Biography
Mary Jean "Lily" Tomlin (born September 1, 1939) is an American actress, comedian, writer and producer. She has won multiple awards from many quarters, including Tony Awards, Emmy Awards, and a Grammy Award and has also been nominated for an Academy Award.
Known For
Complete Filmography

Janis Ian: Breaking Silence
2025
as Self
In 1965, Janis Ian, a 14-year-old singer-songwriter from New Jersey, wrote “Society’s Child” about an interracial relationship. Recorded and released ...

The World According to Allee Willis
2024
as Self
Take one look at award-winning songwriter / artist Allee Willis and you see someone unafraid to be themselves. Dressed in a cacophony of prints and co...

An Unexpected Community
2024
In the early days of the pandemic, Andrea Meyerson, founder of Women On A Roll, launched an online platform for lesbians and queer women. She called i...

Outstanding: A Comedy Revolution
2024
as Self
This rapturous documentary steps into the dynamic world of queer stand-up and examines the powerful cultural influence it has had on social change in ...

Bella!
2023
as Self
Bella! tells the story of Bella Abzug, who first rose to prominence as a scrappy grassroots activist in New York's West Village, and then went on to c...

Carol Burnett: 90 Years of Laughter + Love
2023
as Self - Guest
Paying tribute to a beloved national icon for her birthday, NBC celebrates Carol Burnett’s illustrious career with a star-studded event featuring an A...

Moving On
2023
as Evelyn
Two old friends reconnect at their friend's funeral, and decide to exact revenge on the widower who wronged all three of them decades earlier.

80 for Brady
2023
as Lou
Four lifelong friends set out on an unforgettable journey to see their hero Tom Brady play in Super Bowl LI and witness one of the greatest comebacks ...

The Best of Netflix Is a Joke: The Festival
2022
as Self
Top stand-ups and rising stars sound off on sex, parenting, politics, pettiness and more in these highlights from the Netflix Is a Joke comedy festiva...

Jane Fonda & Lily Tomlin: Ladies Night Live
2022
as Self
Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin host an iconic celebration of women in comedy with stand-up sets from Cristela Alonzo, Margaret Cho, Michelle Buteau and mo...

Stand Out: An LGBTQ+ Celebration
2022
A group of LGBTQ+ comedians get together to celebrate a brand of queer comedy. Legends, headliners, and emerging talent all perform at The Greek Theat...

Still Working 9 to 5
2022
as Self
Examines the 40-year evolution of gender inequality and discrimination in the workplace since the 1980 release of the comedy film “9 to 5” starring Ja...

The Martha Mitchell Effect
2022
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
She was once as famous as Jackie O—and then she tried to take down a President. Martha Mitchell was the unlikeliest of whistleblowers: a Republican wi...

Live at Mister Kelly's
2021
as Self
The iconic Mister Kelly’s bedazzled the country by launching superstars like Barbra Streisand, Richard Pryor, Bette Midler, and Steve Martin. It smash...

Emily @ the Edge of Chaos
2021
as Ayn Rand (voice)
Emily @ the Edge of Chaos interweaves Emily Levine’s live performance with animation, appearances by scientists, and animated characters. The film use...

Waging Change
2020
as Self
Waging Change weaves the stories of individual workers such as Nataki Rhodes of Chicago and Naomi Debebe of Detroit with the efforts of thousands of r...

Radium Girls
2020
Executive Producer
Young women toiling in a factory are exposed to hazardous material which takes a disastrous toll on their health.

One World: Together at Home
2020
as Self
A global broadcast & digital special organized by Global Citizen and the World Health Organization featuring comedians, musicians, and actors to raise...

Dolly Parton: Here I Am
2019
as Self
Dolly Parton leads a moving, musical journey in this documentary that details the people and places who have helped shape her iconic career.

Still Laugh-In: The Stars Celebrate
2019
as Self
Hollywood's finest pay tribute to "Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In" for an uncensored and unforgettable celebration at The Dolby Theater.

I Am Richard Pryor
2019
as Self - Actress and Comedian
The life story of Richard Pryor (1940-2005), the legendary performer and iconic social satirist who transcended racial and social barriers with his ho...

I Am Richard Pryor
2019
Thanks
The life story of Richard Pryor (1940-2005), the legendary performer and iconic social satirist who transcended racial and social barriers with his ho...

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
2018
as Aunt May (voice)
Struggling to find his place in the world while juggling school and family, Brooklyn teenager Miles Morales is unexpectedly bitten by a radioactive sp...

TVTV: Video Revolutionaries
2018
as Self
A documentary about Top Value Television (TVTV), a band of merry video makers who, from 1972 to 1977, took the then brand-new portable video camera an...

Feminists: What Were They Thinking?
2018
as Self
In 1977, a book of photographs captured an awakening - women shedding the cultural restrictions of their childhoods and embracing their full humanity....

Jane Fonda in Five Acts
2018
as Self - Actor
Girl next door, activist, so-called traitor, fitness tycoon, Oscar winner: Jane Fonda has lived a life of controversy, tragedy and transformation – an...

Take Flight
2015
as Self - Performer
2015's best actors lift off in a series of tributes to the ultimate Hollywood magic trick.

Grandma
2015
as Elle
Self-described misanthrope Elle Reid has her protective bubble burst when her 18-year-old granddaughter, Sage, shows up needing help. The two of them ...

Altman
2014
as Self
Robert Altman's life and career contained multitudes. This father of American independent cinema left an indelible mark, not merely on the evolution o...

The Making of 'Nashville'
2013
as Self
Retrospective documentary on the making of Robert Altman's Nashville (1975).

Richard Pryor: Omit the Logic
2013
as Self
Mike Epps, Richard Pryor Jr. and others recount the culture-defining influence of Richard Pryor - one of America's most brilliant, iconic comic minds.

An Apology to Elephants
2013
as Narrator
Elephants are among the most majestic and intelligent creatures on Earth--but for hundreds of years, they have suffered at the hands of humans. Narrat...

An Apology to Elephants
2013
Executive Producer
Elephants are among the most majestic and intelligent creatures on Earth--but for hundreds of years, they have suffered at the hands of humans. Narrat...

Admission
2013
as Susannah
Straitlaced Princeton University admissions officer Portia Nathan is caught off-guard when she makes a recruiting visit to an alternative high school ...

Why We Laugh: Funny Women
2013
as Self
An uncensored look into the lives of the female stand-up comedian. Featuring interviews and live performance footage from some of today's most promine...

Inequality for All
2013
as Violet Newstead (archive footage)
Based on Reich's 2010 book Aftershock: The Next Economy and America's Future, the film examines widening income inequality in the United States. U.S....

Stars In Shorts
2012
as Jason's Mom
Seven short films, all of which feature name actors, including Judi Dench, Kenneth Branagh, Colin Firth, Lily Tomlin, Keira Knightley, Jesse Tyler Fer...

The Procession
2012
as Jason's mom
A mother and son attend a funeral for someone they really don't know, and intend to leave right after, but end up leading the procession to the burial...

Vito
2011
as Herself
In the aftermath of Stonewall, a newly politicized Vito Russo found his voice as a gay activist and critic of LGBTQ+ representation in the media. He w...

The Pink Panther 2
2009
as Mrs. Berenger
When legendary treasures from around the world are stolen, including the priceless Pink Panther Diamond, Chief Inspector Dreyfus is forced to assign I...
Cutting Edge Comedians of the '60s & '70s
2007
as Self (archive footage)
In the late 1950s, a fresh, unconventional style of standup comedy emerged in sharp contrast to the standard "Take my wife, please" approach. It tackl...

The Walker
2007
as Abigail Delorean
An escort who caters to Washington D.C.'s society ladies becomes involved in a murder case.

The Ant Bully
2006
as Mommo (voice)
Fed up with being targeted by the neighborhood bully, 10-year-old Lucas Nickle vents his frustrations on the anthill in his front yard ... until the i...

A Prairie Home Companion
2006
as Rhonda Johnson
A look at what goes on backstage during the last broadcast of America's most celebrated radio show, where singing cowboys Dusty and Lefty, a country m...

Happy Birthday Oscar Wilde
2004
as Self
To commemorate the 150th anniversary of Oscar Wilde's birth, 150 leading artists of the stage, screen and music worlds deliver 150 of the Irish scribe...

I ♥ Huckabees
2004
as Vivian Jaffe
A husband-and-wife team play detective, but not in the traditional sense. Instead, the happy duo helps others solve their existential issues, the kind...

Superstar in a Housedress: The Life and Legend of Jackie Curtis
2004
as Self
Andy Warhol described Jackie Curtis as “A pioneer without a frontier.” In this biographical documentary, Curtis’s co-workers and friends speak of her ...

Goodnight, We Love You
2004
as Self
GOODNIGHT, WE LOVE YOU is a film that chronicles the final stand-up comedy performance of a true living legend - the first female stand-up comic in hi...

Orange County
2002
as Charlotte Cobb
Shaun Brumder is a local surfer kid from Orange County who dreams of going to Stanford to become a writer and to get away from his dysfunctional famil...

The Kid
2000
as Janet
Powerful businessman Russ Duritz is self-absorbed and immersed in his work. But by the magic of the moon, he meets Rusty, a chubby, charming 8-year-ol...

Altman on His Own Terms
2000
as Self
A look at the life and career of acclaimed independent filmmaker Robert Altman...on his own words. The genius director who shook the cinema industry w...

Saturday Night Live: 25th Anniversary Special
1999
as Self
A TV special celebrating the 25th anniversary of Saturday Night Live. Before a celebrity audience, many of the former cast members and guest hosts ret...

Tea with Mussolini
1999
as Georgina "Georgie" Rockwell
In 1930s fascist Italy, adolescent Luca just lost his mother. His father, a callous businessman, sends him to be taken care of by British expatriate M...

Get Bruce!
1999
as Self
Affectionate tribute to Bruce Vilanch, who writes material for celebrities who make public appearances, from Oscar hosts and award recipients to Presi...

Krippendorf's Tribe
1998
as Ruth Allen
After squandering his grant money, despondent and recently widowed anthropologist James Krippendorf must produce hard evidence of the existence of a h...
Happy Birthday Elizabeth: A Celebration of Life
1997
as Self
A special celebrating Elizabeth Taylor's 65th birthday featuring never-before-seen footage of her life and career.

Edith Ann's Christmas (Just Say Noël)
1996
as Edith Ann (voice)
Drama engulfs the household of Edith Ann and her family during the holidays.

Edith Ann's Christmas (Just Say Noël)
1996
Executive Producer
Drama engulfs the household of Edith Ann and her family during the holidays.

Getting Away with Murder
1996
as Inga Mueller
When the very moralistic college ethics instructor Jack Lambert finds himself living next door to an accused German death camp commander, he takes it ...

Flirting with Disaster
1996
as Mary Schlichting
Adopted as a child, new father Mel Colpin decides he cannot name his son until he knows his birth parents, and determines to make a cross-country ques...

The Celluloid Closet
1996
as Narrator (voice)
What "That's Entertainment" did for movie musicals, "The Celluloid Closet" does for Hollywood homosexuality, as this exuberant, eye-opening movie serv...

Blue in the Face
1995
as Waffle eater
A wacky group of locals visit the neighborhood cigar shop, looking for good times and finding plenty of hilarious fun. But when the greedy owner threa...

Peter Allen: The Boy From Oz
1995
as Self
The story of Peter Allen, Australia's beloved variety entertainer and songwriter. As one of the first openly gay entertainers, Allen won a unique star...

Edith Ann: Homeless Go Home
1994
as Edith Ann (voice)
A young quirky girl finds her way in a crazy world.

Sesame Street | All-Star 25th Birthday: Stars and Street Forever!
1994
as Ernestine (archive footage)
Sesame Street All-Star 25th Birthday: Stars and Street Forever! was a 1994 TV special that aired on ABC to celebrate Sesame Street's 25th anniversary....
But... Seriously
1994
as Self (archive footage)
A documentary juxtaposing the events of the 20th century with the commentary of stand-up comedians.

Edith Ann: A Few Pieces of the Puzzle
1994
as Edith Ann (voice)
Edith Ann is NOT your average 6-year-old. She sees the world unlike any other child her age. Created by the multi-talented Lilly Tomlin, Edith Ann doe...

Edith Ann: A Few Pieces of the Puzzle
1994
Executive Producer
Edith Ann is NOT your average 6-year-old. She sees the world unlike any other child her age. Created by the multi-talented Lilly Tomlin, Edith Ann doe...

The Beverly Hillbillies
1993
as Miss Jane Hathaway
Jed Clampett and kin move from Arkansas to Beverly Hills when he becomes a billionaire, after an oil strike. The country folk are very naive with rega...

Short Cuts
1993
as Doreen Piggot
Many loosely connected characters cross paths in this film, based on the stories of Raymond Carver. Waitress Doreen Piggot accidentally runs into a bo...

And the Band Played On
1993
as Dr. Selma Dritz
The story of the discovery of the AIDS epidemic and the political infighting of the scientific community hampering the early fight with it.

Luck, Trust & Ketchup: Robert Altman in Carver Country
1993
as Self
A documentary insight behind the scenes of Roberts Altman's Short Cuts.

An Evening with Lily Tomlin and Friends
1993
as Self / Ernestine / Judith Beasley / Mme Lupé / Others
On January 22, 1993 at the historic Castro Theater in San Francisco, Lily Tomlin, Robin Williams, Harvey Fierstein, Marga Gomez, and Lypsinka performe...

The Player
1992
as Lily Tomlin
A Hollywood studio executive is being sent death threats by a writer whose script he rejected - but which one?

Shadows and Fog
1991
as Prostitute
With a serial strangler on the loose, a bookkeeper wanders around town searching for the vigilante group intent on catching the killer.

The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe
1991
as Trudy the Bag Lady / Agnus Angst / Kate / Brandy / Tina / Chrissy / Lud / Marie / Vince / Edie / Lynn / Marge
The filmed version of the one-woman stage show written by Jane Wagner and starring Lily Tomlin, which won the Drama Desk Award for Unique Theatrical E...

Free to Be... a Family
1988
as Self
Seminal TV special about two groups of children, one in New York City and the other in Moscow, who befriend each other over a satellite connection and...

Big Business
1988
as Rose Ratliff / Rose Shelton
In the 1940s in the small town of Jupiter Hollow, two sets of identical twins are born in the same hospital on the same night. One set to a poor local...

Funny, You Don't Look 200: A Constitutional Vaudeville
1987
as Self
An all-star cast lead by Richard Dreyfus perform sketches celebrating the bicentennial of the U.S. Constitution, including new animation done by Disne...

Lily Tomlin
1987
as Herself
Backstage record of how Lily Tomlin, Jane Wagner and their associates put together "The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe," Miss To...

The Muppets: A Celebration of 30 Years
1986
as Self (archive footage)
For the first time in their careers, all the Muppets (except the ones that couldn't make it, like the Doozers, Gorgs and most of the Fraggles) have ga...
Waiting Tables
1986
Interviews with people whom Gloria Steinem calls "pink collar" workers--those who wait tables.

All of Me
1984
as Edwina Cutwater
Just before stubborn millionaire Edwina Cutwater dies, she asks her uptight lawyer, Roger Cobb, to amend her will so that her soul will pass to the yo...

Lily for President?
1982
as Lily Tomlin / Various
Comedian Lily Tomlin stars in this comical farce which deals with her experiences running for the office of President of the United States.

The Muppets Go to the Movies
1981
as Herself
In this one-hour special taped between March 9-17, 1981, Lily Tomlin and Dudley Moore join the Muppets in a tribute to film classics. Kermit the Frog ...

Lily: Sold Out
1981
as Self / Various Characters
After taking her successful Broadway show to Las Vegas, Lily Tomlin is faced with a tough decision: soften her act for mass appeal, or keep her materi...

Lily: Sold Out
1981
Executive Producer
After taking her successful Broadway show to Las Vegas, Lily Tomlin is faced with a tough decision: soften her act for mass appeal, or keep her materi...

The Incredible Shrinking Woman
1981
as Pat Kramer / Judith Beasley / Telephone Operator
After being exposed to a bizarre mixture of household chemicals, Pat Kramer begins to shrink. This baffles scientists, makes parenting difficult, warm...

Nine to Five
1980
as Violet Newstead
Three female employees of a sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot find a way to turn the tables on him.

Appearing Nitely
1979
as Self
Lily Tomlin's Tony Award-winning show "Appearing Nitely" features a repertoire of over 20 zany characters--from Edith Ann and Ernestine to Crystal "th...

Moment by Moment
1978
as Trisha Rawlings
Trisha Rawlings, a Beverly Hills socialite suffering from loneliness following the separation from her womanizing husband, develops a May–December rom...

The Paul Simon Special
1977
as Self
Paul Simon just wants to perform his songs although an arrogant director keeps on interrupting him with crazy ideas.

The Paul Simon Special
1977
Writer
Paul Simon just wants to perform his songs although an arrogant director keeps on interrupting him with crazy ideas.

The Late Show
1977
as Margo
Over-the-hill gumshoe in Los Angeles seeks to avenge the killing of an old pal, another detective who was involved in a case concerning a murdered bro...

TVTV Looks at the Oscars
1976
as Judy Beasley/Self
Made in 1976, TVTV's close-up look at Hollywood's annual awards ritual mixes irreverent documentary with deadpan comedy. TVTV's cameras go behind the ...

Nashville
1975
as Linnea Reese
The intersecting stories of twenty-four characters—from country star to wannabe to reporter to waitress—connect to the music business in Nashville, Te...

Flip Wilson... Of Course
1974
as Self
Flip Wilson's stand-up special.

Juke and Opal
1973
as Opal
“WINTER, 1973. Late afternoon: the entr'acte between dusk and darkness, when the people who conduct their business in the street -- numbers runners in...

Lily
1973
TV special starring Lily Tomlin

Lily
1973
Writer
TV special starring Lily Tomlin

Scarecrow in a Garden of Cucumbers
1972
as Telephone Voice (voice) (uncredited)
An aspiring actress from Kansas comes to New York and meets a host of zany characters.