Harvey Korman of 'Carol Burnett show' Dies at 81

Harvey Korman, the award-winning comedic actor who rose to fame playing second banana to Carol Burnett on her television variety series and who starred in hit movies like "Blazing Saddles" and "High Anxiety," died on Thursday in Los Angeles. He was 81.The cause was complications from the rupture of an abdominal aortic aneurysm four months ago, his family said in a statement released by the University of California at Los Angeles Medical Center.

A tall man known for his outlandish characterizations, Korman was nominated for seven Emmys for his television work and won four. He also was nominated for four Golden Globe awards, winning one."Everything he did on 'The Carol Burnett Show,' especially the Mother Marcus character, was a special favorite," his daughter, Katherine Korman, said in an interview on Thursday. Mother Marcus, which he played in drag, "was a Yiddish grandmother based on his own real-life grandmother," she said.Korman also considered Hedley Lamarr, his role in the 1974 film "Blazing Saddles," as one of his favorites, she said.