American comedienne who exploded on stage in San Francisco in 1954, wearing a sequined mini-dress and an orange fright-wig, gold ankle-high boots and black satin opera gloves. She was a married housewife until she was 37, when she buried the ironing in the backyard and took her show on the road, complaining about her husband, “Fang,” and keeping an audience howling. She has not only made her name in club dates but has appeared in musicals, plays and films, starred in three TV series, recorded several comedy albums, written five books, four on the national best-seller lists, and raised funds for charity. Performing as a piano soloist with the San Francisco Orchestra, she was given a standing ovation. She’s also a good cook; her chili is marketing under the name “Phyllis Diller’s Original Recipe Chili,” She holds a private interest in a cosmetic company, and in 1990, formed a film production company. Diller is an accomplished professional artist and able pianist.
The only child of strict, older parents, she remembers being a nerd and a misfit, a shy, scrawny and plain kid who spent much of her time alone with her dolls and her cat. She used humor as a defense and began to discover the perks of being the class clown; laughter, attention, admiration.
She has been totally open about the cosmetic surgeries she’s had for her face and figure, saying that, “Let’s say that I hit 50 and made a U-turn. I’ve had so much cosmetic surgery that no two parts of my body are the same age.” Her first surgical enhancement was in 1971 when she had her nose, eyes and neck done. In following years, she had another nose job, a mini-facelift, a tummy tuck, breast reduction, cheek implants, an under-eye lift, eyeliner tattoos, teeth straightened and bonded. Later she had fat liposuctioned from her stomach and injected into vertical wrinkles around her mouth. She also has an assortment of wigs, 340 at the last count. Bringing cosmetic surgery out of the closet, she declares that it is not vanity but pride in herself and adds, “I never knew I could be this happy.”
Her first husband, Sherwood Anderson Diller, whom she met as a senior at Bluffton College, Ohio, was going from one job to another and barely earning enough to support the family. They moved to California where she took a job writing a shopping column. She moved on to a job with department store writing ad copy. While there, she spotted a book which she says changed her life, “The Magic of Believing,” by Claude M. Bristol.
Diller wisecracked her way through the local Laundromat to the PTA and similar groups. Soon everyone wanted her as their guest speaker. On 3/07/1955, she made her debut as a stand-up comic at the Purple Onion, a popular San Francisco nightspot. She stayed for 89 weeks. In the following years she went from $60 a week to $75,000 a week as an international star, writing most of her own material. She strictly avoids off-color jokes.
Diller’s success had a price. She regrets missing time spent with her three daughters and two sons, and her marriage ended in divorce after 26 years. After a second divorce in 1975 from her ten-year marriage to Warde Donavan, she found a lawyer-beau. At age 77, she talks as fast and works as hard as ever with stand-up comedy shows, Las Vegas gigs and TV guest stints.
At 81 she suffered a mild heart attack on 2/13/1999, and was fitted with a pace-maker.
She died in Los Angeles on 20 August 2012, age 95.
Link to Wikipedia biography