Phyllis Diller
Phyllis Ada Diller (née Driver; July 17, 1917 – August 20, 2012) was an American stand-up comedian, actress, author, musician, and visual artist, best known for her eccentric stage persona, self-deprecating humor, wild hair and clothes, and exaggerated, cackling laugh.
Phyllis Diller | |
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Diller in a 1966 publicity photo | |
Birth name | Phyllis Ada Driver |
Born | Lima, Ohio, U.S. | July 17, 1917
Died | August 20, 2012 95) Los Angeles, California, U.S. | (aged
Medium | Stand-up, film, television, books |
Alma mater | Bluffton College |
Years active | 1940–2012 |
Genres | Insult comedy, observational comedy, musical comedy, improvisational comedy |
Subject(s) | American culture, racism, self-deprecation, everyday life, religion, current events |
Spouse | Sherwood Anderson Diller
(m. 1939; div. 1965)Warde Donovan Tatum
(m. 1965; div. 1975) |
Partner(s) | Robert P. Hastings (c. 1985–1996; his death) |
Children | 6 |
Diller was one of the first female comics to become a household name in the U.S., credited as an influence by Joan Rivers, Roseanne Barr, and Ellen DeGeneres, among others. She had a large gay following and is considered a gay icon. She was also one of the first celebrities to openly champion plastic surgery, for which she was recognized by the cosmetic surgery industry.
Diller contributed to more than 40 films, beginning with 1961's Splendor in the Grass. She appeared in many television series, featuring in numerous cameos as well as her own short-lived sitcom and variety show. Some of her credits include Night Gallery, The Muppet Show, The Love Boat, Cybill, and Boston Legal, plus 11 seasons of The Bold and the Beautiful. Her voice-acting roles included the monster's wife in Mad Monster Party, the Queen in A Bug's Life, Granny Neutron in The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius, and Thelma Griffin in Family Guy.