with Carol Burnett'' (1963)

''Calamity Jane'' (1963)

''Once Upon a Mattress'' (1964)

''The Entertainers'' (1964–1965)

''The Lucy Show'' (special guest star-4 episodes-1966)

''Carol + 2'' (1967)

''Get Smart'' (1967) as "Ozark" Annie Jones in Season 3 episode "''One Of Our Olives Is Missing''"

''The Carol Burnett Show'' (1967–1978)

''The Carol Burnett Show in London'' (1970)

''Julie and Carol at Lincoln Center'' (1971)

''Sesame Street'' (1971) giving a lecture about noses

''Once Upon a Mattress'' (1972)

''6 Rms Riv Vu'' (1974)

''Out to Lunch'' (1974)

''Twigs'' (1975)

''Cher'' (1975)

''Sills and Burnett at the Met'' (1976)

''All My Children'' (cast member: 1976, 1983, 1995, 2005, and 2011)

''Dolly and Carol in Nashville'' (1978)

''The Grass Is Always Greener over the Septic Tank'' (1978)

''Friendly Fire'' (1979)

''Carol Burnett & Company'' (1979)

''The Tenth Month'' (1979)

''Eunice'' (1982) (teleplay based on the Family sketches separate from ''Mama's Family'')

''Life of the Party: The Story of Beatrice' (1982)

''Between Friends'' (1983)

''Mama's Family'' (cast member from 1983 to 1985)

''Burnett Discovers Domingo'' (1984)

''Magnum, P.I.'' (1984 and 1988 as Susan Johnson)

''The Laundromat'' (1985)

''Follies in Concert'' (1986)

''Fresno'' (1986) (miniseries)

''Plaza Suite'' (1987) (also executive producer)

''Carol, Carl, Whoopi and Robin'' (1987)

''Fame'' (1987) – episode ''Reggie and Rose'' (with Carrie Hamilton), broadcast April 27, 1987

''Hostage'' (1988)

''Julie & Carol: Together Again'' (1989)

''Carol & Company'' (1990) (canceled after one and a half seasons)

''The Carol Burnett Show'' (1991) (canceled after two months)

''The Larry Sanders Show'' (1992) - episode ''The Spider Episode''

''The Carol Burnett Show: A Reunion'' (1993)

''Carol Burnett: The Special Years'' (1994)

''Seasons of the Heart'' (1994)

''Men, Movies & Carol'' (1994)

''Mad About You'' (Theresa Stemple, 1996–1999)

''Touched by an Angel'' (1997) – episode ''The Comeback'' (with Carrie Hamilton), broadcast November 23, 1997

''The Marriage Fool'' (1998)

''Putting It Together'' (2000)

''Carol Burnett: Show Stoppers'' (2001) (also executive producer)

''The Carol Burnett Show: Let's Bump Up the Lights'' (2004) (also executive producer)

''Once Upon a Mattress'' (2005) (also executive producer)

''Desperate Housewives'' (2006) (guest starring role as Eleanor Mason)

''American Masters Tribute to Carol Burnett'' (2007)

''Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' (2009) (Emmy award-nominated guest appearance)

''The Bonnie Hunt Show'' (2010) (Special guest)

''Glee'' (2010) (Special guest star)

Filmography

''Who's Been Sleeping in My Bed?'' (1963)

''Rowan & Martin at the Movies'' (1968) (short subject)

''Star Spangled Salesman'' (1968) (short subject)

''Pete 'n' Tillie'' (1972)

''The Front Page'' (1974)

''A Wedding'' (1978)

''Health'' (1980)

''The Four Seasons'' (1981)

''Chu Chu and the Philly Flash'' (1981)

''Annie'' (1982)

''Noises Off...'' (1992)

''Moon Over Broadway'' (1997) (documentary)

''Get Bruce'' (1999) (documentary)

''The Trumpet of the Swan'' (2001) (voice)

''Broadway: The Golden Age, by the Legends Who Were There'' (2003) (documentary)

''Once Upon A Mattress'' (2005)

''Horton Hears a Who!'' (2008) (voice)

''Post Grad'' (2009)

Stage

''Once Upon a Mattress'' (1959)

''Fade Out - Fade In'' (1964)

''Moon Over Buffalo'' (1995)

''Putting It Together'' (1999)

References

External links

The Carol Burnett Show

Interview by Terry Gross

Carol Burnett news on Topix.net

John Foster Dulles song

Once Upon A Mattress debut sketch

Carol Burnett, The Ed Sullivan Show

Category:1933 births Category:Living people Category:Actors from Texas Category:American comedians Category:American female singers Category:American film actors Category:American stage actors Category:American television actors Category:Back Stage West Garland Award recipients Category:Best Musical or Comedy Actress Golden Globe (television) winners Category:Emmy Award winners Category:Kennedy Center honorees Category:Peabody Award winners Category:People from San Antonio, Texas Category:Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients Category:University of California, Los Angeles alumni Category:Women comedians

an:Carol Burnett de:Carol Burnett es:Carol Burnett fr:Carol Burnett nl:Carol Burnett no:Carol Burnett pt:Carol Burnett ru:Бёрнетт, Кэрол simple:Carol Burnett fi:Carol Burnett sv:Carol Burnett tl:Carol Burnett

Coordinates	40°42′15.0″N73°55′4.0″N
birth name	Betty Marion White
birth date	January 17, 1922
birth place	Oak Park, Illinois, U.S.
nationality	American
alma mater	Beverly Hills High School
other names	Betty White Ludden
occupation	Actress, comedienne, writer
years active	1939–present
spouse	Dyck Barker (1945)Lane Allen (1947–1949) Allen Ludden (1963–1981; his death) }}

Betty White Ludden (born January 17, 1922) better known as Betty White, is an American actress, comedienne, singer, author, and former game show personality. With a career spanning seven decades since 1939, she is best known to modern audiences for her television roles as Sue Ann Nivens on ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' and Rose Nylund on ''The Golden Girls''. , she is starring as Elka Ostrovsky in the TV Land sitcom ''Hot in Cleveland''. She has also released several books over the span of her career. In August 2010, she entered a deal with G.P. Putnam Sons to produce two more books, the first of which was scheduled for release in 2011.

White has won seven Emmy Awards and received 20 Emmy nominations over the course of her career, including being the first woman ever to receive an Emmy for game show hosting (for the short-lived ''Just Men!''). In May 2010, White became the oldest person to guest-host ''Saturday Night Live'', for which she also received a Primetime Emmy Award. She made regular appearances on the game shows ''Password'' and ''Match Game'' and played recurring roles on ''Mama's Family'', ''Boston Legal'', and'' The Bold and the Beautiful''.

Early life

Born Betty Marion White in Oak Park, Illinois, on January 17, 1922, she is the daughter of Tess Curtis (née Cachikis), a homemaker, and Horace Lawrence White, a traveling salesman and electrical engineer. Her mother was of Greek, English, and Welsh descent, and her father was of Danish and English ancestry. White's family moved to Los Angeles, California during the Great Depression. She attended Horace Mann School in Beverly Hills, California, and Beverly Hills High School. Hoping to become a writer, she wrote and played the lead in a graduation play at Horace Mann School and discovered her interest in performing.

Career

1939–1979

White began her television career in 1939, three months after high school graduation, when she and a classmate sang songs from ''The Merry Widow'' on an experimental Los Angeles channel. White found work modeling, and her first professional acting job was at the Bliss Hayden Little Theatre. White's career was disrupted immediately, as World War II broke out, causing her to join the American Women's Voluntary Services. In the 1940s, she worked in radio appearing on shows such as ''Blondie'', ''The Great Gildersleeve'' and ''This Is Your FBI''. She then got her own radio show, called ''The Betty White Show''. In 1949 she began appearing with Al Jarvis on his daily, live variety show ''Hollywood on Television'' on KLAC in Los Angeles. White began hosting the show in 1952 after Jarvis' departure.

In 1952, the same year she began hosting ''Hollywood on Television'', White co-founded Bandy Productions with writer George Tibbles and Don Fedderson, a producer. The trio worked to create new shows using existing characters from sketches shown on ''Hollywood on Television''. White, Fedderson and Tibbles created the television comedy ''Life With Elizabeth'', based on a ''Hollywood on Television'' sketch. White portrayed the title character on the sitcom from 1952 to 1955, which effectively boosted her career. The show, which she co-produced, garnered White her first Emmy Award. ''Life With Elizabeth'' was nationally syndicated by the mid-1950s, allowing White to become one of the few women in television with full creative control in front of and behind the camera at the time. In 1954, she briefly hosted and produced her own daily talk show, ''The Betty White Show'', on NBC (not to be confused with her 1970s sitcom of the same name). Following ''Life with Elizabeth'', she appeared as Vicki Angel on the sitcom ''Date with the Angels'' from 1957 to 1958. The show later became another variety series before going off the air. White performed in commercials seen on live television in Los Angeles, including a spirited rendition of the "Dr. Ross Dog Food" advertisement at KTLA during the 1950s.

She made her feature film debut as Kansas Senator Elizabeth Ames Adams in the 1962 drama, ''Advise and Consent''.

Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, White appeared on a number of late night talkshows and daytime game shows, including ''Password''. White made many appearances on the hit game show ''Password'' as a celebrity guest from 1961 through 1975. She married the show's host, Allen Ludden, in 1963. She subsequently appeared on the show's three updated versions ''Password Plus'', ''Super Password'', and ''Million Dollar Password'', having been on versions of the game with five different hosts (Allen Ludden, Bill Cullen, Tom Kennedy, Bert Convy, and Regis Philbin). White made frequent game show appearances on ''What's My Line?'' (starting in 1955), ''To Tell the Truth'' (in 1961 and in 1990), ''I've Got a Secret'' (in 1972–73), ''Match Game'' (1973–1982) and ''Pyramid'' (starting in 1982). Both ''Password'' and ''Pyramid'' were created by White's friend, Bob Stewart. In 1983, she became the first woman to win a Daytime Emmy Award in the category of Outstanding Game Show Host, for the NBC entry ''Just Men!''. Due to the amount of work she has done on them, she has been deemed the "First Lady of Game Shows".

In 1973, White made a guest appearance in season four of ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' as ''The Happy Homemaker''. As a result of her guest appearance, White landed her most significant role at that point as the sardonic, man-hungry Sue Ann Nivens, ''The Happy Homemaker'', on ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' as a full time cast member. The running gag was that Sue Ann's hard-edged private personality was the complete opposite of how she presented herself on her show. "We need somebody who can play sickeningly sweet, like Betty White," Moore herself suggested at a production meeting, which resulted in casting White herself. White won two back-to-back Emmy Awards for her role in the hugely popular series.

Following that show's end in 1977, she was given her own sitcom on CBS, ''The Betty White Show'', during the 1977–78 season, in which she co-starred with John Hillerman and former ''Mary Tyler Moore'' co-star Georgia Engel. It was canceled after one season. White appeared several times on the ''Tonight Show With Johnny Carson'' appearing in many sketches, and began guest-starring in a number of television movies and television miniseries, including ''With This Ring'', ''The Place to Be'', ''Before and After'', and ''The Gossip Columnist''.

1980–2000

From 1983 through 1985, she had a recurring role playing Ellen Harper Jackson on the series ''Mama's Family'', along with future ''Golden Girls'' co-star Rue McClanahan. White had originated this character in a series of sketches on ''The Carol Burnett Show'' in the 1970s. When ''Mama's Family'' was picked up in syndication after being canceled by NBC in 1985, White left the show (with the exception of one final appearance in the show's syndicated version in 1986).

In 1985, she scored her second signature role as the St. Olaf, Minnesota-native Rose Nylund on ''The Golden Girls''. The series chronicled the lives of four widowed or divorced women in their "golden years" who shared a home in Miami. ''The Golden Girls'', which also starred Beatrice Arthur, Estelle Getty, and Rue McClanahan, was immensely successful and ran from 1985 through 1992. White won one Emmy Award, for ''Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series'', for the first season of ''The Golden Girls'' and was nominated in that category every year of the show's run (the only cast member to receive that distinction — Getty was also nominated every year, but in the supporting actress category). When Beatrice Arthur left in 1992, White, McClanahan, and Getty reprised their roles Rose, Blanche, and Sophia in the spin-off ''The Golden Palace''. The series was short-lived, lasting only one season. In addition, White reprised her Rose Nylund character in guest appearances on the NBC shows ''Empty Nest'' and ''Nurses'', both of which were set in Miami.

White was originally offered the role of Blanche in ''The Golden Girls,'' and Rue McClanahan was offered the role of Rose (the two characters being similar to roles they had played in ''Mary Tyler Moore'' and ''Maude'', respectively). Jay Sandrich, the director of the pilot, suggested that since they had played similar roles in the past, they should switch roles, Rue McClanahan later said in a documentary on the series. White was originally scared to play Rose, feeling that she would not be able to play the role—until the show's creator took her aside and told her not to play Rose as stupid but to play her as someone "terminally naive, a person who always believed the first explanation of something." Despite being the eldest of the four women, White is the only surviving regular cast member, following the deaths of Estelle Getty in July 2008, Bea Arthur in April 2009, and Rue McClanahan in June 2010.

After ''The Golden Girls'' ended, White guest-starred on a number of television programs including ''Ally McBeal'', ''The Ellen Show'', ''My Wife and Kids'', ''That '70s Show'', ''Everwood'', ''Joey'', and ''Malcolm in the Middle''. She received Emmy Award nominations for her appearances on ''Suddenly Susan'', ''Yes, Dear'' and ''The Practice''. She won an Emmy in 1996 for ''Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series'', appearing as herself on an episode of ''The John Larroquette Show''. In that episode, titled "Here We Go Again", a spoof on ''Sunset Boulevard'', a diva-like White convinces Larroquette to help write her memoirs. In one bit, ''Golden Girls'' co-stars McClanahan and Getty appear as themselves. Larroquette is forced to dress in drag as Beatrice Arthur, when all four appear in public as the "original" cast members. White comically envisions her Rose as the central character with the other cast members as mere supporting players.

The actress has lent her voice to several animated shows, including ''The Simpsons'', ''King of the Hill'', ''The Wild Thornberrys'', ''Family Guy'' and ''Father of the Pride''. In 1999, she had a supporting role in the monster film ''Lake Placid'', as a widow who later is revealed to have raised the giant crocodile (which accidentally ate her husband).

2000–present

White's career has been in revival throughout the first decades of the 2000s, and her continuing cultural relevance is reflected in the numerous television and film projects she has been a part of. In December 2006, White joined the soap opera ''The Bold and the Beautiful'' in the role of Ann Douglas, the long-lost mother of the show's matriarch Stephanie Forrester, who is played by Susan Flannery. In February 2007, White returned as Ann, who had an intent to move to Los Angeles to be near her daughters. The characters of Ann and Pamela Douglas (Alley Mills) disappeared after their March 27, 2007, appearance and were not mentioned again until October 19, 2007, when Ann appeared briefly. White would go on to appear in three more episodes following that, one on December 10, 2007; August 28, 2008; and October 28, 2008. She returned to the show on November 18, 2009 and in the November 19, 2009 episode her character revealed that she was dying of advanced pancreatic cancer. To date she has made 22 appearances as Ann Douglas. In the November 23, 2009 episode Ann passes away due to complications from her illness, with both of her daughters at her side on the beach at Paradise Cove.

In the broadcast of the 2007 TV Land Awards, White starred in a parody of ''Ugly Betty'', aptly titled ''Ugly Betty White'', in which she played America Ferrera's title character, with Charo playing White's sister Hilda, and Erik Estrada playing her father Ignacio. Her performance earned her a part on ''Ugly Betty'' as herself, the victim of Wilhelmina Slater's temper as they vie for a cab in the episode "Bananas for Betty", which aired December 6, 2007.

White had a recurring role in ABC's ''Boston Legal'' from 2005 to 2008 as the calculating, blackmailing gossip-monger Catherine Piper, a role she originally portrayed as a guest star on ''The Practice'' in 2004.

White appeared as a roaster on the ''Comedy Central Roast of William Shatner'' in 2006. On May 19, 2008, White appeared on ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'', taking part in the host's ''Mary Tyler Moore Show'' reunion special alongside every surviving cast member of the series.

She was honored at the Sixth Annual TV Land Awards with the Pop Culture Award on June 8, 2008. She accepted it along with co-stars Bea Arthur and Rue McClanahan.

White returned to ''Password'' in its latest incarnation, ''Million Dollar Password'', on June 12, 2008, (episode #3), participating in the Million Dollar challenge at the end of the show. Her quick correct responses helped the contestant win $100,000. White returned to the show again on December 28, 2008 (episode #9), helping the contestants win $25,000 each. White has made a number of appearances in skits on ''The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson'', playing the part of an Exxon representative, a Girl Scout, an accountant with a briefcase full of cocaine, a nurse who just got her medical license from El Salvador, a newspaper delivery girl, a prison guard, and an Apple representative. She appeared as herself with a shoe box full of receipts, explaining that she was doing her taxes. She appeared as herself to promote ''Together: A Story of Shared Vision'' by her and Tom Sullivan. On July 18, 2008, she appeared on ''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'' in a skit entitled "Can You Make Betty White Flinch".

White guest starred as the "Witch Lady" on an episode of ''My Name is Earl'', and starred on Chelsea Handler's late night show ''Chelsea Lately''. Some of her other most recent television credits in the 2000s include ''Stealing Christmas'', ''Annie's Point'' and ''The Retrievers''. Her film credits in the late 1990s and early 2000s included ''Hard Rain'', ''Dennis the Menace Strikes Again'' and ''Bringing Down the House'', in which she co-starred with Steve Martin and Queen Latifah.

White appeared in the 2009 motion picture ''The Proposal'' with Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds. White provided the English-language voice of Yoshie in the anime film ''Ponyo'', which was released in Japan in 2008 and in the United States and Canada on August 14, 2009. She co-starred with Kristen Bell in the 2010 film, ''You Again''.

White appeared alongside Abe Vigoda in an advertisement for Snickers during the 2010 Super Bowl XLIV. The ad won the top spot on the USA Today Super Bowl Ad Meter. It was also featured on Television with the caption; "You're not you when you're hungry".

A grassroots campaign on Facebook called "Betty White to Host SNL (Please)" began in January 2010. The group was approaching 500,000 members when NBC confirmed on March 11, 2010 that White would in fact host ''Saturday Night Live'' on May 8. The appearance made her, at age 88, the oldest person to host the show, beating out Miskel Spillman, the winner of ''SNL'''s "Anybody Can Host" contest, who was 80 when she hosted in 1977. The May 8 SNL episode garnered the show's highest ratings since November 1, 2008, when Ben Affleck hosted. In her opening monologue, White thanked Facebook and joked that she "didn’t know what Facebook was, and now that I do know what it is, I have to say, it sounds like a huge waste of time." The appearance earned her a 2010 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress In A Comedy Series, her seventh Emmy win overall. Years earlier, White's character Rose Nylund on ''The Golden Girls'' in an episode from season 7 while laying in a hospital bed awaiting open heart surgery, says to her daughter; "There's something else I wanna tell you. Now lean in close, this is very important...LIVE FROM NEW YORK IT'S SATURDAY NIGHT!

In June 2010, White took on the role of Elka Ostrovsky the house caretaker on TV Land’s original sitcom ''Hot in Cleveland'', now in its second season.

In July 2010, it was announced that she posed for her own calendar for the year 2011; the calendar also features photos from her career and her pictured with various animals. She also debuted her own clothing line on July 22, 2010, which features shirts with her face on them. All proceeds will also go to various animal charities she supports.

She guest-starred in the second-season premiere of NBC's ''Community'' as an anthropology professor. In 2010 she also guest starred in The Middle & 30 Rock. She also had a role as Mrs. Claus in ''Prep & Landing: Operation: Secret Santa'', the sequel to Disney's ''Prep & Landing''.

Betty also starred in the Hallmark Hall of fame presentation of The Lost Valentine on January 30, 2011. This presentation garnered the highest rating for a Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation in the last four years and according to the Nielsen Media Research TV rating service won first place in the prime time slot for that date.

Betty White's latest book, ''If You Ask Me (And of Course You Won't)'', was published in 2011.

White is scheduled to serve as a judge alongside Whoopi Goldberg and Wendy Diamond for the American Humane Association's Hero Dog Awards airing on The Hallmark Chanell on November 8th, 2011 at 8PM ET/PT

Charity

White is a pet enthusiast and animal health advocate who works with a number of animal organizations, including the Los Angeles Zoo Commission, the Morris Animal Foundation, and Actors & Others for Animals. Her interest in animal rights and welfare began in the early 1970s while she was both producing and hosting the syndicated series, ''The Pet Set'', which spotlighted celebrities and their pets.

As of 2009, White is the president emerita of the Morris Animal Foundation, where she has served as a trustee of the organization since 1971. She has been a member of the board of directors of the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association since 1974. Additionally, White served the zoo association as a Zoo Commissioner for eight years.

According to the Los Angeles Zoo & Botanical Garden's "ZooScape" Member Newsletter, White hosted "History on Film" from 2000 to 2002. White donated nearly $100,000 to the zoo in the month of April 2008 alone.

Personal life

In 1945, White married Dick Barker, a U.S. Army Air Corps pilot. The marriage was short-lived. In 1947, she married Lane Allen, a Hollywood agent. This marriage ended in divorce in 1949.

On June 14, 1963, White married television host and personality Allen Ludden, whom she had met on his game show ''Password'' as a celebrity guest in 1961, and is legally known as Betty White Ludden. He proposed to White at least twice before she accepted. The couple appeared together in an episode of ''The Odd Couple'' featuring Felix's and Oscar's appearance on ''Password''. Ludden appeared as a guest panelist on ''Match Game'', with White sitting in the audience. (She was prompted to criticize one of Ludden's wrong answers on camera during an episode of ''Match Game '74''). The two appeared together on the Match Game panel in 1975.

Ludden died from stomach cancer on June 9, 1981, in Los Angeles. They had no children together. White has not remarried since Ludden's death.

When asked about her real-life heroes White told Vanity Fair, "Charles Darwin."

Awards, honors and nominations

White has won seven Emmy Awards, three American Comedy Awards (including a Lifetime Achievement Award in 1990), and two Viewers For Quality Television Awards. She was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame in 1995 and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6747 Hollywood Boulevard alongside the star of her late husband Allen Ludden. White was the recipient of the Pacific Pioneer Broadcasters Golden Ike Award and the Genii Award from the American Women in Radio and Television in 1976. The American Comedy Awards awarded her the award for Funniest Female in 1987 as well as the Lifetime Achievement Award in 1990. She was formally inducted into the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame in 1995. In 2009, White received the Career Achievement Award from the Television Critics Association.

The American Veterinary Medical Association awarded White with its Humane Award in 1987 for her charitable work with animals. The City of Los Angeles further honored her for her philanthropic work with animals in 2006 with a bronze plaque near the Gorilla Exhibit at the Los Angeles Zoo. The City of Los Angeles named her "Ambassador to the Animals" at the dedication ceremony.

In September 2009, the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) announced plans to honor White with the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award at the 16th Screen Actors Guild Awards. Sandra Bullock presented White with the award on January 23, 2010, at the ceremony, which took place at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. She is a Kentucky Colonel. In 2009, White and her now deceased ''Golden Girls'' cast mates Beatrice Arthur, Rue McClanahan and Estelle Getty were awarded honorary Disney Legend awards. Betty was inducted into the California Hall of Fame in December 2010. In 2010 she was chosen as the Associated Press's Entertainer of the Year.

On November 9, 2010, the USDA Forest Service along with Smokey Bear made actress Betty White an honorary forest ranger, fulfilling her lifelong dream. White said in previous interviews that she wanted to be a forest ranger as a little girl but that women were not allowed to do that then. Today’s United States Forest Service is 38 percent female, including rangers, scientists and leaders at every level.

In January 2011, White received a SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series for her role as Elka Ostrovsky in Hot In Cleveland. The show itself was also nominated for an award as Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series, but lost to the cast of Modern Family.

A 2011 poll conducted by Reuters and Ipsos revealed that White was considered to be the most popular and most trusted celebrity among Americans, beating out the likes of Denzel Washington, Sandra Bullock and Tom Hanks.

! Year !! Award !! Category !! Work !! Result
1951	Emmy Award
1952	Emmy Award	Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series	''Life With Elizabeth''
1975	Emmy Awards		''The Mary Tyler Moore Show''
1976	Emmy Awards	Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series	''The Mary Tyler Moore Show''
1977	Emmy Awards	Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series	''The Mary Tyler Moore Show''
1983	Emmy Awards		''Just Men!''
1984	Emmy Awards	Outstanding Game Show Host	''Just Men!''
1986	Emmy Awards		''The Golden Girls''
1986	Golden Apple Award	Female Star of the Year
1986	Golden Globes		''The Golden Girls''
1987	Emmy Awards	Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series	''The Golden Girls''
1987	Golden Globes	Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy	''The Golden Girls''
1987	American Comedy Awards	Funniest Female Performer in a TV Series (Leading Role) Network, Cable or Syndication	''The Golden Girls''
1987	Viewers for Quality Television	Best Actress in a Quality Comedy Series	''The Golden Girls''
1988	Emmy Awards	Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series	''The Golden Girls''
1988	Golden Globes	Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy	''The Golden Girls''
1988	Viewers for Quality Television	Best Actress in a Quality Comedy Series	''The Golden Girls''
1989	Emmy Awards	Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series	''The Golden Girls''
1989	Golden Globes	Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy	''The Golden Girls''
1990	Emmy Awards	Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series	''The Golden Girls''
1990	American Comedy Awards	Funniest Female Performer in a TV Series (Leading Role) Network, Cable or Syndication	''The Golden Girls''
1990	American Comedy Awards	Lifetime Achievement Award in Comedy
1991	Emmy Awards	Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series	''The Golden Girls''
1992	Emmy Awards	Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series	''The Golden Girls''
1995	Walk of Fame	Star on the Walk of Fame
1996	Emmy Awards		''The John Larroquette Show''
1997	Emmy Awards	Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series	''Suddenly Susan''
2000	American Comedy Awards	Funniest Female Guest Appearance in a TV Series	''Ally McBeal''
2003	Emmy Awards	Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series	''The Practice''
2003	TV Land Awards	Quintessential Non-Traditional Family
2004	TV Land Awards	Groundbreaking Show
2008	TV Land Awards	Pop Culture Award
2009	Emmy Awards	Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series	''My Name Is Earl''
2009	Television Critics Association
2009	Disney Legends	Disney Legends
2010
2010	MTV Movie Awards
2010	MTV Movie Awards		''The Proposal''
2010		Best Dance (with Sandra Bullock)	''The Proposal''
2010	Emmy Awards	Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series	''Saturday Night Live''
2010	''New Now Next Awards''	Cause You're Hot
2011	People's Choice Awards
2011	People's Choice Awards	Favorite Web Celeb
2011	Screen Actors Guild		''Hot in Cleveland''
2011	Screen Actors Guild		''Hot in Cleveland''
2011	Gracie Allen Awards	Best Actress in a Comedy Series	''Hot in Cleveland''
2011	The Comedy Awards	Best Actress in a TV Comedy	''Hot in Cleveland''
2011	Emmy Awards	Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series	''Hot In Cleveland''

Filmography

''Hollywood on Television'' ''Life with Elizabeth'' ''Make the Connection'' ''Date with the Angels'' ''Santa Claus'' '''' ''To Tell the Truth'' ''Advise and Consent (film) ''Password (game) ''Your First Impression'' ''Concentration (game show) ''What's My Line?'' ''Vanished'' ''Match Game'' '''' ''Tattletales'' '''' '''' ''Liar's Club'' '''' ''Dean Martin Celebrity Roast: Betty White'' ''With This Ring'' '''' '''' '''' ''Before and After'' ''Password Plus'' '''' ''Eunice'' ''Just Men!'' ''Doctor Detroit'' ''Kill Me If You Can'' ''Santa Claus: The Movie'' ''Mama's Family'' ''Body Language (game show) ''Trivia Trap'' ''Who's the Boss'' '''' '''' ''Super Password'' ''Santa Barbara (TV series) ''Another World (TV series) ''To Tell the Truth'' ''Chance of a Lifetime'' '''' ''Bob (TV series) ''Diagnosis: Murder'' ''Family Feud'' ''Maybe This Time'' '''' '''' ''Hard Rain (film) ''Hercules: The Animated Series'' ''Me & George'' ''Dennis the Menace Strikes Again'' ''Holy Man'' '''' '''' ''Gaia Symphony II'' ''Lake Placid (film) '''' ''Ladies Man (1999 TV series) ''Ally McBeal'' '''' ''Whispers: An Elephant's Tale'' ''Tom Sawyer (2000 film) '''' '''' ''I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus'' ''That '70s Show'' ''Bringing Down the House (film) ''Return to the Batcave: The Misadventures of Adam and Burt'' ''Stealing Christmas'' ''Malcolm in the Middle'' ''Hollywood Squares ''Complete Savages'' '''' '''' ''Annie's Point'' ''Boston Legal'' ''Family Guy'' ''Gameshow Marathon (US TV series) '''': Their Greatest Moments ''Comedy Central Roast of William Shatner'' '''' ''My Wife and Kids'' ''Daytime Emmy Awards ''Back to the Grind'' '''' ''Pioneers of Television'' '''' ''Million Dollar Password'' ''Ugly Betty'' '''' ''Wheel of Fortune (U.S. game show) ''My Name is Earl'' ''Chelsea Lately'' ''Ponyo'' ''Love N' Dancing'' ''Chelsea Lately'' ''Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List'' ''30 Rock'' ''Glenn Martin, DDS'' ''Saturday Night Live'' '''' ''Inside the Actors Studio'' ''Operation Secret Santa'' ''Hot in Cleveland'' ''You Again (film) ''Community (TV series) ''Pound Puppies (2010 TV series) '''' ''''

Year	! Title	! Role	Notes
1945	''Time to Kill''	Lou's Girl
1949–50	|	Phone Girl
1953–55	|	Elizabeth	12 episodes
1955	|
1957–58	|	Vickie Angel	33 episodes
1959	|
1959–62	|
1961	|	Herself
1962	Advise and Consent'' ||	Senator Bessie Adams
1961–75	Password'' ||	Herself
1963	|
1965	Concentration'' ||	Herself
1967	|	Herself
1971	|	TV Hostess
1973–82	|	Herself
1973–77	|	Sue Ann Nivens	42 episodes
1974–78	|
1977	|
1977–78	|	Joyce Whitman	14 episodes
1978	|
1978	|
1978	|
1979	|	Evelyn Harris
1979	|
1979	|
1980	|
1980	|
1980–83	|	Herself
1982–88	|	Herself
1982	|	Ellen
1983	|
1983	|
1984	|
1985	|
1983–84, 1986	|	Ellen Harper-Jackson	15 episodes
1984	Body Language'' ||	Herself
1985	|	Herself
1985	|	Bobby Barnes
1985–88	|	Herself
1985–92	|	Rose Nylund	180 episodes
1987–99	|	Herself
1988	Santa Barbara'' ||	Waitress	3 episodes
1988	Another World'' ||	Brenda Barlowe
1990–91	|	Herself
1991	|	Evelyn Eglin
1992–93	|	Rose Nylund	24 episodes
1993	Bob'' ||	Sylvia Schmidt
1994	|	Dora Sloan
1995	|	Herself
1995–96	|	Shirley Wallace
1996	|
1996	|
1997	Hard Rain'' ||	Doreen Sears
1998	|	Hestia
1998	|
1998	|	Martha Wilson
1998	|
1998–99	|		(voice)
1999	|	Herself
1999	|
1999	Lake Placid'' ||	Mrs. Deloris Bickerman
1999	|	Lillian Jordan
1999–2000	Ladies Man'' ||	Mitzi Stiles
2000	|	Dr. Shirley Flott
2000	|		(voice)
2000	|	Round
2000	Tom Sawyer'' ||	Aunt Polly
2001	|	Sophie Hunter
2001	|	Mrs. Krisper
2001	|
2002–03	|	Bea Sigurdson
2003	Bringing Down the House'' ||	Mrs. Kline
2003	|	Woman in Window
2004	|	Emily Sutton
2004	|	Sylvia
2004	Hollywood Squares – Game Show Week Part 2'' ||
2004–05	|	Mrs. Riley
2005	|	Catherine Piper
2005	|	Lettie
2005	|	Annie Eason
2005-08	|	Catherine Piper	16 episodes
2006	|	Herself	(voice)
2006	Gameshow Marathon'' ||
2006	|	Herself
2006	|	Herself
2007	|
2007	|
2007	34th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards'' ||
2007	|
2007	|	Herself	(voice)
2008	|	Herself
2008	|
2008	|	Herself
2008	|		1 episode
2009	|	Grandma Annie
2009	Wheel of Fortune'' ||	Herself
2009	|	Mrs. Weezmer	1 episode
2009	|	Herself
2009	|		(voice)
2009	|	Irene
2009	|	Herself
2009	|
2009	|	Betty White	1 episode
2009–10	|	Dora / Grandma Shelia Martin	2 episodes
2010	|	Herself	(Host)
2010	|	Mrs. Nethercott	1 episode
2010	|	Herself
2010	|		(voice)
2010–present	|	Elka Ostrovsky
2010	You Again'' ||	Grandma Bunny
2010	Community '' ||	Professor June Bauer	2 episodes
2010	Pound Puppies'' ||	Agatha McLeish
2011	|	Caroline Thomas
2012	|	Norma	(voice)

Books by White

1983: ''Betty White's Pet-Love: How Pets Take Care of Us''

1987: ''Betty White In Person''

1991: ''The Leading Lady: Dinah's Story''

1995: ''Here We Go Again: My Life In Television''

2011: ''If You Ask Me (And of Course You Won't)''

References

Further reading

Tucker, David C. ''The Women Who Made Television Funny: Ten Stars of 1950s Sitcoms''. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2007.

External links

Betty White News on Twitter

Betty White is Hot in Cleveland

The Early Betty White 1947-1971

Archive of American Television Interview with Betty White June 4, 1997

Betty White on The Museum of Broadcast Communications

Betty White to Star on Hot in Cleveland

Video of TV Academy's Salute to Betty White

Category:1922 births Category:20th-century actors Category:21st-century actors Category:Actors from California Category:Actors from Illinois Category:Animal rights advocates Category:American film actors Category:American game show hosts Category:American people of Danish descent Category:American people of English descent Category:American people of Greek descent Category:American people of Welsh descent Category:American soap opera actors Category:American television actors Category:American vegans Category:American voice actors Category:Emmy Award winners Category:Living people Category:People from Los Angeles, California Category:People from Oak Park, Illinois Category:Women comedians Category:Daytime Emmy Award winners

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Coordinates	40°42′15.0″N73°55′4.0″N
name	Ben Harper
background	solo_singer
birth name	Benjamin Chase Harper
spouse	Eva Stormzand
birth date	October 28, 1969Claremont, CaliforniaUnited States
instrument	Vocals, electric guitar, lap steel guitar, slide guitar, acoustic guitar, keyboards, piano, bass guitar, drums, percussion, vibes
genre	Folk rock, blues rock, alternative rock, soul, funk rock, gospel, reggae, jam rock, neofolk
occupation	Musician, Singer-songwriter, Humanitarian
years active	1992–present
label	Virgin, EMI Records
associated acts	Ben Harper and The Blind Boys of AlabamaRelentless7Vanessa da MataRingo StarrFistful of Mercy
notable instruments	Weissenborn lap steel guitar
website	www.benharper.com
spouse	Eva Stormzand (1997-present) }}

Benjamin Chase "Ben" Harper (born October 28, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter and musician. Harper plays an eclectic mix of blues, folk, soul, reggae and rock music and is known for his guitar-playing skills, vocals, live performances and activism. Harper's fan base spans several continents. His albums have been commercially successful in North America, Europe and Oceania. Harper is a two-time Grammy Award winner as well, winning awards for Best Pop Instrumental Performance and Best Traditional Soul Gospel Album, in 2005.

Early life

Harper was born in Claremont, in California's Inland Empire. His father, Leonard, was of African-American and Cherokee ancestry, and his mother, Ellen Chase-Verdries, is Jewish. His maternal great-grandmother was a Russian-Lithuanian Jew. His parents divorced when he was age five, and he grew up with his mother's family. Harper has two brothers, Joel and Peter.

Harper began playing guitar as a child. His maternal grandparents' music store ''The Folk Music Center and Museum'' laid a foundation of folk and blues for the artist, complemented by regular patrons Leonard Cohen, Taj Mahal and David Lindley and quotes of William Shakespeare and Robert Frost made often by his grandfather. At the age of 12, Harper played his first gig. During the '80s, in his teen years, Harper began to play the slide guitar, mimicking the style of Robert Johnson. Next, Harper refined his style, taking up the Weissenborn slide guitar. Harper broke out of the Inland Empire after being offered an invitation by Taj Mahal to tour with the artist. They recorded Taj Mahal's album ''Follow the Drinking Gourd'', released in November 1990, and toured Hawaii.

Career

In 1992 Harper recorded the LP ''Pleasure and Pain'' with Folk multi-instrumentalist Tom Freund. After this limited edition record, Harper secured a record deal with Virgin Records, which released his debut album, ''Welcome to the Cruel World'' in 1994. This was followed by ''Fight For Your Mind'' in 1995, which became a college radio favorite and included several songs that Harper still plays live regularly. His 1997 album ''The Will to Live'' was the first to feature his backup band the Innocent Criminals.

In 1999 at the Santa Barbara Bowl, Harper met Jack Johnson, who was unknown at the time and had not recorded. Harper obtained a demo tape of twelve of Johnson's songs that he forwarded to his producer, J.P. Plunier, with whom Johnson recorded his first album.

Early in Harper's career, his music received more attention in Europe and was widely played in Australia (first on Triple J radio). Harper has made comments on a number of occasions that his career was kicked off in Australia. While he was a well-known and respected figure in the United States, he was a star in countries like Australia, New Zealand, France, Portugal, Germany, Switzerland and the Netherlands, receiving a great deal of airplay and critical acclaim. His popularity in Europe is such that he was French ''Rolling Stone'' magazine's Artist of the Year (''Artiste De L'Année'') in 2003, and his Australian tour that year for ''Diamonds on the Inside'' was highly successful.

In 2002, Harper was one of the featured singers covering Motown hits by Marvin Gaye in the documentary, ''Standing in the Shadows of Motown'' (a history of The Funk Brothers). In October 2004, Harper participated in the Vote for Change concert tour organized to benefit Moveon.org and encourage people in the swing states to vote during the 2004 U.S. presidential election. In the same month, Harper contributed a live recording of the song "Oppression" to ''For The Lady'', a benefit album for jailed Nobel Peace Prize winner and Burmese pro-democracy advocate Aung San Suu Kyi. In 2006, Harper released the double album ''Both Sides of the Gun'' which debuted at #7 on the Billboard charts. Though uncredited, he appears briefly in the 2006 David Lynch film ''Inland Empire'', alongside his wife Laura Dern.

After several albums without the Innocent Criminals, Harper reconvened that band for the 2007 album, ''Lifeline'', which was recorded in Paris. Harper also covered John Lennon's "Beautiful Boy" on the benefit CD ''Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur''. Harper is part of the No Nukes group which is against the expansion of nuclear power. In 2007 the group recorded a music video of a new version of the Buffalo Springfield song "For What It's Worth". Harper's collaboration "Boa Sorte/Good Luck" with Brazilian singer Vanessa da Mata peaked at #1 in Brazil and Portugal. In Brazil it also won a highly coveted Prêmio Multishow for "Best Song" in 2008. Also in 2008, Harper participated in the benefit album ''Songs for Tibet''.

While recording ''Both Sides of the Gun'' in 2005, Harper met the members who would eventually form his new band, Relentless7, with Texas-based musicians Jason Mozersky (guitar), Jesse Ingalls (bass) and Jordan Richardson (drums). The album ''White Lies for Dark Times'', credited to Ben Harper and Relentless7, was released on May 4, 2009. On July 12, 2009, the band performed the closing concert of the 30th Montreal International Jazz Fest. On January 13, 2010, Harper and Relentless7 appeared on the ''Daily Show'' with Jon Stewart together with Ringo Starr to perform "Walk With You" and "With a Little Help from My Friends". On January 22, 2010, Harper appeared on the last episode of The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien with Beck and Billy Gibbons playing a Will Ferrell-led rendition of "Freebird".

On August 27, 2010, it was reported that Ben Harper had formed a band called Fistful of Mercy with Dhani Harrison and Joseph Arthur. Fistful of Mercy released their debut record, ''As I Call You Down'', on October 5, 2010.

On May 17, 2011, Ben Harper's official site posted that his next album was released, entitled ''Give Till It's Gone.'' The album is a continuation of recording with Relentless7.

Personal life

Family

In 1996, Harper married his first wife, Joanna. They had two children, a son and daughter, Charles Joseph and Harris.

On December 23, 2005, Harper married his girlfriend of five years, actress Laura Dern. They have two children together, son Ellery Walker Harper (b. August 21, 2001) and daughter Jaya (b. November 24, 2004).

On October 8, 2010, Harper, having been married for five years, filed for divorce from Dern, citing irreconcilable differences. He is seeking joint custody of their two children, as well as asking for a denial of spousal support for Dern.

Awards and nominations

! Year	Award ceremony>Award Show	! Award/Nomination
2003		''Artist of the Year''
2005	Grammy Award
2005	Grammy Award

Discography

Studio albums

+	Title	Album details	Peak chart positions							! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:13em;"
! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;"			! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;"	! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;"	! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;"	! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;"	! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;"	! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;"
!''Pleasure and Pain''		* Album by Ben Harper and Tom Freund	* Released: March 15, 1992	* Label: Cardas Records	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
!''Welcome to the Cruel World''		* Album by Ben Harper	* Released: February 8, 1994	* Label: Virgin Records	—	94	—	11	—	—	—		ARIA Charts>AUS: Gold	Canadian Recording Industry Association>CAN: Gold	SNEP>FRA: Platinum
!''Fight for Your Mind''		* Album by Ben Harper	* Released: 1995	* Label: Virgin Records	—	34	—	39	7	—	—		* CAN: Platinum	* FRA: Gold
!''The Will to Live''		* Album by Ben Harper	* Released: June 17, 1997	* Label: Virgin Records	89	17	—	4	1	—	—		* AUS: Platinum	* FRA: Platinum
Burn to Shine (album)>Burn to Shine''		* Album by Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals	* Released: September 21, 1999	* Label: Virgin Records	67	2	34	2	5	—	—		* AUS: Platinum	* FRA: Platinum	RIANZ>NZ: Platinum
!''Diamonds on the Inside''		* Album by Ben Harper	* Released: March 11, 2003	* Label: Virgin Records	19	2	3	2	2	1	10		* AUS: 2×Platinum	* CAN: Gold	* FRA: Platinum	FIMI>ITA: Platinum	Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa>POR: Silver	* SWI: Gold	* NZ: 2×Platinum
!''There Will Be a Light''		* Album by Ben Harper and The Blind Boys of Alabama	* Released: September 21, 2004	* Label: Virgin Records	81	6	3	1	7	1	7		* AUS: Gold	* FRA: 2×Gold
!''Both Sides of the Gun''		* Album by Ben Harper	* March 21, 2006	* Label: Virgin Records	7	1	4	2	1	1	3		* AUS: Platinum	* CAN: Gold	* FRA: Platinum	* SWI: Gold	* NZ: Platinum
Lifeline (Ben Harper album)>Lifeline''		* Album by Ben Harper & the Innocent Criminals	* Released: August 28, 2007	* Label: Virgin Records	9	7	1	1	6	1	5		* AUS: Gold	* FRA: Platinum	* SWI: Gold
!''White Lies for Dark Times''		* Album by Ben Harper and Relentless7	* Released: May 5, 2009	* Label: Virgin Records	9	17	7	6	11	7	23		* FRA: Gold
!''Give Till It's Gone''		* Album by Ben Harper	* Released: May 17, 2011	* Label: Virgin Records	15	9	6	3	13	2	25		* FRA: Gold

Live albums

+	Title	Album details	Peak chart positions							! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:13em;"
! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;"			! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;"	! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;"	! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;"	! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;"	! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;"	! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;"
!''Live from Mars''		* Album by Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals	* Released: 2001	* Label: Virgin Records	70	2	29	3	3	12	—		* AUS: 2×Platinum	* FRA: Gold	* NZ: Gold
Live at the Apollo (Ben Harper and The Blind Boys of Alabama)>Live at the Apollo''		* Album by Ben Harper and The Blind Boys of Alabama	* Released: March 14, 2005	* Label: Virgin Records	—	—	96	39	—	—	—	—
!''Live at Twist & Shout''		* Album by Ben Harper & the Innocent Criminals	* Released: December 4, 2007	* Label: Virgin Records	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
!''Live from the Montreal International Jazz Festival''		* Album by Ben Harper and Relentless7	* Released: March 9, 2010	* Label: Virgin Records	151	—	—	57	—	—	19	—

Other albums

+	Title	Album details	Peak chart positions
! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;"			! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;"
!''As I Call You Down''		* Album by Fistful of Mercy	* Released: October 5, 2010	* Label: HOT Records	50	154

Virtual albums

''iTunes Originals - Ben Harper''

''iTunes Must Haves - Ben Harper''

Singles

"Like A King / Whipping Boy" (1994)

"Ground on Down" (1995)

"Excuse Me Mr." (1996)

"Gold to Me" (1996)

"Faded" (1997) #54 UK

"Jah Work" (1997)

"Glory & Consequence" (1997)

"Please Bleed" (1999)

"Burn to Shine" (1999)

"Forgiven" (2000)

"Steal My Kisses" (2000) #15 U.S. Adult Top 40

"With My Own Two Hands" (2003)

"Diamonds On the Inside" (2003) #31 U.S. Adult Top 40

"Brown Eyed Blues" (2004)

"Wicked Man" (2004)

"There Will Be a Light" (2004)

"Better Way" (2006)

"Both Sides Of The Gun" (2006)

"Morning Yearning" (2006)

"Fight Outta You" (2007) #61 Hot Canadian Digital Charts

"Boa Sorte/Good Luck" (2007) (with Vanessa da Mata) #1 Portugal; #1 Brazil

"In The Colors" (2008)

"Fool For A Lonesome Train" (2008)

"Shimmer & Shine" (2009)

"Fly One Time" (2009)

"Lay There & Hate Me" (2010)

"Skin Thin" (2010)

"The Word Suicide" (2010)

"Never Tear Us Apart" (with INXS) (2010)

"Rock N' Roll Is Free" (2011)

"Don't Give Up on Me Now (2011, Italy only)

"Walk Away" ("")

Special appearances

Harper played a slide guitar version of the "Star-Spangled Banner" prior to Game 3 of the 2007 NBA Finals on June 12 in Cleveland.

He can also be seen playing a slide guitar in the video for the song "Flake" by Jack Johnson.

Harper performed alongside Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson and John Paul Jones at the Bonnaroo Music Festival in 2007. The jam session included songs by Stevie Wonder, The Isley Brothers, and several Led Zeppelin hits.

Harper performed a cover of "Strawberry Fields Forever" by The Beatles for the soundtrack of the film ''I Am Sam''.

He also appears on the 2003 Pearl Jam DVD ''Live at the Garden'' where Harper plays alongside friends Pearl Jam for the songs "Daughter" & "Indifference".

Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals performed a cover of The Beatles' "Michelle" on the 2005 album ''This Bird Has Flown – A 40th Anniversary Tribute to the Beatles' Rubber Soul''.

Harper also performed at several "Vote Obama" rallies, including one at University of Colorado at Boulder.

Harper performed on the Willie Nelson show ''Outlaws & Angels''.

Harper teamed with the Skatalites to perform Fats Domino's "Be My Guest" on ''Goin' Home: A Tribute to Fats Domino''.

Harper is featured in the iPhone / iPod touch Application "Tap Tap Revenge 2" with his singles "Steal my Kisses" and "Keep It Together (So I Can Fall Apart)."

Harper performed a cover of "My Father's House" by Bruce Springsteen for the album ''Badlands: A Tribute to Bruce Springsteen''.

Harper was featured, alongside Jack Johnson, playing slide guitar with Toots and the Maytals, performing their 1970s reggae hit "Pressure Drop" on ''Saturday Night Live''.

Harper helped Conan O'Brien end his tenure on ''The Tonight Show'' by playing slide guitar on "Free Bird".

In 2006, Harper was featured on the song "Belief" on John Mayer's album Continuum.

In January 2010, Harper and his band Relentless7 performed at the Grammy Museum with Ringo Starr in support of the Beatles drummer's self-produced album, ''Y Not''.

His song "Suzie Blue" is currently featured in a Cadillac commercial.

In November 2010, his song "Amen Omen" from the album Diamonds on the Inside is featured in the episode "Katerina" of the TV show The Vampire Diaries.

DVDs

''Pleasure and Pain'' (2002)

''Live at the Hollywood Bowl'' (2003)

''Live at the Apollo'' (2005)

References

External links

Official Ben Harper Shop

Ben Harper Live for Earth Day on National Geographic

Ben Harper at RollingStone.com

Ben Harper on Twitter

Category:1969 births Category:African American musicians Category:African American rock musicians Category:American musicians of Russian descent Category:American blues singers Category:American folk guitarists Category:American folk singers Category:American rock guitarists Category:American rock singers Category:American rock singer-songwriters Category:American people of Cherokee descent Category:American people of Russian descent Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Living people Category:Virgin Records artists Category:Real World artists Category:Slide guitarists Category:Steel guitarists Category:Weissenborn players Category:American blues guitarists

ca:Ben Harper cs:Ben Harper da:Ben Harper de:Ben Harper es:Ben Harper fr:Ben Harper it:Ben Harper nl:Ben Harper ja:ベン・ハーパー no:Ben Harper pl:Ben Harper pt:Ben Harper sv:Ben Harper tr:Ben Harper

Coordinates	40°42′15.0″N73°55′4.0″N
name	Leon Mobley
background	non_vocal_instrumentalist
instrument	drums, djembe, cajon, congas, bongo etc.
genre	African music, reggae, rock, folk
occupation	Musician
label	Virgin Records (with Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals)
associated acts	Da Lion and Djimbe West African Drummers and Dancers
website	Official site
notable instruments	Djembe }}

Leon Mobley is a percussionist and drummer, founder and artistic and musical director of Da Lion and Djimbe West African Drummers and Dancers and a member of The Innocent Criminals, Ben Harper's band. He is presently working with Damian Marley and Nas on the project called "Distant Relatives" Leon Mobley's natural talent and infectious smile have taken him a long way. From child actor on PBS Television show ZOOM (1971–1973) to touring the globe as drummer / percussionist with Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals (1993–present), Leon's sheer exuberance and joie de vivre is ever present.

Leon began playing African drums in 1967, studying for 10 years under the tutelage of seminal Nigerian master drummer Babatunde Olatunji at the Elma Lewis School of Fine Arts in Boston, Massachusetts. In 1977 Leon studied under the directorship of Senegalese master drummer Ibrahim Camara (former drummer for the National Ballet of Senegal) while a member of the Bokan-Deye Dance Company. Leon was building a name for himself as a drummer and became a much sought after player in the world of African music. A testament to his new found status as a major player on the African music scene was when he was invited to South Africa in 1991 to perform with returning exiles Letta Mbulu, Caiphus Semenya, and Hugh Masekela, artists known worldwide as some of Africa's greatest musicians. One of the highlights of Leon's career was meeting and playing for Nelson Mandela when he was released from prison after 27 years as a political prisoner.

Leon studied and performed from 1979 to 1981 in Surinam, South America, Trinidad - Tobago and throughout the West Indies. He continued his studies during 1982 in Senegal and Gambia. In 1987 and 1992 he traveled to Japan, where he taught and performed West African Drumming and Dancing. While in Japan he visited Sado Island, home of Kodo, the internationally acclaimed percussion group, in a cultural exchange program. He has also performed and lectured throughout the US as well as toured Germany, Italy and Israel producing, recording, conducting clinics and performing with his group Da Lion.

Like his mentor Olatunji, (who played for many years with Santana and other popular artists of the day), Leon has succeeded in bringing African drumming into contemporary mainstream music and has performed and recorded with many major artists in all genres. Among the many artists Leon has worked with are: Dave Matthews Band, Jack Johnson, Peter Wolf, Mick Jagger, Quincy Jones, Santana, Michael Jackson, Macy Gray, Trevor Hall, Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Blind Boys of Alabama, Damian Marley, Jason Mraz, Madonna, The Fugees, Stevie Wonder, Gov't Mule, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine, Timoria, Pierce Fucinni, Airto and Flora Purim, and more. Most recently, Leon performed for a Gucci sponsored event at the United Nations which raised 5.5 million dollars for UNICEF and Madonna's charity Raising Malawi. In addition to opening the event with a rousing drum performance, Leon & Da Lion also accompanied the world acclaimed African Children's Choir.

With the knowledge Leon garnered from studying with some of the greatest drummers in the world Leon is now regarded as a master drummer in his own right. Leon has been a signature series artist with Remo who has manufactured and marketed the Leon Mobley custom designed African drums since 1983. As an ever seeking student of African drumming and culture for over 30 years Leon has become a nationally and internationally sought teacher of West African Drumming and Culture. While in Boston he taught at community centers, conducted school tours with the Art of Black Dance and Music, and conducted workshops at Berklee College of Music. He also served as musical director at Paige Academy, a private school in Roxbury, Massachusetts. Leon continued teaching after moving to Los Angeles in 1986, conducting weekly classes at UCLA, Los Angeles Contemporary Dance Theater, Parks and Recreation, and the Los Angeles High School for the Arts on the campus of Cal State (Los Angeles). Leon also contracted with the Music Center on Tour Progam and presented African drumming and dance to thousands of students throughout Southern California.

Mobley is the founder and artistic and musical director of Da Lion and Djimbe West African Drummers and Dancers. He founded these two groups in order to help preserve African cultures, and present authentic traditional West African-American dance and music to North American audiences. Through these groups, Leon continues his mission of educating others about the West African people, their customs, history, and cultural arts as well as the influence of Traditional African drumming and music on African American art and culture. Connecting the dots between African and African American music Leon has developed a fresh new approach to drumming which he calls Traditional African American Music. This traditional approach to new music enables Leon to illuminate and bring to the forefront the traditional African drum rhythms from which many Jazz, Funk, R&B; and Hip Hop rhythms are derived.

References

Category:American drummers Category:American percussionists Category:Living people