Here are the basics:

Lily Tomlin was born Mary Jean Tomlin on September 1, 1939 in Detroit, Michigan.

Lily has one brother, Richard (he is four years younger).

Her parents, Lilian Mae Ford and Guy Tomlin, are from Paducah, Kentucky. Guy Tomlin worked at the Commonwealth Brass Company as a toolmaker.

School

Went to:
Crossman Elementary
Hutchins Junior High
Cass Technical High School (Class of '57 - and she was a cheerleader!)
Wayne State University
all are in Detroit

At Wayne State she was a premedical student (Lily was great in math and science).

In her second year at WS she auditioned for her first play. That was The Madwoman of Charllot where she appeared in a small walk-on part.

Next she appeared in Moliere's The School for Wives as a comic maid.

Those were the only two appearances she made in Theatre Department productions. After that she appeared in a few student directed productions including Edward Albee's The Sandbox and a student Varity show where, along with another student actor, improvised her first character - "The Tasteful Lady" who she has performed in her act since.

She left Wayne State University after her junior year and Lily moved to New York in 1960


Working Girl

Lily worked most of her life beginning when she was seven years old. It seems she had sent away for, "a whole bunch of sleazy stuff advertised in the back of a comic book, like itching powder and hand buzzers." The package came C.O.D. and cost eleven dollars which her mother paid but would not let Lily have until she could buy it back from her. Lily started doing errands for the people in her apartment building (the D'Elce Apartments on Hazlewood in Detroit). She would, "go to the store or take down the garbage for ten cents."

When she turned 14 she was able to apply for jobs outside of her apartment building and worked for several years as a receptionist for a chiropractor's office and as a clerk for several Detroit stores.

More stuff in here soon, like The Music Scene with Tommy Smothers and Laugh In. Movies, movies, movies, Broadway, T.V specials...lots to still write about!!


She was a regular on the CBS series Murphy Brown Cast playing the role of Kay Carter-Shepley the new "FYI" Executive Producer.

Lily lives in California with her partner Jane Wagner.

To write to Lily you can use the following address

Lily Tomlin
P.O. Box 27700
Los Angeles, CA 90027