Vicki Lawrence had many talents as a young girl, from dancing to singing to cheerleading at her high school in Inglewood, California, where she was voted 'Most Likely to Succeed'. She began her career in 1965, when she sang with the group Young Americans, and also appeared in the academy award-winning movie 'The Young Americans'.
Vicki had sent a letter to Carol Burnett, including an article from the local newspaper (which mentioned her resemblance to Burnett). She added an invitation to Burnett to come see her perform in the local fire department's 'Miss Fireball Contest.'
The already-famous Carol Burnett was looking for someone to play her kid sister on her new series, so she went to see what Lawrence had to offer. After she'd proven herself to be talented, Lawrence co-starred with Burnett for 11 years on 'The Carol Burnett Show' and won one Emmy and five nominations.
After more than a decade on 'The Carol Burnett Show,' Lawrence sought her own TV series, 'Mama's Family,' co-starring with Ken Berry, Beverley Archer, Allan Kayser, and Dorothy Lyman. The show ran for five years; the last episode was aired at the beginning of 1990. Repeats of the show are still seen on a daily basis all over the country.
Vicki became an active member of community service and a women's rights activist while her kids were still in school. The Coalition of Labor Union Women recognized her in 1988 as 'Person of the Year.' A few years later, she celebrated becoming the first successful female game show host, for 'Win, Lose or Draw.'
She continued appearing on television with her own talk show, 'Vicki!' from 1992 to 1994. In her first year, she became the only talk show host besides Oprah to be nominated for an Emmy. Vicki also appeared in a number of theater productions, including 'Annie Get Your Gun', 'I'm Getting My Act Together and Taking it On the Road', 'Special Occasions', 'Hello Dolly', 'My Fat Friend', 'Send Me No Flowers' and, in recent times, 'Vagina Monologues'.
Vicki has given the world a lifetime of service. She now travels all over the states, speaking to organizations about women's health, her life, and being a woman in a man's world. She also has a new production running across the country, 'Vicky Lawrence and Mama: A Two Woman Show.' Whatever type of performance she's putting on, don't miss the chance to buy tickets and catch her act!
