Abby Connolly
Comedy legend and award-winning actress Carol Burnett recently celebrated her 90th birthday in a star-studded live tribute special on NBC.
As one of television’s most beloved figures, it’s no wonder big names were in attendance like Julie Andrews and Cher, who once shared the stage with her decades ago.
In honor of her recent big birthday, here is everything you need to know about the life of Carol Burnett.
Born in San Antonio, Texas, in 1933, Carol had a passion for film and performing at a young age. Her mother was a publicity writer for movie studios, and her father was a movie theater manager.
Their family moved to Hollywood, California, when she was a little girl. They lived in a boarding house in an impoverished neighborhood.
As a kid, Carol loved spending time in movie theaters and quickly picked up on how to entertain people. She loved making people laugh and singing with her family.
She worked as an usher at a movie theater until she graduated high school. Then, she decided to study theater arts at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in the 1950s and excelled in comedy.
Making her classmates laugh while performing scenes came very naturally to her. She performed in many school productions and received lots of praise around campus.
In 1955, Carol longed to move to New York City to become an actress and eventually received a loan from an anonymous donor with enough money to send her there. During her first year in New York, Carol lived in a boarding house for women pursuing acting careers.
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