Phyllis Diller
Phyllis Diller | |
|---|---|
Diller in 1973, photo by Allan Warren | |
| Born | Phyllis Ada Driver July 17, 1917 Lima, Ohio, U.S. |
| Died | August 20, 2012 (aged 95) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Sherwood Music School Bluffton College |
| Spouses | 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 |
| Comedy career | |
| Years active | 1939–2012 |
| Medium | Stand-up, film, television, books |
| Genres | Insult comedy, observational comedy, musical comedy, improvisational comedy |
| Subjects | American culture, self-deprecation, everyday life, religion, current events |
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.
Diller was one of the first female comics to become a household name in the United States, credited as an influence by Joan Rivers, Roseanne Barr and Ellen DeGeneres, among others. 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 Splendor in the Grass (1961). 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, CHiPs, 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.