Dorothy Lyman was born on April 18, 1947, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, to Hector H. Lyman, a stockbroker, and Violet E. Lyman. She grew up in Minneapolis and attended the same high school as Jill Larson, who later replaced her in the role of Opal on "All My Children."

Dorothy Lyman is Protestant and has three children, including Emma Tillinger Koskoff, a well-known film producer.

She began her career in the early 1970s, debuting on her first soap opera, "A World Apart," as flower child Julie Stark in 1971.

She went on to appear in several soap operas, including "The Edge of Night" as Elly Jo Jamison and "Another World" as Gwen Frame. Her most notable soap opera role was on "All My Children" as Opal Sue Gardner, for which she received two Daytime Emmy Awards in 1982 and 1983.

In 1983, she became well-known for her role as Naomi Harper on the sitcom "Mama's Family," a role she played for the full six seasons. During this time, she also appeared in various television series, including "Tales from the Darkside," "ALF," and "Hunter."

When "Mama's Family" ended its run in 1990, she transitioned behind the camera, producing and directing 75 episodes of "The Nanny," including all episodes of the third and fourth seasons and all but four episodes of the fifth.

Her film career includes cameo appearances in "I Love Trouble" (1994) starring Nick Nolte and Julia Roberts, and "Blow" (2001) starring Johnny Depp. She also appeared in the 2006 films "World Trade Center" and "The Departed."

In recent years, she has continued to work in television, making appearances in "The Blacklist" and the drama film "Back Fork."

Throughout her career, Dorothy Lyman has been married twice. Her first marriage was to actor John Tillinger from 1971 until 1983, and her second marriage was to Vincent Malle from 1987 until 2001.