Lily Tomlin

In 1971, Tomlin got hooked up with writer/producer Jane Wagner. They met after Tomlin invited Wagner to work with her on a comedy album. She has always been quite open about her sexual orientation.

Lily Tomlin was born on September 1st, 1939 in Michigan, Detroit, to Guy Tomlin and Lillie Mae Tomlin. Her father was a factory worker and mother a nurse’s aide. Their family had relocated from Kentucky to Detroit during the Great Depression.

Tomlin did her schooling from the Cass Technical High School and attended the Wayne State University, where she showed great interest in theater and performing arts. Thereafter, she started doing stand-up comedy in New York City.

In 1969, after Tomlin appeared on ABC Television’s Music Scene as a hostess, she became a part of NBC’s already established comedy show called ‘Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In’. In it she appeared as various regular characters.

In 1971, Tomlin came out with her first comedy video called ‘This Is A Recording’ on Polydor Records. It was based on one of her characters from ‘Laugh-In’, ‘Ernestine’. It became the highest-charting album by a female comedian.

In 1972, she released her second comedy album ‘And That’s The Truth’ which was based on ‘Edith Ann’s’ character from ‘Laugh-In’. She won a Grammy nomination for the Best Comedy Recording for it.

From 1975-1984, Tomlin bagged various comic roles in movies like: ‘Nashville’ which was directed by Robert Altman, ‘Nine to Five’ which was a working women’s vindictive comedy and ‘All of Me’ opposite Steve Martin.

In 1985, Tomlin did one-woman Broadway show called ‘The Search For Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe’, which was written and directed by Jane Wagner. She won a Tony award for it and it was later turned into a motion picture.

Tomlin has received many prestigious awards like: 4 primetime Emmys, a special Tony Award for her Broadway show, another Tony for the Best Actress category, Women in Film Crystal Award, Mark Twain Prize and a Grammy Award.