Phyllis Diller
Stand-up comedian · 1917–2012

Phyllis Diller

Who Phyllis Diller is

Stand-up comedian, actress and author who was one of the first female comics to become a household name in the United States, known for self-deprecating one-liners, wild hair and costumes, and a cackling laugh. After a professional debut at the Purple Onion she released comedy albums from 1959, starred in The Pruitts of Southampton (later The Phyllis Diller Show), made more than 40 films, and retired from stand-up in 2002.

At a glance

Born
1917
Died
2012
Style
Domestic inversion, Self-created comic persona, One-liners
Stand-up specials
On Location with Phyllis Diller, Live in Concert and Goodnight, We Love You: The Life and Legend of Phyllis Diller
Albums
Wet Toe in a Hot Socket, Laughs, Are You Ready for Phyllis Diller? and 3 more
Podcasts
The Joys of Aging & How to Avoid Them and Like a Lampshade in a Whorehouse: My Life in Comedy
On screen
The Pruitts of Southampton / The Phyllis Diller Show, The Beautiful Phyllis Diller Show, The Hollywood Squares and 15 more

Specials, shows and podcasts

Stand-up specials

Albums

On screen

Podcasts

Comedians like Phyllis Diller

Each linked to them by something on the record — a stage they both came through, a bill, a show, a style or a home town.

Every stand-up comedian with a page, A to Z →

Career timeline

  1. 1917Born
  2. 1959Wet Toe in a Hot Socket (1959) Album
  3. 1961The Ed Sullivan Show (guest, 1961–1970) On screen
  4. 1961Splendor in the Grass (Texas Guinan, 1961) On screen
  5. 1961Laughs (1961) Album
  6. 1962Are You Ready for Phyllis Diller? (1962) Album
  7. 1966The Pruitts of Southampton / The Phyllis Diller Show (Phyllisa Pruitt, 1966–1967) On screen
  8. 1966The Fat Spy (Camille Salamander, 1966) On screen
  9. 1966Boy, Did I Get a Wrong Number! (Lily, 1966) On screen
  10. 1967The Hollywood Squares (panelist, 1967–1980) On screen
  11. 1967Mad Monster Party? (the Monster's Mate, voice, 1967) On screen
  12. 1967Eight on the Lam (Golda, 1967) On screen
  13. 1968The Beautiful Phyllis Diller Show (host, 1968) On screen
  14. 1968Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In (guest, 1968–1973) On screen
  15. 1968The Private Navy of Sgt. O'Farrell (Nurse Nellie Krause, 1968) On screen
  16. 1968Did You Hear the One About the Traveling Saleslady? (Agatha Knabenshu, 1968) On screen
  17. 1968Born to Sing (1968) Album
  18. 1968The Beautiful Phyllis Diller (1968) Album
  19. 1975Uncle Croc's Block (Witchy Goo-Goo, 1975) On screen
  20. 1977On Location with Phyllis Diller (1977, HBO) Special
  21. 1981The Joys of Aging & How to Avoid Them (author, 1981) Podcast or book
  22. 1990The Nutcracker Prince (the Mouse Queen, voice, 1990) On screen
  23. 1996The Bold and the Beautiful (Gladys Pope, 1996–2012) On screen
  24. 1998A Bug's Life (the Queen, voice, 1998) On screen
  25. 2001Live in Concert (2001, DVD, Laugh.com) Special
  26. 2001Live From San Francisco (2001) Album
  27. 2002The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius (Grandma Neutron, voice, 2002–2004) On screen
  28. 2004Goodnight, We Love You: The Life and Legend of Phyllis Diller (2004, documentary) Special
  29. 2006Family Guy (Thelma Griffin, voice, 2006–2007) On screen
  30. 2006Like a Lampshade in a Whorehouse: My Life in Comedy (memoir with Richard Buskin, 2006) Book
  31. 2012Died

Questions about Phyllis Diller

What stand-up specials has Phyllis Diller released?

On Location with Phyllis Diller, Live in Concert and Goodnight, We Love You: The Life and Legend of Phyllis Diller.

What podcast do they host?

The Joys of Aging & How to Avoid Them and Like a Lampshade in a Whorehouse: My Life in Comedy.

What TV shows and films are they in?

The Pruitts of Southampton / The Phyllis Diller Show, The Beautiful Phyllis Diller Show, The Hollywood Squares, The Ed Sullivan Show, Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In and The Bold and the Beautiful, among 18 credits.

Who are some comedians like them?

Flip Wilson (also in The Ed Sullivan Show), Marty Allen (also in Hollywood Squares), Totie Fields (also in Hollywood Squares), Henny Youngman (also in Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In) and Rodney Dangerfield (also in The Ed Sullivan Show).

The full SUCDb record

The full record — the career in order, the specials and credits, and the sources for each — is on SUCDb, with their place on the Legends ballots.

Their SUCDb record →

Sources

Updated 5 October 2026 · the record checked 27 September 2026