Attended but did not complete her degree
from the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television in 1954.
Left handed
Mother of actress Carrie
Hamilton and singer Erin Hamilton.
A.A. from U.C. Berkeley [1954]
Born at 4:00am-CST
Was forced to drop out of the 1964 Broadway
musical "Fade Out, Fade In" after sustaining a neck
injury in a taxi accident. The show's producers sued her for
breach of contract, but the suit was later dropped.
In 1981, she successfully sued the
"National Enquirer" for libel, prompted by its
article describing her alleged public drunkenness during an
altercation with then-Secretary of State Henry Kissinger while
in a Washington restaurant. The case remains a landmark in the
study of libel cases involving celebrities, even though the
unprecedented $1.6 million verdict (including $300,000 in
personal damages and $1.3 million in "punitive"
damages) was later reduced on appeal and the case was
eventually settled out of court. Burnett donated the money to
charity. She said she pursued the lawsuit because, as the
daughter of two deceased alcoholics, the gossip paper's
fabrication wounded her emotionally and that they should be
punished for their irresponsibility when writing lies about
celebrities.
Daughter Erin Hamilton was Miss Golden Globe
1993.
Considered Jim Nabors to be her good luck
charm. He appeared as a guest on the first episode of
"The Carol Burnett Show" (1967), and when the show
took off, she had him back on the first episode of every
season.
When asked, on her show, who her favorite
actor was, she replied, "Anthony Hopkins--you know, the
little English guy?"
Measurements: 33 1/2-26-37 (Source:
Celebrity Sleuth magazine)
