In a conversation with Laura Dern<\/a> for Interview<\/a>, Burnett revealed she got to meet one of the actors she most admired, and her time knowing him was everything she had wished for and more.<\/p>\n While chatting, Dern said that Burnett had the “kind of power” on a set that made everyone want to be their best, noting that the 92-year-old icon carried her influence with grace and humility. Dern’s description reminded Burnett of another impactful star she once met.<\/p>\n “One of the nicest people I ever met in my life was my movie star idol, and that was Jimmy Stewart.<\/a> Everybody loved him,” Burnett said. “Of course, if you want to give somebody power, he certainly had it. But there was nobody that I ever met who was that big of a star who was so humble.”<\/p>\n She added, “That\u2019s who he was. God knows he did some wonderful work and made some fantastic movies, but there was nobody that I ever knew that was sweeter, and that\u2019s just who he was.”<\/p>\n Art Zelin\/Getty<\/p>\n Jimmy Stewart and Carol Burnett.<\/p>\n Stewart, who died in 1997 at age 89, got his big break in 1932, when he made his Broadway debut in Carry Nation. The actor then enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II and became a commanding officer before ultimately returning to his storied acting career.<\/p>\n Stewart won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in 1940’s\u00a0The Philadelphia Story, and was also nominated for 1939\u2019s\u00a0Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, 1946\u2019s\u00a0It’s a Wonderful Life, 1950\u2019s\u00a0Harvey\u00a0and 1959\u2019s\u00a0Anatomy of a Murder.<\/p>\n By the mid-1950s, Burnett was just getting started, scoring her first regular on-screen role in the sitcom Stanley as Celia, the girlfriend of Buddy Hackett’s titular character. Soon after, in 1957, Burnett secured her spot as a beloved American comedienne with her hit parody routine, “I Made a Fool of Myself Over John Foster Dulles,” then starred on The Garry Moore Show, which ultimately earned her an Emmy Award \u2014 her first of many.<\/p>\n Never miss a story \u2014 sign up for\u00a0PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter<\/a>\u00a0to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer\u200b\u200b, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.<\/p>\n![\"Art](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/218f7209add963e3171ceebf31f0171a.jpeg\"\/)
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