Vicki Lawrence

Vicki Lawrence

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Birth name: Vicki Ann Axelrad
Date of birth: 26 March 1949
Place of birth: Inglewood, California, USA
Nickname: Mama
Height: 5′ 6″ (1.68 m)
Spouse: Schultz, Alvin A. (16 November 1974 – present) 2 children, Bobby Russell (29 June 1972 – 1974) (divorced)

Famous Quote: “Things have always sort of happened for me. Something else always comes up. The fun part for me is just really push that envelope. That’s my opportunity to hide behind that old lady and say what I want to say. Everybody loves that character (Mama). I can go out on the streets and people will ask me ‘Where’s mama?’ like if she’s suppose to be with me.”

Contact Address and Autograph: Addresses and fan mail information

Vicki Lawrence
The Brokaw Company
9255 Sunset Boulevard, Suite 804
Los Angeles, CA 90069, USA 

Biography:  Vicki Lawrence (born Victoria Ann Axelrad on March 26, 1949 in Inglewood, California) is an Emmy Award-winning actress, frequent game show panelist of the 1970s and 1980s, comedian, and singer. She is best known for her co-starring role on The Carol Burnett Show, alongside Carol Burnett, from 1967 to 1978, and as the sharp-tongued matriarch, Thelma Harper (the main character on Mama’s Family, airing from 1983 to 1990, which was spun off from The Carol Burnett Show’s The Family sketches). A bubbly performer of variety shows, light comedy and game shows, Vicki Lawrence was discovered by Carol Burnett in a manner that has become show business legend. Lawrence was still a high school student in Inglewood, a small city surrounded by Los Angeles, when she wrote a fan letter to Carol Burnett remarking on how people thought they looked alike. 

Burnett examined the enclosed photograph and agreed. She surprised the younger woman by telephoning her and agreeing to attend the Miss Fireball pageant which Lawrence went on to win. Realizing that Lawrence had some performing experience (she had appeared with the Young Americans singing group for three years), Burnett and her husband, Joe Hamilton, signed Lawrence to appear as a regular on Burnett’s CBS variety series, primarily to portray Burnett’s younger sister in an on-going skit. While Lawrence was raw at first, she soon grew as a performer and took on more roles, remaining with the show for its entire 11-season run. She won an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in Variety in 1975 for her work.

Over the years, Lawrence developed a repertoire of characters and was often well-cast in support of Burnett, particularly in the movie spoofs (i.e., spoofing Ann Blyth in the “Mildred Pierce”-inspired skit). But the younger actress really excelled at playing Mama, the crusty, crabby, sourly realistic matriarch of a Southern family with Burnett as her disappointed daughter. With no makeup, a gray wig and support hose, Lawrence created a three dimensional character, alternating between the monstrous and the sympathetic. These sketches of “The Family” eventually evolved into the primetime sitcom “Mama’s Family” (NBC, 1983-84; syndicated 1986-90).

She has also been credited as Vicki Lawrence Schultz; Schultz being the surname of her second husband and Hollywood make-up artist, Al Schultz, to whom she has been married since November 16, 1974, and by whom she has two children, Courtney (born May 3, 1975) and Garrett (born July 3, 1977).

As a comedienne and actress, she is best known for her work on The Carol Burnett Show, of which she was a part from 1967 to 1978. She was the only cast member, except for Burnett herself, who stayed on the show for the entire eleven seasons. Lawrence’s ascension to become part of the Burnett show is part of Hollywood legend; she was literally hired for the show on the basis of a letter she had sent to Burnett and the producers, with a photograph of Lawrence that clearly showed her resemblance to Burnett. Despite her beginner’s status, Lawrence proved to be a valuable part of the comedic team on the show, and played many memorable characters, particularly Thelma Harper (a.k.a., “Mama”) in the recurring “Family” sketches.

After The Carol Burnett Show ended in 1978, Vicki and her husband Al moved with their children to Maui in Hawaii but after a couple of years, returned to Los Angeles where they have remained. Her portrayal of the “Mama” character was so popular that NBC created a sitcom, Mama’s Family, based on characters from the skit. (Burnett reprised the Eunice Higgins character for the sitcom from time to time.) The series ran from 1983 to 1985 on NBC; after its cancellation from NBC, it was renewed from 1986 to 1990 in first-run syndication, which many believe to be a more animated, livelier version of Mama’s Family. The show was more successful in the renewed version. She also reprised the “Mama” character on stage for Vicki Lawrence & Mama: A Two-Woman Show.

Lawrence has made appearances on other programs, such as the sitcoms Roseanne, Hannah Montana and Yes, Dear. She has also appeared with Burnett, Harvey Korman, and Tim Conway in the Burnett show retrospectives that were broadcast in 2001 and 2004.

As a singer, she is most known for her #1 hit, “The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia,” a song written by her first husband Bobby Russell, which was released on Bell Records in November 1972. (Cher was offered the song first but, unbeknownst to her, her then-husband Sonny Bono had turned it down.)

“He Did With Me,” Vicki’s follow-up to “The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia,” only managed to reach #75 in the United States (although it became her biggest hit in Australia, reaching #1 there in November of 1973). Two years later, in the fall of 1975, Vicki managed one last minor US chart entry on the Private Stock label with the anti-feminist curiosity “The Other Woman” (#81).

As an emcee, she hosted the daytime NBC version of the game show Win, Lose or Draw, and has also appeared often as a popular panelist on such game shows as Match Game, Password, Scrabble, The $10,000 Pyramid, and The $25,000 Pyramid, as well as Hollywood Squares, where she appeared both as herself and in character as Thelma “Mama” Harper. Lawrence was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for Best Talk Show in 1993 for the eponymous Vicki!, but the show was canceled after two seasons.

She tours the country with her “two-woman” show with the first half as herself and the second half done as Thelma “Mama” Harper. Vicki also plays ‘Mamaw Stewart’ (the mother of Robby Ray Stewart and grandmother of Jackson and Miley Stewart) in the hit Disney series Hannah Montana, alongside Billy Ray Cyrus, and his daughter Miley Cyrus. Vicki recently plays as “Mama” on a Ohio commercial, promoting that Casinos be brought into Ohio.

Her recording of then husband Bobby Russell’s song “The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia” was number one on Billboard magazine’s Hot 100 chart for two weeks in April 1973, reached the Top 40 of Billboard’s Hot Country Singles chart, and earned a Gold Record. Her former husband, Bobby Russell, wrote the popular tunes, “Little Green Apples” and Bobby Goldsboro’s “Honey.” Daughter, Courtney Allison Schultz, born May 5th, 1975 Son, Garrett Lawrence Schultz, born July 3rd, 1977. Hit #1 in Australia in 1973 with “He Did With Me” (written by Harry Lloyd and Gloria Sklerov). She is a huge game show fan and guest-starred on many game shows including “The $10,000 Pyramid” (1973), “Super Password” (1984), and “Match Game 73″ (1973). She also hosted the daytime edition of “Win, Lose or Draw” (1987) for NBC and on her TV show “Mama’s Family” (1983), Mama was a contestant on “Jeopardy!” (1984) She did a salute to game shows and their hosts on her talk show “Vicki!” (1992).

She is the sister of make-up artist, Joni Lawrence. With the exception of Eric Brown (Buzz), Karin Argoud (Sonja), and Allan Kayser (Bubba), she was the youngest regularly appearing actress in the cast of “Mama’s Family” (1983), even though the character she played was the oldest. Ken Berry (Vinton), Dorothy Lyman (Naomi), Rue McClanahan (Aunt Fran), Betty White (Ellen), Carol Burnett (Eunice), Harvey Korman (Ed) and Beverly Archer (Iola) are all older.

While a member of the singing group The Young Americans a journalist reviewing a concert mentioned Lawrence’s resemblance to Carol Burnett. Lawrence sent the clipping to Burnett, along with an invitation to attend a performance of The Miss Fireball Contest in which Lawrence was appearing in. Burnett did attend and Lawrence was subsequently hired to play Burnett’s kid sister in “The Carol Burnett Show” (1967). Still dresses up as Mama when performing to this day.

Vicki 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, reminding us all that “Life is much too serious to be taken seriously!” She also can be seen across the country in her stage production: “Vicki Lawrence and Mama, A Two Woman Show.” 

Recently Vicki was invited to join The Board of Trustees for Miller Children’s Hospital at Long Beach Memorial Medical Center. One of only eight children’s hospitals in the state, Miller Children’s Hospital was dedicated in 1970 as a community, non-profit hospital and now services patients within a 100-mile radius in LA and Orange counties. Vicki also hosts the annual WALK FOR THE CURE in her hometown where all the proceeds go to breast and ovarian cancer research at Long Beach Memorial Center.

In 1974 Vicki married the head of CBS make-up, Al Schultz, who is both her best friend and professional partner. Al and Vicki have two children, Courtney, 30, and Garrett, 28. They live at the beach with their three dogs, Hannah, a black Labrador Retriever and Watson, a Petit Basset Griffon Vendeen. They adopted a Yorkie Mix named Rosie when Vicki was hosting the Humane Society Telethon in Michigan. In their spare time Al and Vicki enjoy yacht racing. They own a 70-foot sloop named, fittingly, “Vicki”.

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