Lily Tomlin Biography

Lily Tomlin was born in 1939 in Detroit, Michigan. After studying theater at Wayne State University, Tomlin began performing stand-up in the New York City area, and appeared on television for the first time in the mid-1960’s on the Merv Griffin Show. Her big breakthrough was when she joined the show Laugh-In, during which time she perfected her talents for characters and sketch comedy. Lily’s iconic character of Ernestine, the nasal-sounding and unsympathetic telephone operator, and Edith Ann, the comically philosophical five-year old, are among her most famous fictional creations.

By the early 1970’s, Lily Tomlin had released This is a Recording, her first comedy album, and it immediately rose to the top of the charts. The album also garnered Tomlin a Grammy, and paved the way for future award-winning comedy albums, including And That’s The Truth (1972), Modern Scream (1975), and Lily Tomlin On Stage (1977.)

Around the same time, Lily Tomlin began a highly successful film career, appearing in a number of films in both comedic and dramatic roles which garnered her more awards and critical acclaim. Some of Tomlin’s notable film roles include Nashville (1975), 9 to 5 (1980), The Incredible Shrinking Woman (1981), All of Me (1984), Big Business (1988), And the Band Played On (1993), Getting Away with Murder (1996), Flirting with Disaster (1996), Tea with Mussolini (1999), The Kid (2000), I Heart Huckabees (2004), and A Prairie Home Companion (2006.) She also appeared on The West Wing between 2002 and 2006 in her award-winning role of Deborah Fiderer.  

In addition to her appearances in film and on television, Lily Tomlin became the first woman to appear on Broadway in a solo role, with her play Appearing Nitely (1977.) The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in The Universe followed, and then Not Playing with a Full Deck. Throughout her career, Tomlin has garnered innumerous awards, including two Tonys, a Grammy, and four Emmy awards. She continues to act and perform regularly.