Lily Tomlin: A Comedy Queen’s Journey Through the Decade

Mary Jean Tomlin was born in Detroit, Michigan, in 1939 and always had a love for performing. "When I was around this age, I used to come up with things for us to do in backyard shows," Tomlin told 'PEOPLE', referring to a photo of her and her brother Richard in 1945.

She originally enrolled at Wayne State University to study medicine but left to follow her passion for performing. In 1965, she moved to New York to pursue a career on stage.

After gaining a following for her work in 'West Village' comedy shows and appearances on 'The Merv Griffin Show', Tomlin was invited to join the cast of 'Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In' in 1969. She's seen here as her 5-year-old 'Laugh-In' character "Edith Ann", with Richard Pryor. "I had fun acting like a kid in that chair!" she told 'PEOPLE'.

Her debut film earned her an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress and began a long collaboration with director Robert Altman.

Lily Tomlin has 25 Emmy nominations and 6 wins to her name, including the two she won in 1974 for writing and performing in her self-titled TV special.

Tomlin and her wife, writer Jane Wagner, were creative collaborators from the time they met in 1971. Their most famous work together was a 1986 one-woman show called 'The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe', written by Wagner and for which Tomlin won a Tony. In 2001, they were recognized with nominations for their work as producers in the show's revival staging.

Tomlin and her 'Big Business' costar Bette Midler "played twins and had to constantly change outfits and go back out. I'd say, 'Ten dollars to the one who gets ready first,' so we had a little incentive."

Tomlin starred in several major films, including the 1980 hit '9 to 5' (pictured here with Dolly Parton and Jane Fonda). "I remember the day Dolly came on set and played the '9 to 5' song for us using her fingernails!" Tomlin told 'PEOPLE'. "I thought, 'This movie is going to be a success because of that song.' "

Tomlin reunited with director Robert Altman for 'Short Cuts', which also featured Julianne Moore, Robert Downey Jr., and Frances McDormand. During the 1990s, she appeared in TV shows such as 'Murphy Brown' and 'The West Wing'. From 1994 to 1997, she voiced "Mrs. Frizzle" on the animated series 'The Magic School Bus'.

Tomlin says the key to her more than 50-year relationship with her wife and longtime writing partner, Jane Wagner, is their mutual "admiration and respect."