Biography
Brett Butler achieved her greatest recognition by portraying Grace Kelly on the sitcom Grace Under Fire, where she also served as executive consultant from 1993 to 1998. Created by the same team behind Roseanne, the series followed a blue-collar single mother employed at an oil refinery while raising three children on her own. Grace’s backstory as a recovering alcoholic escaping an abusive marriage drew directly from Butler’s personal history of substance issues, domestic turmoil, and reliance on humor for survival. That raw honesty helped the show earn a devoted audience. The program received two Golden Globe nominations. In 1995 it claimed the People’s Choice Award for Favorite New Comedy, while Butler herself won Favorite Female in a New Comedy.
Her first national television exposure came in 1987 as a performer on Dolly Parton’s variety series Dolly, after which she joined the writing staff. More than seventy additional television credits preceded her initial Showtime stand-up special, Showtime Comedy Superstars: Brett Butler -- the Child Ain't Right. A follow-up special, Showtime Comedy Superstars: Brett Butler -- Sold Out, arrived later. Extensive nightclub touring, during which she earned the nickname “Southern Lenny Bruce,” honed her stage presence. Onstage she delivered biting one-liners about politicians, rednecks, and her violent ex-husband, whom she referred to as “Mr. Right Hook.”
Born Brett Anderson and named after Lady Brett Ashley in The Sun Also Rises, she acquired her surname from her stepfather. After a turbulent childhood she completed high school through night classes. Following the end of her first marriage she worked as a waitress in Texas until a comedy-club proprietor encouraged her to perform. Comedian Robert Klein then urged her to relocate to New York; she drove there in her 1969 Grand Prix and never returned. In 1997 Butler published the memoir Knee Deep in Paradise. She married and later divorced a second husband during her professional years. Outside of performing, she writes stories and poems and maintains an active schedule of television and film appearances.
Her first national television exposure came in 1987 as a performer on Dolly Parton’s variety series Dolly, after which she joined the writing staff. More than seventy additional television credits preceded her initial Showtime stand-up special, Showtime Comedy Superstars: Brett Butler -- the Child Ain't Right. A follow-up special, Showtime Comedy Superstars: Brett Butler -- Sold Out, arrived later. Extensive nightclub touring, during which she earned the nickname “Southern Lenny Bruce,” honed her stage presence. Onstage she delivered biting one-liners about politicians, rednecks, and her violent ex-husband, whom she referred to as “Mr. Right Hook.”
Born Brett Anderson and named after Lady Brett Ashley in The Sun Also Rises, she acquired her surname from her stepfather. After a turbulent childhood she completed high school through night classes. Following the end of her first marriage she worked as a waitress in Texas until a comedy-club proprietor encouraged her to perform. Comedian Robert Klein then urged her to relocate to New York; she drove there in her 1969 Grand Prix and never returned. In 1997 Butler published the memoir Knee Deep in Paradise. She married and later divorced a second husband during her professional years. Outside of performing, she writes stories and poems and maintains an active schedule of television and film appearances.
Singles
