Lily Tomlin, born Mary Jean Tomlin on September 1, 1939, in Detroit, Michigan, is an American actress, comedian, writer, singer, and producer. She started her career in stand-up comedy and sketch comedy before transitioning to acting across stage and screen.

Over her career spanning more than fifty years, she has received numerous accolades, including seven Emmy Awards, a Grammy Award, two Tony Awards, and a nomination for an Academy Award. She was also awarded the Kennedy Center Honor in 2014 and the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award in 2017.

Her breakout role came on the variety show "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In" from 1969 until 1973. Her signature role, written by her then partner (now wife) Jane Wagner, was in the show "The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe," which opened on Broadway in 1985 and earned Tomlin the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play.

She won Emmy Awards for the special "Lily" (1973) and received a Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album for "This Is a Recording" (1972).

In 1975, Lily Tomlin made her film debut with Robert Altman's "Nashville," which earned her a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Her other notable films include "All of Me" (1984), "Big Business" (1988), "Flirting with Disaster" (1996), "Tea with Mussolini" (1999), "I Heart Huckabees" (2004), "A Prairie Home Companion" (2006), and "Grandma" (2015).

Lily Tomlin is known for her collaborations with Jane Fonda, starring in the films "9 to 5" (1980), "80 for Brady" (2023), and "Moving On" (2023). She also starred with Fonda on the Netflix series "Grace and Frankie," which ran from 2015 to 2022.

Her personal life includes her long-term relationship with Jane Wagner, whom she married in 2013. They met in 1971, and their relationship has been a significant part of her life and career. Her parents were Southern Baptists who moved to Detroit from Paducah, Kentucky, during the Great Depression. Although she attended a Southern Baptist church as a child, she later grew to become irreligious.