Lily Tomlin Returns Segerstrom Center for the Arts Tonight

An Evening of Classic Lily Tomlin brings the award-winning comedienne and one of the world's most beloved entertainers back to Segerstrom Center for the Arts tonight, June 22 at 7:30 p.m. in Segerstrom Hall. Tomlin, who is currently one of the stars of ABC's new hit comedy Malibu Country with Reba McEntire, will share her celebrated talent for combining insightful and funny stand-up along with excerpts that feature some of her beloved classic characters. Immediately following her performance, she will open a brief Question & Answer period with the audience.

Tickets for An Evening of Classic Lily Tomlin start at $39 and will go on sale Sunday, March 17 at 10 a.m. PT. Tickets will be available online at SCFTA.org, at the Box Office at 600 Town Center Drive in Costa Mesa or by calling (714) 556-2787. For inquiries about group ticket savings for 10 or more, call the Group Services office at (714) 755-0236. The TTY number is (714) 556-2746.

Lily Tomlin continues to venture across an ever-widening range of media, starring in television, theater, motion pictures, animation and video. Her extraordinary creativity and comedic talent have earned for her six Emmys; a Tony Award for her one-woman Broadway show, Appearing Nitely and a second as Best Actress; Drama Desk Award and Outer Critics' Circle Awards for her one-woman performance in Jane Wagner's The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe; a CableAce Award for her achievement as executive producer of the film adaptation of The Search; a Grammy Award for her comedy album This is a Recording, plus nominations for her later albums, Modern Scream, And That's the Truth and On Stage; and two Peabody Awards - the first for the ABC television special Edith Ann's Christmas: Just Say Noël and the second for her work as narrator and executive producer of the HBO film, The Celluloid Closet.

Tomlin was born in Detroit, Michigan, but began her career in earnest in New York during 1965 when she built a strong following with her appearances at landmark clubs such as The Improvisation, Cafe Au Go Go and the Upstairs at the Downstairs, where she later opened for the legendary Mabel Mercer in the Downstairs Room. She made her television debut in 1966 on The Garry Moore Show, followed by several memorable appearances on The Merv Griffin Show, which led to her move to California where she appeared as a regular on Music Scene.

In December 1969, Tomlin joined the cast of the top-rated Laugh-In and immediately rose to national prominence with her characterizations of Ernestine, the irascible telephone operator, and Edith Ann, the devilish six-year-old. Tomlin went on to co-write, with Jane Wagner, and star in six comedy television specials: The Lily Tomlin Show (1973), Lily (1973), Lily (1974), Lily Tomlin (1975), Lily: Sold Out (1981), and Lily for President? (1982), for which she won three Emmy Awards and a Writers Guild of America Award. She also starred in the HBO special about the AIDS epidemic, And the Band Played On (1993). She has guest-starred on numerous television shows, such as Homicide, X-Files and Will and Grace, and played the boss for two years on the popular CBS series, Murphy Brown. She was also heard as the voice of the science teacher Ms. Frizzle on the popular children's animated series, The Magic School Bus, for which she was awarded an Emmy.

Tomlin made her Broadway debut in the 1977 play, Appearing Nitely, written and directed by Jane Wagner. Appearing Nitely was later adapted as both an album and an HBO Special. She also appeared on Broadway and, in a 29-city tour in Jane Wagner's critically-acclaimed play, The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe.

The comedienne made her film debut as Linnea, a gospel singer and mother of two deaf children in Robert Altman's Nashville (1975); her memorable performance was nominated for an Academy Award, and both the New York Film Critics and National Society of Film Critics voted Tomlin Best Supporting Actress. She went on to star in The Late Show (1977), Moment By Moment (1978), 9 to 5 (1980), The Incredible Shrinking Woman (1981), All of Me (1984), Big Business (1988), The Beverly Hillbillies (1993), Flirting With Disaster (1996) and Tea With Mussolini (1999) among others. In 2002, she appeared in a quirky cameo role in Orange County. Tomlin also appeared in Paul Schrader's film, The Walker (2007) and portrayed a sensitivity training expert assigned to instruct employees on social and political correctness with Steve Martin as Inspector Clouseau in Pink Panther II (2009). For her extensive work in film, Tomlin has received the Crystal Award from Women in Film.

In 2002, Tomlin joined the cast of the hit NBC series, The West Wing, playing President Bartlett's assistant, a role for which she received a 2003 Screen Actors Guild nomination for Best Actress in a Drama Series. In the fall of 2003, she was honored as the 2003 recipient of the prestigious Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in Washington, D.C.

Segerstrom Center for the Arts applauds Acura, Official Automotive Sponsor of the Center.

Photo Credit: Walter McBride