Phyllis Diller

Phyllis Ada Driver was a suburban mother of five working in advertising and broadcasting before stepping onto the stage of San Francisco's Purple Onion club in 1955 at age thirty-seven. Inventing an eccentric caricature with cigarette holder, fright wigs, and wild costumes, she lampooned domestic drudgery and fictional husband 'Fang'.

Diller became a headline attraction in Las Vegas and a favorite guest on 'The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson', paving the way for female comedians including Joan Rivers, Roseanne Barr, and Ellen DeGeneres. An accomplished classical concert pianist, she also voiced memorable animated characters and authored bestselling humorous books.