Was a pre-med student at Wayne State University before choosing acting as a career.
Studied mime with Paul Curtis.
She gave away genuine locks of her hair as a bonus for buyers of her home video library in 1993.
Listed as one of twelve "Promising New Actors of 1977" in John Willis' Screen World, Vol. 29.
One of her first "professional" gigs was as a waitress in Howard Johnson's on Broadway near Times Square. Her comments to customers and staff heard over the eatery's microphone attracted her first big-city audience.
Was to star in a flim called "Illegitimate" around 1980. The film was never made. [Reported in "Playboy" magazine]
Studied acting under Charles Nelson Reilly, who introduced her to the works of monologuist Ruth Draper, a major inspiration for Tomlin's work.
Acknowledged that she has been in a romantic relationship with Jane Wagner for the past 30 years (January 2001)
Before a performance of one of her one-woman shows in New York City, she appeared on the sidewalk dressed in a Red Cross nurse's uniform, handing out cups of coffee to those waiting in line to enter the theatre.
During her one-woman show in Las Vegas, Nevada, she appeared as her own opening act: a smarmy male lounge singer billed as "Tommy Velour".
Won a Grammy Award for the comedy album "This is a Recording" in 1971 and won Tony Awards in 1977 and 1986.
Won the Kennedy Center's prestigious Mark Twain Prize for Humor in 2003.
Has won two Tony Awards: in 1977, a special Award, and in 1986, the Best Actress (Play) Award for her one-woman show, "The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe," a performance recreated in the film version of the same title, The Search for Signs of Inteligent Life in the Universe (1991).
Lily Tomlin Detailed Biography
Lily Tomlin is one of America's foremost comediennes, continuing to successfully venture across an ever-widening range of media. Currently she is staffing in the revival of Jane Wagner's "The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe," now playing in San Francisco.
Tomlin is always extending her extraordinary entertainment career and most recently, she co-starred in Disney's The Kid opposite Bruce Willis and in the Franco Zeffirelli film Tea With Mussolini, with Maggie Smith, Judi Dench, Joan Plowright and Cher. She also guest starred on the popular series, The X-Files and her voice lives on as the science teacher Ms. Frizzle on the popular children's animated series, The Magic School Bus, for which she won an Emmy.
Tomlin made her television debut on The Garry Moore Show in 1966 and later rose to national prominence on Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In with her characterizations of Ernestine, the sassy telephone operator, and Edith Ann, the devilish five-and-a-half year-old. More recently, Tomlin served two seasons as the boss of FYI on the hit CBS series, Murphy Brown. She also received an Emmy nomination for her critically acclaimed appearance on the NBC drama Homicide: Life on the Street.
On stage, Tomlin received a Special Tony for her one-woman Broadway show, Appearing Nightly, as well as a Tony for Best Actress, a Drama Desk Award and an Outer Critics' Circle Award for her solo performance in "The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe."
On the musical front, Tomlin's comedy recording debut, This is a Recording, won her a Grammy, and her subsequent albums Modern Scream, And That's the Truth and On Stage were all nominated for Grammys.
In 1975, Tomlin made her film debut in Robert Altman's Nashville, and her memorable performance garnered her an Academy Award nomination as well as the New York Film Critics and National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress. An ever-popular screen presence, Tomlin's extensive film credits include The Late Show, Moment By Moment, 9 to 5, The Incredible Shrinking Woman, All of Me, Big Business, "The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life In the Universe, Shadows and Fog, Short Cuts, The Beverly Hillbillies, Flirting with Disaster, Getting Away with Murder, Krippendorfs Tribe, The Kid and Tea with Mussolini ."
