Lily Tomlin is an American actress, comedian, writer, singer, and producer who has received numerous accolades throughout her career, including a Daytime Emmy Award, a Grammy Award, six Primetime Emmy Awards, two Tony Awards, and nominations for an Academy Award, two British Academy Film Awards and seven Golden Globes. She is one of the few performers to have been nominated for the four major American entertainment awards (EGOT).
Tomlin's breakout role was on the variety show Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In from 1969 until 1973, which earned her one Golden Globe Award and three Primetime Emmy Award nominations. She received four nominations for the Grammy Award for Best Comedy Recording, winning once for the 1971 comedy album This Is a Recording. She won her first two Emmy Awards for the 1973 CBS special Lily, in the categories of Outstanding Comedy-Variety, Variety or Music Special and Outstanding Writing in a Comedy-Variety, Variety or Music Special.
In 1975, Robert Altman cast Tomlin in the satirical musical film Nashville, who at the time had no prior film experience, having worked exclusively in television. Her performance earned her nominations for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, the BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles, two Golden Globe Awards including Best Supporting Actress and New Star of the Year, and wins at the National Society of Film Critics and New York Film Critics Circle awards. She had her subsequent film role in The Late Show (1977), which was a critical success, with Tomlin winning the Silver Bear for Best Actress at the Berlin International Film Festival and being nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy. In 1985, Tomlin starred in the one-woman Broadway show The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe, written by her long-time life partner, writer/producer Jane Wagner. The production won her the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play, two Drama Desk Awards, a New York Drama Critics' Circle Award and an Outer Critics Circle Award. She then won the 1995 Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program for her voice acting in the animated series The Magic School Bus (1994–97) and had a recurring role in the political drama series The West Wing (1999–2006), that earned her three nominations at the Actor Awards. In 2015, she starred opposite to Jane Fonda in the successful comedy series Grace and Frankie (2015–2022), for which she received four consecutive nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series.
For her lifetime achievements, Tomlin was honored with the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award, the TCA Career Achievement Award and a medallion at the Kennedy Center Honors.
Major associations Academy Awards Year Category Nominated work Result 1976 Best Supporting Actress Nashville
Actor Awards Year Category Nominated work Result 2003 Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series Outstanding Ensemble in a Drama Series 2002 2017 Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series Grace and Frankie Life Achievement Award Honoree 2018 Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series Grace and Frankie 2019
BAFTA Awards Year Category Nominated work Result 1976 Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles Nashville 1978 Best Actress in a Leading Role
Emmy Awards Year Category Nominated work Result Daytime Emmy Awards 1985 Outstanding Performer in a Children's Program Pryor's Place 1995Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program 1996 1997 1998 Primetime Emmy Awards 1971 Outstanding Individual Achievement in a Variety ProgramRowan & Martin's Laugh-In 1972 Outstanding Achievement by a Performer in Music or Variety 1973 Outstanding Writing Achievement in Comedy, Variety or Music 1974 Outstanding Comedy-Variety, Variety or Music Special Lily (1973 special) Best Writing in Comedy-Variety, Variety or Music Special 1975 Outstanding Special – Comedy-Variety or Music Lily (1974 special) Outstanding Writing in a Comedy-Variety or Music Special 1976 Outstanding Special – Comedy-Variety or Music Lily Tomlin Outstanding Writing in a Comedy-Variety or Music Special 1978 1981 Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Program Lily: Sold Out 1984 Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program Live... And in Person 1993 Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Special Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program 1994 Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Special And the Band Played On Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program Growing Up Funny 1996 Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series Homicide: Life on the Street Outstanding Informational Special 2010 Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series Damages 2013 Outstanding Voice-Over Performance 2015 Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series Grace and Frankie 2016 2017 2018
Golden Globe Awards Year Category Nominated work Result 1972 Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In 1976 Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture Nashville New Star of the Year – Actress 1978 Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy 1985 All of Me 1994 Special Achievement Award for Ensemble Cast Short Cuts 2016 Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy Grandma Best Actress in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy Grace and Frankie
Grammy Awards Year Category Nominated work Result 1972Best Comedy Recording This Is a Recording 1973 And That's the Truth 1976 Modern Scream 1979 On Stage 2005 Best Spoken Word Album
Tony Awards Year Category Nominated work Result 1977Special Tony Award 1986 Best Actress in a Play
Honours Kennedy Center Honors Year Category Nominated work Result 2014 Kennedy Center Honors Honoree
Peabody Awards Year Category Nominated work Result 1996 Area of Excellence Edith Ann's Christmas - Just Say Noël 2023 Career Achievement Award Honoree
Mark Twain Prize for American Humor Year Category Nominated work Result 2003 Mark Twain Prize Honoree
Miscellaneous awards + Award Year Nominated work Category Result Alliance of Women Film Journalists Awards 2016 Actress Defying Age and Ageism 2005 I Heart Huckabees Best Actress 2016 Grandma 2022 Grace and Frankie Best Actress (TV/Streaming) Career Achievement Award American Comedy Awards 1987 Funniest Female Stand-Up Comic Lifetime Achievement Award 1988 Funniest Female Stand-Up Comic 1989 Big Business Funniest Leading Actress in a Motion Picture Funniest Female Stand-Up Comic 1991 Funniest Female Performer in a TV Special 1992 Funniest Leading Actress in a Motion Picture 1994 Short Cuts Funniest Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture 1996 Blue in the Face 1997 Flirting with Disaster Funniest Female Performer in a TV Special Berlin International Film Festival Awards 1977 Silver Bear for Best Actress Critics' Choice Awards 2007 Best Acting Ensemble 2016 Grandma Best Actress in a Comedy Dorian Awards 2014 Timeless Star Award 2016 Grace and Frankie TV Performance of the Year – Actress Drama Desk Awards 1986 Outstanding Actress in a Play Unique Theatrical Experience Dublin Film Critics' Circle Awards 2015 Grandma Best Actress Film Independent Spirit Awards 1992 Best Female Lead 1997 Flirting with Disaster Best Supporting Female Gotham Awards 2006 Best Ensemble Cast 2015 Grandma Best Actress 2015 Spirit of Independence Award National Society of Film Critics Awards 1975 Nashville Best Supporting Actress New York Drama Critics' Circle Awards 1986 Special Citation New York Film Critics Circle Awards 1976 Nashville Best Supporting Actress New York Women in Film & Television Awards 1985 Muse Award Outer Critics Circle Awards 1986 Outstanding Actress in a Play Provincetown International Film Festival Awards 2000 Lily Award Satellite Awards 2006 Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture 2016 Grace and Frankie Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy Saturn Awards 1982 Best Actress Seattle International Film Festival Awards 1991 Best Actress Stinkers Bad Movie Awards 1979 Moment by Moment Worst Actress Worst On-Screen Couple 2016 TCA Career Achievement Award 2002 Career Tribute Venice Film Festival Awards 1993 Short Cuts Special Volpi Cup for Ensemble Cast Women Film Critics Circle Awards 2015 Lifetime Achievement Award Women in Film Crystal + Lucy Awards 1992 Crystal Award 2003 Lucy Award Women's Image Network Awards 2012 Eastbound & Down Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series 2015 Grandma Outstanding Actress in a Feature Film
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