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Rivers, a Larchmont resident, turns 81 on Sunday.
Rivers, an actress, comedian, and writer, was born Joan Alexandra Molinksy on June 8, 1933, in Brooklyn, N.Y. Rivers came to prominence as a substitute host of "The Tonight Show," for Johnny Carson, whom she acknowledges as her mentor. Rivers is the author of many books of memoirs, as well as comedy material for stage and television.
By the 1970s, Rivers was appearing on various television comedy and variety shows, including "The Carol Burnett Show" and a semi-regular stint on "Hollywood Squares." In 1973, Rivers wrote the TV movie "The Girl Most Likely to...", a dark comedy starring Stockard Channing. In the same period, she released a best-selling comedy album on Geffen Records, "What Becomes a Semi-Legend Most?" The album reached No. 22 on the U.S. Billboard 200 and was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album.
Her daytime television talk show, "The Joan Rivers Show," which ran for five years, won her a Daytime Emmy in 1990 for Outstanding Talk Show Host. In 1990, a star in her name was placed on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
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