Multi-talented Vicki Lawrence was born in Inglewood, California, where she excelled in dancing and singing and was voted “Most Likely to Succeed” by her graduating class. From 1965 to 1967, Vicki sang with the Young Americans musical group and, also, appeared in the feature film, “The Young Americans” which won an Academy Award for Best Documentary. During her senior year of high school, Vicki sent Carol Burnett a letter which included a local newspaper article mentioning their resemblance. Vicki invited Ms. Burnett to the local fire department’s “Miss Fireball Contest” in which she was performing. Ms. Burnett, looking for an actress to play her kid sister on her new variety series, contacted Vicki and made arrangements to come to the event. The rest is television history. “The Carol Burnett Show” premiered in the fall of 1967, the same year Vicki entered UCLA to study Theater Arts. She spent eleven years with Carol, earning one Emmy Award and five Emmy nominations. In 1995, Simon and Schuster published her story, “Vicki!: The True Life Adventures of Miss Fireball.” In 1973, Vicki received a gold record as a recording artist for her international hit single, “The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia.” After the Burnett show ended, Vicki went on to star in her own TV series, “Mama’s Family.” The last original episode was made in January of 1990, completing five years of first-run syndication. The show still can be seen daily throughout most of the country. Vicki hosted her own daytime talk show, appropriately called “Vicki!” from 1992 to 1994. She received critical acclaim when she was the only talk show host since Oprah to be nominated for a Daytime Emmy in her freshman year. In the fall of 1997, she briefly returned to daytime talk as the host of “Fox After Breakfast” from New York City. On stage Vicki has appeared in numerous productions, including “Carousel,” “Send Me No Flowers,” “No, No, Nanette,” “My Fat Friend,” “Chapter Two,” “Twigs,” “Hello Dolly,” “Special Occasions,” “I’m Getting My Act Together and Taking It On The Road” and “Annie Get Your Gun.” More recently, she appeared in “The Vagina Monologues.” And on TV, Vicki played Miley Cyrus’ grandma on “Hannah Montana. “The roll of “Mamaw” recurred numerous times during the series four-year run. Currently, Vicki has spends much of her time on the road with her stage production “Vicki Lawrence and Mama, A Two Woman Show.” She also travels all over the country speaking to women’s organizations about her life and career, women’s health, and being a woman in a man’s world. All the while, she approaches everything with her characteristic sense of humor. Vicki Lawrence is a comedic legend. Enjoy her.
