Phyllis Diller

With her garish garb, electric-shock hair and distinctive cackle, comedian Phyllis Diller kept the world laughing for more than 50 years. Born July 17, 1917, in Lima, Ohio, Diller got a late start in stand-up comedy, making her professional debut at San Francisco's Purple Onion nightclub at the age of 38.

Mining her housewife role for material, Diller gradually developed the brassy stage persona that led to stardom, which began with gigs on "The Jack Paar Tonight Show." She went on to become a ubiquitous presence on television with appearances on shows such as "The Hollywood Squares," "Laugh-In" and countless talk programs and variety specials. Along the way, she blazed a trail for the likes of Joan Rivers, Roseanne and other funny ladies.

Diller's film work was periodic but includes Boy, Did I Get a Wrong Number (1966) and the voice of the queen in the animated hit A Bug's Life (1998). She passed away Aug. 20, 2012.

A Bug's Life

1998 G

On behalf of "oppressed bugs everywhere," an inventive ant named Flik hires a troupe of warrior bugs to defend his bustling colony from a horde of freeloading grasshoppers led by the evil-minded Hopper.