Jane Wagner (born February 26, 1935) is an American writer, director and producer. She is

Lily Tomlin Mary Jean "Lily" Tomlin (born September 1, 1939) is an American actress, comedian, writer, singer, and producer. Tomlin started her career in stand-up comedy and sketch comedy before transitioning her career to acting across stage and screen. ...

's comedy writer, collaborator, and wife.

Early life and education

Wagner was born and raised in Morristown, Tennessee, where she developed an interest in writing. She attended Morristown High School, where she wrote for the school newspaper. At 17, she moved from

East Tennessee East Tennessee is one of the three Grand Divisions of Tennessee defined in state law. Geographically and socioculturally distinct, it comprises approximately the eastern third of the U.S. state of Tennessee. East Tennessee consists of 33 coun ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, where she studied painting and sculpture at the

School of Visual Arts The School of Visual Arts New York City (SVA NYC) is a private for-profit art school in New York City. It was founded in 1947 and is a member of the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design. History This school was started by Silas ...

and pursued an acting career.

Career

Early in her life, she toured with the Barter Theatre of

Abingdon, Virginia Abingdon is a town in and the county seat of Washington County, Virginia, United States, southwest of Roanoke. The population was 8,376 at the 2020 census. The town encompasses several historically significant sites and features a fine arts a ...

, and later became a designer for such firms as

Kimberly-Clark Kimberly-Clark Corporation is an American multinational consumer goods and personal care corporation that produces mostly paper-based consumer products. The company manufactures sanitary paper products and surgical & medical instruments. Kimb ...

and Fieldcrest. She made her writing debut with the CBS afternoon special ''J.T.'' (1969), for which she won the

Peabody Award The George Foster Peabody Awards (or simply Peabody Awards or the Peabodys) program, named for the American businessman and philanthropist George Foster Peabody, George Peabody, honor what are described as the most powerful, enlightening, and in ...

— and drew the attention of Tomlin, who was looking for someone to help develop the ''

Laugh-In ''Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In'' (often simply referred to as ''Laugh-In'') is an American sketch comedy television program that ran for six seasons from January 22, 1968, to July 23, 1973, on the NBC television network. The show, hosted by come ...

'' character Edith Ann. It was the beginning of a collaboration that continues to this day. Wagner has been nominated for

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

s, with Tomlin, for the comic's recorded albums and has won three

Emmy Awards The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...

and a

Writers Guild of America The Writers Guild of America (WGA) is the name of two American labor unions representing writers in film, television, radio, and online media: * The Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) is headquartered in New York City and is affiliated wit ...

award, also with Tomlin, for the comic's television specials. She wrote and directed '' Moment by Moment'', starring Tomlin and

John Travolta John Joseph Travolta (born February 18, 1954) is an American actor. He began acting in television before transitioning into a leading man in films. List of awards and nominations received by John Travolta, His accolades include a Primetime Em ...

, and wrote '' The Incredible Shrinking Woman'', which starred Tomlin. '' The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe'' won Wagner a Special Award from the New York Drama Critics' Circle and a New York

Drama Desk Award The Drama Desk Awards are among the most esteemed honors in New York theater, recognizing outstanding achievements across Broadway, Off-Broadway, and Off-Off-Broadway productions within the same categories. The awards are considered a signific ...

. The

film adaptation A film adaptation transfers the details or story of an existing source text, such as a novel, into a feature film. This transfer can involve adapting most details of the source text closely, including characters or plot points, or the original sou ...

of the play brought Wagner a Cable ACE Award. Wagner won a second Peabody for the ABC special, ''Edith Ann's Christmas: Just Say Noel'' (1996).

Honors, awards and nominations

Annie Award The Annie Awards are accolades which the Los Angeles branch of the International Animated Film Association, ASIFA-Hollywood, has presented each year since 1972 to recognize excellence in animation shown in American cinema and television. Origina ...

1997: nominated – Best Individual Achievement: Writing in a TV Production – ''Edith Ann's Christmas: Just Say Noel''

2001: nominated – Outstanding Revival of a Play – ''The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe''
1986: won – Unique Theatrical Experience – ''The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe''

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...

1993: nominated – Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Special – ''The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe''
1981: won – Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Program – ''Lily: Sold Out''
1981: nominated – Outstanding Writing in a Variety, Music or Comedy Program – ''Lily: Sold Out''
1976: won – Outstanding Writing in a Comedy-Variety or Music Special – ''The Lily Tomlin Special''
1976: nominated – Outstanding Comedy-Variety or Music Special – ''The Lily Tomlin Special''
1974: won – Outstanding Writing in Comedy-Variety, Variety or Music – ''

Lily ''Lilium'' ( ) is a genus of herbaceous flowering plants growing from bulbs, all with large and often prominent flowers. Lilies are a group of flowering plants which are important in culture and literature in much of the world. Most species are ...

1996: won – ''Edith Ann's Christmas: Just Say Noel''
1970: won – ''J.T.''

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

2001: nominated – Best Revival of a Play – ''The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe''

Lambda Literary Award Lambda Literary Awards, also known as the "Lammys", are awarded yearly by Lambda Literary Foundation, Lambda Literary to recognize the crucial role LGBTQ+ writers play in shaping the world. The Lammys celebrate the very best in LGBTQ+ literatur ...

2020: won – Lambda Literary Visionary prize

Personal life

Wagner met her future wife, writer

, in March 1971. After watching the after-school TV special ''J.T.'' written by Wagner, Tomlin invited Wagner to Los Angeles to collaborate on Tomlin's comedy LP album ''And That's The Truth''.Tomlin, in On December 31, 2013, Wagner and Tomlin married in a private ceremony in Los Angeles after 42 years together.

Works and publications

* Wagner, Jane, and Gordon Parks, Jr. ''J.T.'' New York: Dell, 1971. * Tomlin, Lily, and Jane Wagner. ''On Stage.'' New York, N.Y.: Arista, 1977. Recorded live at the Biltmore Theatre, New York City. Audio book on LP. * Wagner, Jane. ''Development and Effect of Feminist Consciousness Raising Women's Groups, Los Angeles, Late 1960s Through 1982.'' Ph.D. Thesis/dissertation. Wright Institute, Los Angeles. 1983. * Wagner, Jane, Elon Soltes, Wendy Apple, and Lily Tomlin. ''Appearing Nitely.'' Valley Village, Calif.: Tomlin and Wagner Theatricalz, 1992. Recorded live at the Huntington Hartford Theater in Los Angeles, Calif. Originally produced for television in 1978. Video recording. * Wagner, Jane. ''Edith Ann – My Life, So Far.'' New York: Hyperion, 1994. As told to and illustrated by Jane Wagner. * Tomlin, Lily, Jane Wagner, and Anna Deavere Smith. ''Conversation with Lily Tomlin and Jane Wagner, October 25, 1994.'' San Francisco: City Arts & Lectures, Inc, 1994. Masonic Auditorium. * Wagner, Jane. J.T. New York: Carousel Films, 2000. DVD. Originally broadcast in 1969. Jeannette Du Bois, Theresa Merritt,

Kevin Hooks Kevin Hooks (born September 19, 1958) is an American actor, and a television and film director; he is notable for his roles in '' Aaron Loves Angela'' and '' Sounder'', but may be best known as Morris Thorpe from TV's '' The White Shadow''. Earl ...

. * Tomlin, Lily, and Jane Wagner. ''And That's the Truth.'' United States: Universal Music Enterprises, 2003. Recorded live at The Ice House, Pasadena, March 1976. Audio book. * Tomlin, Lily, and Jane Wagner. ''The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe.'' Tarzana, Calif.: Laugh.com, 2005. 1992 HBO television film. A film adaptation of the Broadway play by Jane Wagner. * Wagner, Jane, Marilyn French, and Lily Tomlin. ''The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe.'' New York, NY: ItBooks, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, 2012. Reprint. Originally published: New York : Harper & Row, 1986. Based on the Broadway play written by Wagner starring Lily Tomlin. Includes an Afterword by Marilyn French and Reflections by Lily Tomlin and by Jane Wagner.

Early life and education

Career

Honors, awards and nominations

Personal life

Works and publications

References

External links