Clan Burnett has numerous impressive and influential members. With almost a thousand years of history to choose from, it was difficult picking just a few famous Burnett to feature here! There are many successful and influential descendants of Clan Burnett. From military prowess to theatrical talent, the Burnetts truly have it all! We hope you’ll enjoy finding out a bit more about the skills of this ancient and enduring family.
Alexander Burnett
The Burnetts have displayed a valiant and courageous spirit for centuries. In the 1300s, Alexander Burnett left his home in Roxburghshire, and travelled Scotland to support Robert the Bruce in the battle for Scottish independence. Robert was so grateful for Alexander’s loyal support that he generously rewarded him with land on the banks of the River Dee, in the parish of Banchory Ternan, just west of Aberdeen. He also granted him the prestigious title of forester of the royal Forest of Drum. As his badge of office, Alexander received the "Horn of Leys", a beautiful carved ivory horn, decorated with medal badges and precious stones. To this day, the Horn belongs to the Burnetts and can be seen at the clan seat, Crathes Castles!
His great-grandson, Robert, was the first Burnett designated as ‘of Leys’ in 1446, and his descendants, the principal family of Burnett of Leys, formed a number of branches in north-east Scotland.
The Burnett family continued the tradition of military service in the first world war. A direct descendant of Alexander, Major General Sir James Lauderdale Gilbert Burnett, 13th Baronet was a renowned British Army officer. He was commissioned into the Gordon Highlanders on the 6th of December 1899.
He went on to be commander of the 14th Infantry Brigade in January 1927, commander of the 153rd Infantry Brigade in January 1928 and commander of the 8th Infantry Brigade in March 1930. The last appointment of his long-running and impressive career was as General Officer Commanding the 51st Highland Division in June 1931. He eventually retired in June 1935, having achieved numerous awards, including Companion of the order of St Michael, Companion of the order of St George, and the Distinguished Service Order.
Even after his retirement, Major James played an important role in upholding and promoting the Burnett family name when he gifted Crathes Castles, their ancestral seat, to the National Trust in 1952. In doing so, he helped to ensure that the Burnett’s illustrious history lives on in public imagination.
Carol Burnett
Carol Burnett was an American actress, comedian, singer, and writer who achieved great success in the entertainment field.
She was born on the 26th of April 1933 in San Antonio, Texas, but moved to California with her family in the late 1930s, where she lived in the Hollywood area. Her theatrical talents and impressive imagination were clear from a young age. As a child, she would pretend to have a twin sister named Karen. Carol fondly recalled in an interview how she ‘fooled the other boarders in the rooming house where we lived by frantically switching clothes and dashing in and out of the house by the fire escape and the front door.’ She attended Hollywood High School, graduating in 1951 and going on to study theatre and musical comedy at UCLA. This seemed like an act of fate, as after she graduated High School, she received an anonymous envelope containing the money she needed for her first year of college tuition.
After she made it to college, Carol’s career was once again helped by a random act of kindness. During her junior year in 1954, Burnett staged a performance as part of one of her classes. Afterwards, a man and his wife approached her, deeply impressed by her talent. They complimented her and asked about her future plans. When they learned that she wanted to travel to New York to try to build a career in entertainment, but could not afford the trip, they offered her a $1,000 interest-free loan. The only conditions were that the loan should be repaid within five years, their names were never to be revealed, and if she achieved success, she would help others to pursue their artistic dreams. Burnett couldn’t believe her luck and gladly accepted this offer, leaving college and moving to New York to pursue stardom.
After moving to the city, she performed in nightclubs before gaining breakout success on Broadway in 1959 in Once Upon a Mattress, for which she received a Tony Award nomination. Soon after, she made her television debut, regularly appearing on The Garry Moore Show for the next three years, winning her first Emmy Award in 1962. Burnett then moved to Los Angeles and began an 11-year run as the eponymous star of The Carol Burnett Show on CBS television from 1967 to 1978. The Carol Burnett Show was a variety show that combined comedy sketches with musical numbers. The sketches included film parodies and character pieces, which were perhaps aided by Burnett’s early experiences performing as her imaginary twin ‘Karen!’
Burnett created many memorable and beloved characters during the show's run, and both she and the show won numerous Emmy and Golden Globe Awards. Burnett also wrote and narrated several memoirs, gaining Grammy nominations for almost all of them, and achieving a win for In Such Good Company. By 2019, Carol had built such a respected name for herself that the Golden Globes named an award after her for career achievement in television. It has since been awarded to similarly big stars Ryan Murphy and Ellen DeGeneres!
Mark Burnett
Our final notable Burnett has combined both the family’s tradition of military service and their clear theatrical skill.
Mark Burnett is a TV producer, famous for creating and producing a number of extremely popular reality shows such as Survivor, The Apprentice, and The Voice.
He was born on the 17th of July 1960 in London and was raised in Dagenham, Essex. At the age of 17, he followed a long-standing Burnett custom, and enlisted in the British Army. He quickly became a Section Commander in the Parachute Regiment. From 1978 to 1982 he served with the 3rd Battalion, Parachute Regiment in C Company and saw action during the Falklands War and in Northern Ireland.
After his service, he initially planned to go to Central America and work as a weapons and tactics adviser but found himself instead taking an unlikely career change! In 1991, Burnett and four others took part in a French adventure competition called the Raid Gauloises. This experience sparked an idea for Burnett; he imagined holding similar competitions could be a lucrative business. Inspired, he purchased the format rights and started the show Eco-Challenge, launching his career as a television producer.
Eco-Challenge eventually led to the hit reality show Survivor which premiered in the summer of 2000 and was named the Number 1 reality series of all time by Entertainment Weekly in 2009. As of 2022, Burnett is the executive producer of five TV shows: Generation Gap, Beat Shazam, Shark Tank, Survivor and The Voice. He has produced more than 3,200 hours of TV programming which regularly airs in more than 70 countries!
He has been awarded for this impressive work many times over. In 2004, Time magazine called Burnett one of the Most Influential People in the World Today. He has also won the prestigious Rose d'Or Frapa Format Award, the Brandon Tartikoff Legacy Award and the Norman Lear Award from the Producers Guild of America.
Burnett served for two years on the board of directors for the BAFTAs and was elected into the Broadcast & Cable Hall of Fame in November 2007. In 2009, he was even honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame!
He is not only known for his work in the entertainment industry, he is also a great philanthropist. In 2015, he partnered with the Institute for Global Engagement to launch the Cradle of Christianity Fund, a charity fund that aimed to help Middle Eastern minorities displaced by ISIS to return to a home where they could practice their faith without fear. They helped more than 10,000 displaced refugees to relocate.
It's safe to say that the Burnetts are a multi-talented and caring family! If you are lucky enough to have Burnett blood, we hope you feel inspired reading about just some of the achievements of your peers. Is there anyone else you think we should have mentioned? If so, please get in touch and let us know! If you’d like to learn more about this impressive Clan, keep an eye out for our upcoming Burnett Blogs, and check out the Burnett Clan Page.
