1. Carol Burnett

Though well remembered for helming the sketch comedy series, The Carol Burnett Show, was only the beginning of Carol Burnett’s successful six-decade run in television, movies and more.

While reflecting on her career in 2018, Burnett told PEOPLE that she always “knew [her] turn would someday come. And it did.”

After becoming a household name thanks to her eponymous series, Burnett, 92, kept acting and hasn’t stopped. Her movie credits include The Four Seasons in 1981, Annie in 1982 and 1992’s Noises Off, to name a few.

In 2018, she returned to TV hosting with the Netflix series A Little Help with Carol Burnett. Then, in 2024, she scored an Emmy nomination for her role in Palm Royale, an Apple TV+ series featuring Kristen Wiig, Ricky Martin and Josh Lucas.

The comedian, actress, and singer’s influence and achievements earned her the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2005, the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 2013, and the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award in 2015. In June 2024, her hand and footprints were cemented at the famous TCL Chinese Theater in Hollywood alongside pal Dick Van Dyke.

Commemorating her 90th birthday in April 2023, Burnett told PEOPLE how she wants to be remembered in the history books.

“I made people laugh, made them feel good when they might have been down,” she said.

Burnett has three daughters, Carrie, Jody and Erin, whom she shares with her second husband and producer on The Carol Burnett Show, Joe Hamilton. Carrie died of cancer-related pneumonia at 38, and Burnett told PEOPLE in a 2018 interview, “I think of her every day.”

After marrying her college sweetheart in 1955 and divorcing in 1962, Burnett married Hamilton in 1963, and they split in 1984. Hamilton died in 1991.

In 2001, Burnett entered her third marriage to musician Brian Miller, who is over 20 years her junior.

2. Tim Conway

Tim Conway made his mark with one-of-a-kind characters, Mister Tudball and the Oldest Man, on The Carol Burnett Show. After guest-starring for eight seasons, Conway became a regular from 1975 until 1978.

Conway earned a Golden Globe for his performance in the show in 1976, along with Emmys in 1973, 1977, and 1978. Conway launched his own sitcom, The Tim Conway Show, in 1970, but it only lasted one season. He tried to launch another variety show of the same name 10 years later, but it ended after two seasons.

He also played “Dorf” in eight films between 1987 and 1996, where he starred alongside Don Knotts. By 1999, Conway received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and he was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame in 2002.

Like Burnett, he was in no rush to leave show business. Between 1999 and 2012, Conway voiced Barnacle Boy in Spongebob Squarepants, and he appeared on the second season of 30 Rock, earning an Emmy in 2008.

Conway died in 2019 at age 85. In his final days, his daughter Kelly and second wife Charlene fought over the nature of his care. Kelly filed to be appointed conservator of her father and then sought a temporary restraining order, before Charlene, whom Conway married in 1984, was ultimately appointed conservator.

“I’m heartbroken. He was one in a million, not only as a brilliant comedian but as a loving human being,” Burnett said in a statement to PEOPLE after his death. “I cherish the times we had together both on the screen and off. He’ll be in my heart forever.”

Conway is survived by seven children, Jaime, Tim Jr., Pat, Corey, Shawn, Jackie and Kelly, whom he shares with Mary Anne Dalton, his wife from 1961 to 1978.

3. Harvey Korman

Harvey Korman starred for 10 memorable seasons on The Carol Burnett Show. He was known for his many recurring characters, most notably Ed Higgins. Korman also famously played Conway’s patient in the rookie dentist sketch, in which his costar claimed Korman “wet his pants from laughing,” according to the Los Angeles Times.

Korman collected four Primetime Emmys and a Golden Globe for his performance on the sketch comedy series. Afterward, he launched The Harvey Korman Show in 1980 and joined his former castmates on their projects, including The Tim Conway Show and Vicki Lawrence’s Mama’s Family spinoff.

Korman also scored leading roles in multiple Mel Brooks comedies, including History of the World, Part 1 in 1981 and Dracula: Dead and Loving It in 1995. Along with Conway, Korman was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame in 2002.

Offscreen, Korman was married to Donna Ehlert from 1960 to 1977, and they had two children, Maria and Christopher Korman. Then, he married Deborah Korman in 1982, and the pair welcomed daughters Kate and Laura Korman.

Harvey died in 2008 at age 81.

Vicki Lawrence

Vicki Lawrence slipped on a curly gray wig and pearls for her debut as Mama on the first episode of The Carol Burnett Show.

Besides Burnett, Lawrence, 76, was the sole actor to last all 11 seasons. Her Emmy-winning performance as the comically cold mother to Burnett’s character, Eunice, marked her career years after the variety show ended.

In 1982, CBS revived Mama and the rest of the family, including Burnett and Korman’s characters, on the TV movie Eunice, and Betty White was added to the cast. The film led to the spinoff series Mama’s Family, which starred Lawrence and featured Burnett in several episodes. The sitcom ran from 1983 to 1985 before it was renewed from 1986 to 1990.

In 1987, Lawrence followed Burnett’s trailblazing path into the male-dominated realm of hosting with the game show Win, Lose or Draw. Then, in 1992, Lawrence launched a talk show called Vicki! that aired until 1994. She hosted over 400 episodes, featuring Burnett, White, and other guests.

Forever Mama, Lawrence went on to play Mamaw Ruthie, the titular character’s grandmother, from 2006 to 2011 on Disney Channel’s Hannah Montana.

Lawrence is a real-life mother to Garrett Shultz and Courtney Schultz with her second husband, Al Schultz, whom she wed in 1974.

She was briefly married to singer-songwriter Bobby Russell before her marriage to Al, who died in 2024.

5 Lyle Waggoner

Lyle Waggoner spent seven years on The Carol Burnett Show as an announcer and performer before leaving in 1974. Though his shoes were soon filled by Conway, he scored his next role just one year later.

In 1975, Waggoner began playing Steve Trevor and then Steve Trevor Jr. in Wonder Woman. While on set for the superhero series in the latter half of the ’70s, Waggoner saw a business opportunity.

He began buying up motorhomes to rent to Hollywood productions and retired from on-screen roles to start Star Waggons. He later expanded the business to include Zio Studio Services, an adjacent rental service for the entertainment industry.

In 2020, Waggoner died at age 84. He is survived by his wife, Sharon Waggoner, whom he married in 1960, and their two sons, Jason and Beau Waggoner.

“He was funny, kind and multi-talented. But even more than that, a loving friend,” Burnett said in a statement after Lyle’s death. “I will miss him.”

After their father’s death, Jason and Beau Waggoner took over his businesses, and, in 2021, they sold Star Waggons and Zio Studio Services in a $222 million deal, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Jason remains president of Star Waggons and Beau is an adviser.