Piano Prodigy Jude Kofie to Headline Project Harmony’s 30th Anniversary Gala
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United States Lily Tomlin is an acclaimed actress, comedian, writer, and producer known for her diverse career spanning stage, screen, and television.
In 1970, AT&T offered Tomlin $500,000 to play her character Ernestine in a commercial, but she declined due to artistic integrity concerns. In 1976, she appeared in a Ma Bell advertisement parody as Ernestine on 'Saturday Night Live'.
Tomlin appeared as three of her minor characters in a 1998 advertising campaign for Fidelity Investments, though her famous characters Ernestine or Edith Ann were not included.
In 2003, Tomlin made two commercials for WebEx, reprising her character Ernestine in an 'updated' form.
Tomlin reprised her Ernestine role in 2016 for a TV ad as part of PETA's campaign against SeaWorld.
Mary Jean “Lily” Tomlin was born on September 1, 1939, in Detroit, Michigan. Her parents, Lillie Mae and Guy Tomlin, moved to Michigan from Paducah, Kentucky, during the Great Depression. Her mother worked as a nurse’s aide, and her father was a factory worker. Tomlin graduated from Cass Technical High School in 1957. She initially enrolled at Wayne State University to study biology but shifted her focus to theater arts after auditioning for a play. Her career began with stand-up comedy performances in nightclubs in Detroit and New York City, leading to her television debut on “The Merv Griffin Show” in 1965.
Tomlin gained national recognition in 1969 when she joined the cast of “Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In.” On this show, she developed and popularized characters such as Ernestine, the telephone operator, and Edith Ann, the precocious child. Her work on “Laugh-In” led to her co-writing and starring in several comedy television specials with Jane Wagner, earning multiple Emmy Awards. In 1971, her comedy album “This Is a Recording” reached number 15 on the Billboard Hot 200, making her the highest-charting solo female comedienne at the time, and earned her a Grammy Award for Best Comedy Recording.
Her film career began with Robert Altman’s “Nashville” in 1975, for which she received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. Throughout her career, Tomlin has starred in numerous films, including “9 to 5” (1980), “All of Me” (1984), and “Grandma” (2015). She has also had notable roles in television series like “The West Wing” (2002-2006) and the Netflix series “Grace and Frankie” (2015-2022). Tomlin has received significant accolades, including seven Emmys, two Tony Awards, a Grammy Award, the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, and the Kennedy Center Honors in 2014.
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