A groundbreaking pioneer in American comedy, comedienne Phyllis Diller represented the face of the female stand-up comic for a generation of baby-boomers. Predating Roseanne Barr’s seminal “Domestic Goddess” shtick by more than two decades, Phyllis Diller shot to stardom playing a semi-autobiographical alter ego of herself in the mid 1950’s. Her signature character – an eccentric, strangely attired housewife with a homely kisser and a head of frazzled hair became a national sensation. Essentially an ugly duckling who did not seem to realize that she was ugly, Diller presented herself as an ironic underdog, endearing herself to an era of prosperous Americans by amusing them. Puffing smoke from her long cigarette holder, Diller’s trademark style of shooting off rapid-fire punch lines punctuated with a loud, distinctive cackle made her a comic legend for the ages.
Brought into this world as Phyllis Ada Driver on July 17, 1917 in Lima, OH, this future queen of comedy landed her big break in 1955 at age 37 at San Francisco's historic Purple Onion Club. Before that, she had found work as a housewife, mother and advertising copywriter. Following an appearance on “The Jack Paar Tonight Show” (NBC, 1957-1962), Diller landed her first major exposure as a contestant on the venerated game show, "You Bet Your Life" (NBC, 1950-1961), hosted by Groucho Marx. Managed at the time by Svengali-esque first husband, Sherwood Diller, Phyllis parlayed that successful appearance into a full-time career as a stand-up comedienne.
Diller started out by playing comedy clubs in the San Francisco Bay area, where alongside future stars Rodney Dangerfield and Joan Rivers (whose style she greatly inspired) Diller’s act relied heavily on self-deprecating humor. Much of her early material, for example, centered around her less-than-charmed home life. An early-day domestic diva, Diller often made jokes at the expense of her family – and especially at her husband, an inept, boorish fellow nicknamed “Fang.” Though not quite as abrasive as Joan Rivers on the subject, Diller set the standard for a comedic archetype – that of the loud, brassy American housewife. In later years, other female comics, such as Roseanne Barr, Brett Butler, and Rita Rudner, rose to fame taking up Diller’s banner with their own brand of post-modern, male-bashing brand of humor.
In between stand-up gigs, Diller appeared in more than a dozen films, mostly low-budget or low-quality comedies like "Boy, Did I Get a Wrong Number!" (1966) with friend Bob Hope, "The Private Navy of Sgt. O'Farrell" (1968) also with Hope, "Dr. Hackenstein" (1988) and "Silence of the Hams" (1994). Unusual parts for Diller were her debut as Texas Guinan in the teen drama "Splendor in the Grass" (1961) and a co-starring role in "The Adding Machine" (1969). Diller also starred in two shortlived TV series, the sitcom "The Pruitts of Southampton" (ABC, 1966-67) and the variety show "The Beautiful Phyllis Diller Show" (NBC, 1968). But Diller's fame comes mostly from her endless appearances on TV specials -- most notably every Bob Hope Christmas Special from 1965 through 1994. She also turned up on "The Ed Sullivan Show," "The Colgate Comedy Hour," and "The Gong Show," as well as countless comedy and variety specials. She also appeared onstage in "The Dark at the Top of the Stairs" (1961), "Hello, Dolly!" (1970) and several other stage productions.
In the 1970’s, Diller broke new ground yet again by discovering a new vein of exploitable humor – her plastic surgery. Thumbing her nose at the vain Hollywood establishment, Diller openly copped to her numerous facelifts, nose jobs, and tummy-tucks, becoming as a pitchwoman for the cosmetic surgery profession with such testaments as, "I used to be young and ugly. Now, I'm old and gorgeous."
Diller’s career began to slow down noticeably as the 1980’s approached. Limiting herself to only a few guest appearances on TV, Diller guest-starred on two episodes of “The Love Boat” (ABC, 1977-1986) and in the horror anthology “Tales from the Darkside” (Syndicated, 1984-88). During the 1990’s, Diller resumed a busier, if still obscure, schedule in a number of guest starring roles. In 1998, Diller got her highest profile role in years, when she was cast the voice of the Queen in the Pixar’s smash hit comedy “A Bug’s Life.”
With the dawn of the new millennium, Diller’s career re-awoke with a vengeance. In 2002, Diller scored a recurring role as an obnoxious spinster turned fan favorite on the long-running drama, “7th Heaven” (WB/CW, 1997- ). A short time later, Diller won a recurring role on her favorite daytime soap “The Bold & the Beautiful” (CBS, 1987- ) as beloved comic relief character, Gladys Pope, an old-time make-up artist from the 1950’s.