Phyllis Diller (born Phyllis Ada Driver on July 17, 1917) is an American comedian who is considered one of the pioneers of female stand-up comedy. The stage character she created was a wild-haired, oddly-dressed housewife who was ugly but didn't realize it, and who made jokes about a husband named "Fang" while smoking from a long cigarette holder. She is also known for her distinctive, cackling laugh, one of the best-recognized in comedy.
A typical Diller joke had her running after a garbage truck pulling away from her curb. "Am I too late?" she'd yell. The driver's reply: "No, jump right in!"
Diller is generally thought to have opened the stand-up field to women such as Totie Fields, Joan Rivers, Lily Tomlin, Sandra Bernhard, and Roseanne Barr.
