Vicki Lawrence FanSite Bio

Hailing from Inglewood, CA ... not so long ago, on the date of March 26, on planet earth, a star was born!! A star that would shake the foundations of Hollywood and capture the hearts of fans everywhere!! That stars name was Vicki Lawrence, and she was a star that would only got brighter!! In high school, she could sing, she was a cheerleader, and was voted most likely to succeed..and succeed - she did. Blessed with a God-given talent, it was only a matter of time before Vicki's mega talent would explode like a fierce bomb on Hollywood!! It was her senior year in high school...

Answering a call to a letter Vicki had send her, Carol Burnett attended a local fire department's "Ms. Fireball Contest," where Vicki was performing. Vicki had sent Carol the letter after a newspaper wrote an article that mentioned her resemblence to Carol. Carol was looking for an actress to play her kid sister on a new variety show. Noticing exploding talent when she saw it, Vicki was drafted by Carol to be on the show. In 1967, Vicki entered UCLA to study Theater Drama. In 1968, Vicki went to Viet-Nam with Johnny Grant to visit with the American troops. In 1973, Vicki went gold with her international hit single, "The Night the Light's Went Out in Georgia." During her years working with Carrol Burnett, she won one Emmy and was nominated for five.

In the mid and later 70's, there was a skit on The Carrol Burnett Show called 'The Family.' The skit originally starred Carrol Burnett as a sharp tounged widow, and Vicki as the daughter of her. Before the skit originally airred, Carrol changed it so that she would be the daughter, and Vicki would be mama. As Vicki stated, "Carol was the big star, and we just listened to her. In the end, the decision seemed to be the right one." The show was a hit and in the later 70's, Vicki was approached about turning the skit into a full-length show. Vicki turned the offer down because she did not want to leave the Carrol Burnett Show. After Vicki's T.V. movie, Eunice, was a great success in 1981, Vicki agreed to to the show.

The pilot of Mama's Family aired on January 22, 1983. The show was a smash success, evolving from a skit into a full-fledged exploding sitcom. The show starred Vicki as Mama 'Thelma' Harper, Ken Berry as her son Phil, Carrol Burnett as Eunice, and Betty White as her prissy daughter Ellen. The show spanned into a hit phenomenon, and the show was Vicki!! Noone else but Vicki could have made it work. By the time of the shows syndication in the fall of 1986, two new charactors were added to the mix. Beverly Archer, as Iola Boyland and Allan Keyser as Eunice's reform school son, whom mother Harper takes in. Ken Berry's role also changed from Phil, the cultured writer, to Vint, a not-too-bright locksmith. Mama's Family ended in the Spring of 1990. As it started as a skit in the 70's, counting skit into show, it was the longest running television show to ever hit t.v., and ONLY Vicki Lawrence could do that!!

From 1992-1994, Vicki profected her hosting skills as the host of her very own talk show...Vicki! Vicki was full of the same home sput wit, charm, and talent she had always possesed - which made for an all around awesome talk show naturally. Vicki was nominated for a daytime Emmy during her freshman year ... the only host since Oprah to be nominated their freshman year.

Vicki has been on numerous productions, and skits. She has proved herself in the field of talent time and time again...and it continues even today! She shows no signs of stopping, and for fans that know what great talent is, thats is a VERY awesome thing!!