Coordinates	12°58′0″N77°34′0″N
colour	#4B89E6
name	Simba
first	''The Lion King''
creator	Jonathan Roberts
lbl1	Voiced by
data1	see below
species	Lion
Relatives	Mate: NalaChildren: Kiara in ''Simba's Pride'' and Kopa in TLK: SNAParents: Mufasa (deceased) and SarabiUncle: ScarMother-in-law: SarafinaSon-in-law: Kovu
noinfo	yes }}

Simba is a lion character and the protagonist of Disney's most successful animated feature film, ''The Lion King''. He is the son of Mufasa and Sarabi, nephew of Scar, mate of Nala, and father of Kiara. He has golden fur and when he grows into an adult, he has an auburn mane. The name Simba comes from the Swahili word for lion.

Appearances

''The Lion King''

In the opening sequence of ''The Lion King'', Simba is the newborn son of King Mufasa and Queen Sarabi. After being anointed he is held up by the mandrill Rafiki atop Pride Rock for all the animals in the Pride Lands to see. Elsewhere, Simba's uncle Scar is upset as Simba's birth means that Scar will never be king. When Simba is older his father Mufasa takes him to the top of Pride Rock to show Simba the kingdom. Simba takes interest in a dark, shadowy area beyond the northern border of the Pridelands but Mufasa explains that Simba must never go there because it is too dangerous there. After descending into the Pridelands Mufasa has to leave to chase away some hyenas, so Zazu leads Simba home and Simba goes to visit his uncle Scar. Scar tells Simba that the forbidden area is an Elephant Graveyard and that only the bravest lions go there. Scar deliberately arouses Simba's curiosity so that the cub will visit the Elephant Graveyard, and Simba does so, taking his friend Nala with him. Simba lies to his mother Sarabi and says that he is going to the water hole. Sarabi agrees to let Simba go, but requests that Zazu must accompany them. However, the two cubs Simba and Nala plot to lose Zazu during the song "I Just Can't Wait to Be King" and manage to do so, allowing themselves to head to the Elephant Graveyard.

As Simba and Nala approach the elephant graveyard, Zazu finds the two cubs. At the Elephant Graveyard three hyenas Shenzi, Banzi, and Ed attack Simba and Nala, under Scar's orders. Luckily, Zazu manages to escape from them and tells Mufasa what is happening, and Mufasa quickly dashes all the way over to the Elephant Graveyard to save his son, just as the trio of hyenas have cornered Simba and Nala after a brief chase and are about to eat them. Mufasa defends Simba and Nala, fighting the hyenas off and threatening to kill them if they ever go near Simba again. The hyenas run off, and Simba apoligizes to Mufasa, who is very disappointed that Simba delibrately disobeyed him by going beyond the borders of the Pride Lands when Mufasa told him not to. Still disappointed in Simba, Mufasa leads him, along with Nala and Zazu, out of the graveyard and back into the Pride Lands, unaware of the fact that a very annoyed looking Scar is watching them as they leave the graveyard. On the way home, Mufasa, after ordering Zazu to take Nala home, takes Simba aside to have a private conversation with him about what he did. Simba says that he was just trying to be brave like Mufasa. Mufasa replies that he is only brave when he needs to be and that being brave doesn't mean going looking for trouble. He also teaches Simba about the great kings of the past that look down from the stars.

Back at the Elephant Graveyard, Scar is angry that Shenzi, Banzai and Ed did not manage to kill the two cubs. Scar gains the trust of many other hyenas and makes a new plan. The next day Scar takes Simba down into a gorge and tells the cub to wait, stating that Mufasa has a "marvelous surprise" waiting. He also advises Simba to try to improve his roar, referring to an incident that had happened back in the Elephant graveyard when Simba had tried and failed to scare the hyenas away with his roar after they cornered him and Nala, right before Mufasa arrived and saved them. While Simba is in the gorge Scar and the hyenas start a wildebeest stampede. Just before this happens, Simba takes Scar's advice to improve his roar and, noticing a chameleon, successfully scares it with his roar after a few failed attempts right before the hyenas chase the wildebeasts, causing Simba to think that ''he'' scared the herd with his roar and consequently caused the stampede. Scar warns Mufasa about the stampede and that Simba's down there. He pretends to be concerned about Simba, but he's really just trying to lead Mufasa to his death, knowing that he will try to rescue Simba and hoping that he will be killed while trying to do so, along with Simba. Mufasa manages to do so, but is thrown to his death back into the stampede by Scar. Unaware of this atrocity, Simba sees his father fall to his death and, upon finding his father's dead body, thinks that it is his fault, as he wrongly believes that he caused the stampede that killed Mufasa when he roared at the lizard, still not knowing that it was the hyenas that caused the stampede under Scar's command. Scar arrives and tells Simba that it was his fault that Mufasa died and that he should run away. Simba runs and Scar orders the hyenas to kill him, but Simba escapes into the desert. Deciding not to tell Scar they failed to kill Simba again, and deciding that he's as good as dead out in the desert anyway, the hyenas tell Scar that Simba is dead, and Scar takes over the throne, allowing them and the rest of the hyenas to invade the Pride Lands.

Simba is rescued in the desert by Timon and Pumbaa, a meerkat and warthog duo. They raise Simba in the jungle until he is an adult. One day, a lioness arrives in the jungle and tries to kill Pumbaa. Simba comes to his and Timon's rescue and wrestles the lioness till he finds that it is Nala. The two fall in love, however Simba insists he will never return to the Pridelands and end Scar's reign as he still believes that he killed his father, much to Nala's disappointment. Rafiki finds Simba and explains that Mufasa is still alive. Rafiki leads Simba to a grassy meadow where Mufasa's spirit appears in the clouds. Mufasa explains that Simba must return home and reclaim the throne. Simba returns to the Pride Lands and is joined by Nala, Timon and Pumbaa. They find the Pride Lands barren and dry. While Timon and Pumbaa divert the hyenas and Nala rallies the pride, Simba looks for Scar.

After seeing Scar strike Sarabi, Simba confronts him at Pride Rock. Scar forces Simba to confess his guilt about his father's death in front of the lionesses and backs Simba off a cliff. Scar grabs Simba and whispers that it was he who actually killed Mufasa. Enraged, Simba pins Scar and forces him to confess, causing a battle to ensue. Lightning strikes causing dry ground and starts a fire. As Nala, the other lionesses, Timon, and Pumbaa wipe out the hyenas, Simba chases Scar onto the top of Pride Rock and Scar pleads for his life, implying that the hyenas were behind the usurping. Unconvinced, Simba rejects his excuses and orders him exiled, deliberately echoing his uncle's phrasing used when he was falsely accused as a cub. Humiliated that his plan was caught, Scar attacks Simba until the younger lion manages to throw Scar over the edge. Scar does not die from the fall, but is devoured by the hyenas, whom he attempted to betray.

With Scar dead, Simba ascends Pride Rock as rain falls and extinguishes the fire. Simba roars out across the Pridelands. Much later, with the Pridelands restored, Nala becomes Simba's mate and Rafiki lifts their newborn cub high into the air atop Pride Rock for the animals below to see.

Simba's characterization is one of Disney's greatest examples of a coming-of-age story. As a cub, Simba was rather self-centered. He was eager to be king for selfish reasons, such as obtaining power and doing whatever he pleased. However, as an adult, Simba grows into a strong, but just king who only holds the best hopes and intentions for his family and homeland.

''The Lion King II: Simba's Pride''

In ''The Lion King II: Simba's Pride'', Simba has fathered a daughter named Kiara. One day Simba lets his daughter out to play, but sends Timon and Pumbaa to watch over her. Unknown to Simba, Timon and Pumbaa begin to argue about "grubs", and Kiara slips away from them unnoticed.

Kiara ends up crossing over into the Outlands where she meets Kovu, an Outlander cub whose pride was exiled by Simba because of their loyalty to Scar. The two play tag until Simba leaps in to confront Zira, Kovu's mother, who was watching the two cubs play. After the confrontation, Simba talks with Kiara and explains to her that they "are one."

When Kiara is grown she heads out into the Pride Lands alone for her first hunt. Simba is worried for her safety and sends Timon and Pumbaa out to watch her again, against Nala's advice. After Kiara discovers Timon and Pumbaa spying on her, she runs away only to be trapped in a fire that Vitani and Nuka, Kovu's brother and sister, have set. Kiara tries to run out, but chokes and loses consciousness. Kovu rescues her, and Simba at first tries to send him away, but Nala convinces him to accept Kovu into the pride.

Simba later has a nightmare of Mufasa's death. In the nightmare, Mufasa is climbing the cliff, calling out to Simba for help. Simba goes to help him, but hears an evil laugh behind him and sees Scar walking towards them. As Simba reaches out for his father, Scar grabs his paw with his claws. At that moment, Mufasa calls out for Simba one last time as he slips down the cliff and falls to his death. Simba looks back at Scar, but he has morphed into Kovu. Kovu laughs as he throws Simba off the cliff and as he falls, he wakes up. Unknown to Simba, Zira has secretly trained Kovu to infiltrate Simba's pride and kill Simba.

Simba gradually begins to trust Kovu, and Kiara and Kovu begin to fall in love. Soon Kovu begins to question his loyalty to the Outsiders.

After a few days Simba takes Kovu out for a walk and tells him the real story about Scar. Zira and the other Outlanders ambush Kovu and Simba while they are walking, reigniting Simba's distrust in Kovu. Kovu tries to convince Simba that he had nothing to do with the attack, and even tries to protect Simba, but is knocked down by Vitani. Simba is injured but leaps up a log dam to safety, causing a few logs to fall and crush Nuka. Kovu is blamed for the death and Zira strikes him in anger, scarring his eye, making him look like Scar. Kovu flees to the Pride Lands in shame.

Simba, realizing Kovu had dark motives when he saved Kiara, exiles the lion, refusing to accept his apologies. Kiara is upset at this, and after informing her father that he will "never be Mufasa," runs away to find Kovu. The two reunite in the desert later that night. As Simba enters the cave to find his daughter gone, Zazu arrives and announces that the Outsiders have initiated a war. Simba heads out to fight with his pride.

After a lengthy battle, Simba and Zira confront each other directly. Kiara and Kovu leap into the middle of this confrontation and end the war, convincing both sides that they "are one." The Outsiders, after learning of their leader's true nature, willing to kill her allies just to avenge Scar, abandon Zira entirely and join Simba's pride. Zira, enraged and refusing to put the past behind her, tries to leap at Simba only to be knocked aside by Kiara. The two lionesses tumble into the gorge, which is now full of raging water from the damaged log dam. Zira, refusing Kiara's offers of aid, slips and falls to her death in the swollen river below.

After Simba and Kiara climb back up to safety, Simba realizes his mistake and accepts Kovu and the other Outsiders into his pride. The two united prides head back to Pride Rock where Kovu becomes Kiara's mate. In celebration, Kovu, Kiara, Simba and Nala walk up to the promontory of Pride Rock and roar out across the kingdom. Simba looks up to the sky where Mufasa tells him "Well done, my son," praising him for his decision to bring the Outlanders into the pride.

''The Lion King 1½''

In the 2004 direct-to-video interquel ''The Lion King 1½'', more is revealed about Simba's life in the jungle with Timon and Pumbaa after his exile.

Simba proves to be a handful, as he scales tall and dangerous trees and swims over waterfalls, not caring about the danger he's in and Timon's frantic efforts to discipline him. As a teenager, he has beaten Timon in every kind of bug eating contest, along with a snail slurping contest that is shown. In one scene it is revealed that he had been having quite a lot of nightmares, presumably about Mufasa's death. In the final scene, before Simba made his mighty roar, he thanked the two saying that he would not have made it without them.

Beyond the films

Books

In a set of books titled ''The Lion King: Six New Adventures,'' released shortly after the original ''The Lion King'' film was released, Simba has a son named Kopa, a gold-coloured cub with a brown tuft of fur on his head. No reference is made to Kopa in ''The Lion King II: Simba's Pride'' which was released after the books were published. This indicates the cub at the end of the original ''The Lion King'' is intended to be Kiara.

TV series

Simba makes occasional brief appearances in the ''Timon and Pumbaa'' TV animated series. This includes one episode in which Timon drags him out to try to revive Pumbaa's lost memory.

In the episode "Congo On Like This," Timon and Pumbaa suspect that Simba has reverted back to his carnivorous nature. The episode "Shake Your Djibouti" features Simba again where Timon and Pumbaa are forced to train Simba to protect them from a laboratory monster. Another episode entitled "Rome Alone" sees Simba being captured by Romans, and forced into gladiatorial battle with another lion called Claudius. Simba also appears in a music video of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" starring Timon and Pumbaa, which was shown theatrically in front of the film ''Tom and Huck'' in 1995.

Simba was featured as one of the guests in the animated series ''House of Mouse'' where he tends to alternate between cub and adult versions.

Disney parks

Live versions of Simba also appear in the ''Lion King'' musical and in the parades and shows at the Walt Disney Parks and Resorts.

Simba was also the main character in "Legend of the Lion King," a former Fantasyland attraction in Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom, which retold the story of the film using fully-articulated puppets. Other Disney attractions that have featured Simba include the Mickey's PhilharMagic 3D show and the Hong Kong Disneyland version of ''It's a Small World''.

Video games

In the video games based on the films Simba is usually the main playable character.

Simba also features in the Nintendo DS video game ''Disney Friends'' as a cub.

The ''Kingdom Hearts'' series

''Kingdom Hearts''

In ''Kingdom Hearts'', adult Simba appears as a summon spirit whose world has been destroyed.

''Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories''

In ''Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories'', he appears as a summon card.

''Kingdom Hearts II''

Simba plays a much more active role in ''Kingdom Hearts II'' as a full-fledged partner rather than a summon. When the main protagonists (Sora, Donald and Goofy) explore the jungle in the Pride Lands world, Simba is being attacked by Heartless (which he easily defeats), and then almost attacks them, not recognizing them at first as they were turned into jungle animals due to Sora's enchanted clothes; however, when he realizes who they are, he is overjoyed to see them, but surprised as to how their appearances had changed. Initially, Simba refuses to go back to the Pride Lands, stating he was "not who he used to be." His father, Mufasa, comes to him and tells him to go back; afterwards, he accompanies Sora, Donald, and Goofy to Pride Rock for a climactic battle with both the hyenas Shenzi, Banzai, Ed and Scar, who had been turned into a Heartless because of his anger and jealousy.

Sora left after the successful coronation of Simba. When Sora returned, Simba had been driven into doubt by rumors of Scar's ghost. He later gained confidence and stood up to Scar's ghost, which was a manifestation of Simba's uncertainty and fear, with help from Sora, Donald, and Goofy. Simba then has to prove himself as leader in a fight with a huge Heartless.

There is a continuity error with Jiminy's Journal from ''Kingdom Hearts'', the first game in the series. In the journal it states that Simba was already King of the Pride Lands when he was a Summon, but in the second game he was not King until Sora, Donald and Goofy helped him defeat Scar.

Cam Clarke (Simba's speaking voice in ''Timon and Pumbaa'' and singing voice in ''The Lion King II'') voices Simba in the above two appearances, with an archival recording of Jonathan Taylor Thomas used for Young Simba in a flashback sequence in ''Kingdom Hearts II''.

Portrayers of Simba

Media	Actor
''The Lion King'' (1994) (film)
	Cam Clarke (adult voice)
	Scott Irby-Ranniar (cub) (original actor)Jason Raize (adult) (original actor)
''The Lion King II: Simba's Pride'' (1998) (film)	Matthew Broderick (adult voice)Cam Clarke (adult singing voice)
''The Lion King 1½'' (2004) (film)	Matt Weinberg (cub voice) (Post-movie merchandise)Matthew Broderick (teenager and adult voice)
''Kingdom Hearts II'' (2006) (video game)	Jonathan Taylor Thomas (cub voice) (archive recording) Cam Clarke (adult voice)

References

Category:The Lion King characters Category:Kingdom Hearts characters Category:Fictional lions Category:Fictional princes Category:Fictional kings Category:Fictional characters introduced in 1994 Category:Pop culture words of Bantu origin Category:Child characters in animated films

af:Simba es:Simba fa:سیمبا (شیرشاه) fr:Simba (Disney) it:Simba (Disney) he:סימבה nl:Simba ja:シンバ no:Simba pt:Simba ru:Симба simple:Simba fi:Simba

Coordinates	12°58′0″N77°34′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

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