You can find details about Vicki Lawrence Net Worth biography, age, height, weight, and more on this page. She is a renowned American actress, comedian, and singer, famous for portraying the character of Mama (Thelma Harper). Apart from Mama, Lawrence also played numerous other characters on CBS’s The Carol Burnett Show during its entire series run from 1967 to 1978.
Who is Vicki Lawrence?
Vicki Lawrence is an American actress, comedian, and singer. She became famous for playing the character of Mama on The Carol Burnett Show from 1967 to 1978. Mama was a cold, unaffectionate, and widowed elderly mother to Eunice. This skit became very popular, and it led to Lawrence having her own TV sitcom, Mama’s Family.
Lawrence has hosted a stand-up comedy show with Mama since 2001. She also made several appearances in the Disney Channel sitcom, Hannah Montana. Lawrence had a hit song in 1973, “The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia.” She won an Emmy Award in 1976 and was nominated for multiple Golden Globe Awards. She recently starred in the Fox sitcom series, The Cool Kids, from 2018 to 2019.
Vicki Lawrence Net Worth
Vicki Lawrence is an American actress and singer. She is worth $10 million dollars and has had a successful career in TV shows like “Mama’s Family” and “The Carol Burnett Show”. Her autobiography, “Vicki! The True-Life Adventures of Miss Fireball”, tells the story of her career. She often gives speeches to women’s groups and charities. If you want to learn more about her, keep reading!
| Name | Vicki Lawrence |
|---|---|
| Net Worth | $10 Million |
| Date of Birth | Mar 26, 1949 |
| Age | 74 years old |
| Gender | Female |
| Height | 5 ft 5 in (1.67 m) |
| Profession | Singer, Actor, Comedian, Musician |
| Nationality | United States of America |
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Vicki Lawrence Biography
Vicki Ann Axelrad was born on March 26, 1949, in Inglewood, California, USA. Later, her family legally changed their surname to “Lawrence”. In high school, she was part of a musical group called “The Young Americans” from 1965 to 1967. The group performed on “The Andy Williams Show”, and she gained a lot of experience performing at the Oscars and touring.
She graduated from Morningside High School in Inglewood. Her journey to The Carol Burnett Show was an interesting one. She entered a local beauty contest, and a reporter wrote about it, saying she resembled Carol Burnett. Vicki’s mother asked her to write a letter to the reporter, and Carol Burnett saw it and attended the contest.
Vicki won, and Carol Burnett offered her a job on her show. Vicki was 18 when she got the job and played the role of Chrissy in the show. She learned a lot from Carol Burnett and Harvey Koman and maintains a close friendship with both of them. They helped her acquire skills like sketch comedy, show business, and different accents.
| Real Name | Vicki Ann Lawrence |
| Celebrated Name | Vicki Lawrence |
| Gender | Female |
| Profession | Actress, comedian, singer, dancer, and writer. |
| Nationality | American |
| Birthplace | Inglewood, California, U.S. |
| Birth Day | 26-Mar-49 |
| Age as in 2023 | 74 years old |
| Height | 1.67 m |
| Height(s) Feet | 5 feet and 5 inches |
| Heights in cm | 167 cm |
| Weight | 62 kg |
| Weight in Pound | 136 pounds |
| Dating History | To be Updated |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Spouse | Al Schultz (m. 1974), Bobby Russell (m. 1972-1974) |
| Children | 2 (Courtney Allison Schultz and Garrett Lawrence Schultz) |
| Salary | Not Known |
| Net Worths | $10 Million |
Early Life and Education
Vicki Lawrence was born on March 26, 1949, in Inglewood, California, to Anne Alene and Howard Axelrad. Her father worked as a certified public accountant for Max Factor. When Lawrence was young, her family legally changed their surname to Lawrence. She attended Morningside High School in Inglewood and graduated in 1967. Initially, Lawrence had planned to become a dental hygienist but later changed her career path.
Musical Beginnings
During her high school years, Lawrence auditioned for and was selected to join the musical group The Young Americans. She performed with the group at the Oscars and appeared on The Andy Williams Show.
Beauty Pageant and Meeting Carol Burnett
In her senior year of high school, Lawrence entered the Miss Fireball of Inglewood contest, which was held for the local firefighter’s ball. A reporter for a local newspaper wrote a story about the contest and compared Lawrence’s appearance to that of a young Carol Burnett. Lawrence’s mother suggested she write a letter to Burnett, including the article. Burnett saw the letter, called Lawrence’s father, and went to see the Miss Fireball contest. Lawrence won the contest, and Burnett was asked to crown her. Coincidentally, Burnett was searching for an actress to play her younger sister on her upcoming show. After a few auditions, Lawrence was given the part at age eighteen, specifically for playing Chrissy in the “Carol and Sis” sketches.
Career Mentors
After Lawrence was hired for The Carol Burnett Show, both Burnett and Harvey Korman took her under their wings. Korman taught her various sketch comedy skills, such as listening not just for a cue line, and coached her in other areas, such as speaking in different accents. Lawrence has credited Korman and Burnett with being her mentors, and has referred to her experience on the show as the “Harvard school of comedy”. Lawrence has stated that she learned show business from Burnett and looked up to her very much, and that the two share a very close friendship.
College Education
While working on The Carol Burnett Show, Lawrence attended UCLA and changed her major to theater arts, dropping out after two years.
Conclusion Vicki Lawrence’s career began with her beauty pageant win and her resemblance to Carol Burnett. She went on to perform on The Carol Burnett Show, where she was mentored by Burnett and Korman. Lawrence’s experience on the show helped shape her comedic skills, leading to her success in television and beyond.
Career Highlights and Accomplishments
Vicki Lawrence is a well-known comedian and actress who is most famous for her work on The Carol Burnett Show, where she was a cast member from 1967 to 1978. She was the only member, besides Burnett, to stay on the show for its entire 11 seasons. After the show ended, Lawrence and her family moved to Hawaii, but later returned to Los Angeles.
Mama’s Family and Other Roles
Lawrence’s portrayal of the Mama character on The Carol Burnett Show’s “The Family” sketches was so popular that NBC created the sitcom Mama’s Family, which further explored the Mama character. The show aired on NBC from 1983 to 1985, and was later renewed from 1986 to 1990 in first-run syndication. Lawrence reprised the Mama character on stage for Vicki Lawrence & Mama: A Two-Woman Show.
Lawrence has also made appearances on other popular TV shows, such as Laverne & Shirley, Major Dad, Roseanne, Hannah Montana, and Yes, Dear. She even appeared in two episodes of Murder, She Wrote, playing different characters. Lawrence starred in the 1985 comedy pilot Anything for Love, which aired as a special on CBS that summer and co-starred Lauren Tewes and Rebeca Arthur.
Other Notable Roles
Lawrence has also appeared with Burnett, Korman, and Tim Conway in the Burnett show retrospectives that were broadcast in 1993, 2001, and 2004. She played Sister Mary Paul (Sister Amnesia) in the TV special based on Nunsense Jamboree that originally aired on TNN in 1998. Lawrence played Mamaw Stewart in the hit Disney series Hannah Montana alongside Billy Ray Cyrus and his daughter Miley Cyrus. She also played Dan’s old high-school flame, Phyllis, in an episode of Roseanne. Lawrence even appeared in a special celebrity-edition episode of The Weakest Link, playing for charity, where she made it to the final two but ended up losing to Ed Begley, Jr.
Vicki Lawrence’s Music Career
Vicki Lawrence began her music career as a contestant on Johnny Mann’s Stand Up And Cheer program. However, she gained fame with her number-one hit “The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia”. The song, written by her first husband Bobby Russell, sold over two million copies and earned a gold disc from the Recording Industry Association of America in 1973.
Success and Follow-Up
During the last episode of the sixth season of The Carol Burnett Show, Lawrence received a surprise gold record award from Carol Burnett. Her first LP, also titled The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia, was released soon after. The song was later re-recorded by Reba McEntire in 1991 and became a top 20 hit on the country charts. Lawrence’s follow-up single “He Did With Me” reached number 75 in the US, but it became her biggest hit in Australia, where it peaked at number one in November 1973. She followed it up with “Ships in the Night” in 1974, which was released only in Australia.
Later Career
In the fall of 1975, Lawrence managed one last minor U.S. chart entry on the Private Stock label with “The Other Woman” (number 81). She recorded her second LP for Bell Records, Ships in the Night, in 1974, but it was not released in the US due to the label’s phasing out by Arista. Lawrence’s first two LPs were eventually released as a single CD with bonus tracks in 2014.
In 1979, Lawrence released a disco album called Newborn Woman, which included the minor disco hit “Don’t Stop the Music”.
Career as a Game Show Host and Celebrity Player
Vicki Lawrence gained popularity as a game show host, emceeing the daytime NBC version of Win, Lose or Draw from 1987 to 1990. She also appeared as a popular celebrity player on various game shows including Match Game, Password, Password Plus, Super Password, and Pyramid, where she often engaged in witty banter with host Dick Clark.
In 1992, Lawrence started hosting her own talk show, Vicki!, which earned her multiple nominations for a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Talk Show Host. However, the show was canceled after only two seasons due to creative disputes with her syndicator.
She continued to make appearances on game shows, including as a regular panelist on the 1998 revival of Match Game. Lawrence also found success with her “two-woman” show, where she performs as herself in the first half and in character as Thelma “Mama” Harper in the second half.
Voice-Over Work and Other Endeavors
In addition to her work on game shows and talk shows, Lawrence has also lent her voice to animated series such as Hermie and Friends, where she voices the character Flo.
Lawrence’s television career has spanned decades, and in 2018 she was seen promoting classic television series, including The Carol Burnett Show, on the MeTV television network. She has also been featured in infomercials for the Big Boss Grill.
Personal Life and Advocacy Work
Vicki Lawrence was married to singer and songwriter Bobby Russell from 1972 to 1974. She then married Hollywood make-up artist Al Schultz on November 16, 1974, and they have two children together, Courtney Allison Schultz and Garrett Lawrence Schultz. The Lawrence family appeared on Celebrity Family Feud in July 2015.
Health Advocacy
Lawrence was diagnosed with chronic idiopathic urticaria (CIU) around 2011. She has since become the spokesperson for the CIU & You campaign in partnership with the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. Lawrence appeared on The Doctors in 2015 to share her experience with CIU and raise awareness about the condition.
Family Connection
It is worth noting that Lawrence is the cousin of actress Ali Axelrad, who is known for her roles in David Fincher’s Mank and Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life.
Overall, Lawrence has had a successful and diverse career in the entertainment industry, spanning several decades and including both comedic and dramatic roles.
Frequently Asked Questions
As of 2021, Vicki Lawrence’s net worth is estimated to be around $10 million.
Vicki Lawrence’s husband is Hollywood make-up artist Al Schultz. They have been married since November 16, 1974.
Vicki Lawrence is an American actress, comedian, singer, and television personality. She is best known for her work on The Carol Burnett Show, Mama’s Family, and as a game show host.
As of 2023, Vicki Lawrence was born on March 26, 1949, so she was 74 years old.
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