American comedienne who moved into massive popularity with her TV series, “Grace Under Fire,” 1994, which hit the top-ten list.
The eldest of three girls, she was four when her dad left. Her mom remarried twice and had two more daughters; Butler took her step dad’s name. Her strong independent streak was encouraged by her mom, but she encountered a tough problem when she fell in love with a steel worker at age 19. Marriage to him meant painful abuse for three long years, during which time she learned to drink to numb the pain. When Butler took a wrench one day in 1981 and debated whether or not to kill him, she decided that it was time to leave.
Butler moved to Houston, where she explored venues of self worth and strength. Waiting tables at a local dive, she got a reputation for feisty put-downs. Customers suggested that she do stand-up comedy. Soon, Butler was venting at small local clubs, then catching club-gigs across the country, living out of suitcases. In 1988, she landed a spot on the “Tonight Show.”
Butler dyed her hair blonde and married her second husband, lawyer Ken Ziegler, in 1987. With a hit show, she lives on a different coast than her husband, which puts a strain on the relationship. They have no kids and she doesn’t cook, but her house is perfectly neat. Butler is known as being direct with a gritty and in-your-face honesty.
Link to Wikipedia biography