Vicki Lawrence
Vicki Lawrence Vicki Lawrence Schultz, 2009 Born Victoria Ann Axelrad (1949-03-26) March 26, 1949 (age 65) Inglewood, California Nationality American Other names Vicki Lawrence Schultz Education Morningside High School Occupation Actress, Comedian, Singer, Dancer, Writer Years active 1967–present Spouse(s) Bobby Russell (m. 1972–74) Al Schultz (m. 1974) Children Courtney Schultz Garret Schultz Website Official website Victoria Ann "Vicki" Lawrence (born March 26, 1949, sometimes credited as Vicki Lawrence Schultz) is an American actress, comedienne and singer. She is perhaps best known for the many characters she originated on CBS's The Carol Burnett Show where she appeared from 1967 to 1978, for the entire series run. It wasn't until the sixth season (1973-1974) the The Family sketches first appeared and immediately became popular. It was then that Vicki originated the character of Thelma Harper/Mama a supporting character who was Eunice Higgins's mother. The Family sketches and Thelma Harper/Mama have become undoubtedly the most popular sketches from The Carol Burnett Show. In 1982, six years after the series ended, a made for TV movie entitled Eunice based directly on The Family sketches aired and received good Nielsen ratings. This prompted executive producer Joe Hamilton to develop a television series starring Vicki Lawrence as Thelma Harper/Mama from The Family. In early 1983 Mama's Family was first broadcast on NBC as a mid-season replacement series. It aired on NBC until the end of the 1983-1984 season when it was cancelled by the network. In 1985, it went back into production as Lorimar Telepictures began distributing the show in first-run syndication where it soon became the highest rated program in syndication. It continued in first-run syndication until the last episode was produced in 1990. Mama's Family has been aired in re-runs in the United States and around the world continuously since then, far exceeding the typical lifespan of a television series' to air its re-runs, which is usually no longer than ten years. In 1973, she became a one-hit wonder on the US chart with "The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia". In both the United States and Canada it reached #1 on each nations top charts. She is credited with co-authoring two books. She has multiple Emmy Award nominations, winning one in 1976. She is also a multiple Golden Globe nominee, all for The Carol Burnett Show. She has made multiple appearances in Television shows such as Laverne and Shirley, The Love Boat, Murder She Wrote, Roseanne, Diagnosis Murder and with friend and co-star Tim Conway in Yes, Dear. She most recently played Mamaw in Hannah Montana. Lawrence has made numerous post-Mama's Family guest TV show appearances in her famed Thelma Harper/Mama role. On February 5, 2013, Lawrence appeared as the character in a special sketch for "Betty White's 2nd Annual 90th Birthday." In addition, Lawrence regularly hosts a non-televised stage show titled Vicki Lawrence & Mama: A Two-Woman Show.