Comediennes: Phyllis Diller

Phyllis Diller (1917-2012) was a pioneering female comic in the U.S. Her invented onstage persona – a hapless housewife with a dawdling husband named Fang – was iconic on late-night TV and in theaters across the country. Her abrasive humor left no stone unturned and paved the way for female comics to embrace a more unconventional style of comedy.