Dorothy Lyman
Encyclopedia
Dorothy Lyman is an American television actress, director and producer. She is most commonly known for her work as architect Gwen Parrish Frame in Another World
(1976–1980,1989) and in All My Children
as Opal Sue Gardner
, and on the syndicated
sitcom Mama's Family
, as Naomi Harper
.
Lyman was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota
, the daughter of Violet E. (née
Brightwell) and Hector H. Lyman, who was a stockbroker. She first appeared on her first soap opera
A World Apart as Julie Stark in 1971. Several years later, Dorothy appeared as the evil Elly Jo Jamison on The Edge of Night
. Lyman played Ralphie's mother in Jean Shepherd's Ollie Hopnoodle's Haven of Bliss
from 1988. She appeared in the Tales from the Darkside
television series in the 'In the Cards' episode (1985), in ALF
as Maura Norris in the episode 'Tequila' (1988), Generations as Rebecca Whitmore (1990–1991), and in The Bold and the Beautiful
as Bonnie Roberts (1991–1992).
However, her most notable soap opera role has been on All My Children
as Opal Sue Gardner, for which she received two Emmy Award
s -- as Outstanding Actress in a Supporting Role in a Daytime Drama Series
in 1982 and for Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama Series
in 1983. Lyman attended high school with Jill Larson
, the actress who would eventually succeed her in the role of Opal Gardner.
In an appearance on Vicki Lawrence
's talk show Vicki!, Lyman noted that she continued to perform on All My Children concurrently with the beginning of Mama's Familys production, flying back and forth each week between New York
and Los Angeles
. While the commute was brutal, she remembered it fondly, referring to that stage of her career as "All My Paychecks."
When Mama's Family
ended its run, Lyman went behind the camera, producing and directing a total of 75 episodes of The Nanny
(all episodes of the third and fourth seasons, and all but four episodes of the fifth), even making a special guest appearance on the Fran Drescher
sitcom. After Mama's Family
ended in 1990, Lyman had a recurring role on Bob
, Bob Newhart
's third series. She also made a cameo appearance
in I Love Trouble, a film starring Nick Nolte
and Julia Roberts
.
In 2007, Lyman guest-starred in the third season of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica as Starbuck
's mother. Lyman is currently living in New York City
after spending time in California
. In California, she made a guest appearance on the TV sitcom Reba
, playing Reba Hart's mother. She is only 8 years older than Reba McEntire who plays Reba.
Another World (TV series)
Another World is an American television soap opera that ran on NBC from May 4, 1964 to June 25, 1999. It ran for a total of 35 years. It was created by Irna Phillips along with William J...
(1976–1980,1989) and in All My Children
All My Children
All My Children is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 5, 1970 to September 23, 2011. Created by Agnes Nixon, All My Children is set in Pine Valley, Pennsylvania, a fictitious suburb of Philadelphia. The show features Susan Lucci as Erica Kane, one of daytime's most...
as Opal Sue Gardner
Opal Cortlandt
Opal Sue Cortlandt is a fictional character on ABC's daytime drama All My Children. She was portrayed by Dorothy Lyman from 1981 to 1983, but is most notable for being portrayed by Jill Larson since December 13, 1989...
, and on the syndicated
Television syndication
In broadcasting, syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast radio shows and television shows by multiple radio stations and television stations, without going through a broadcast network, though the process of syndication may conjure up structures like those of a network itself, by its very...
sitcom Mama's Family
Mama's Family
Mama's Family is an American television sitcom that premiered on NBC on January 22, 1983. It was cancelled in May 1984, but NBC would continue to air reruns until September 1985. In September 1986, Mama's Family returned in first-run syndication, where it aired for an additional four seasons,...
, as Naomi Harper
Naomi Harper
Naomi Harper is a fictional character from the sitcom Mama's Family. She was played by actress-director Dorothy Lyman.-Character overview:...
.
Lyman was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
, the daughter of Violet E. (née
Married and maiden names
A married name is the family name adopted by a person upon marriage. When a person assumes the family name of her spouse, the new name replaces the maiden name....
Brightwell) and Hector H. Lyman, who was a stockbroker. She first appeared on her first soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
A World Apart as Julie Stark in 1971. Several years later, Dorothy appeared as the evil Elly Jo Jamison on The Edge of Night
The Edge of Night
The Edge of Night is an American television mystery series/soap opera produced by Procter & Gamble. It debuted on CBS on April 2, 1956, and ran as a live broadcast on that network until November 28, 1975; the series then moved to ABC, where it aired from December 1, 1975, until December 28, 1984...
. Lyman played Ralphie's mother in Jean Shepherd's Ollie Hopnoodle's Haven of Bliss
Ollie Hopnoodle's Haven of Bliss
Ollie Hopnoodle's Haven of Bliss is a television comedy film written by Jean Shepherd and directed by Dick Bartlett, based on the 1968 short story by Shephard...
from 1988. She appeared in the Tales from the Darkside
Tales from the Darkside
Tales from the Darkside is an anthology horror TV series produced by George A. Romero; it originally aired from 1983 to 1988. Similar to Amazing Stories, The Twilight Zone, Night Gallery, The Outer Limits, and Tales From The Crypt, each episode was an individual short story that ended with a plot...
television series in the 'In the Cards' episode (1985), in ALF
ALF (TV series)
ALF is an American science fiction sitcom that originally aired on NBC from 1986 to 1990, created by Paul Fusco. The title character was Gordon Shumway, a friendly extraterrestrial nicknamed ALF , who crash lands in the garage of the suburban middle-class Tanner family.The series starred Max...
as Maura Norris in the episode 'Tequila' (1988), Generations as Rebecca Whitmore (1990–1991), and in The Bold and the Beautiful
The Bold and the Beautiful
The Bold and the Beautiful is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS Daytime. It premiered on March 23, 1987....
as Bonnie Roberts (1991–1992).
However, her most notable soap opera role has been on All My Children
All My Children
All My Children is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 5, 1970 to September 23, 2011. Created by Agnes Nixon, All My Children is set in Pine Valley, Pennsylvania, a fictitious suburb of Philadelphia. The show features Susan Lucci as Erica Kane, one of daytime's most...
as Opal Sue Gardner, for which she received two Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
s -- as Outstanding Actress in a Supporting Role in a Daytime Drama Series
Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
The Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series has been given every year at the Daytime Emmys since the 6th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards ceremony in 1979....
in 1982 and for Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama Series
Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
The Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series is an award which has been given every year at the Daytime Emmys ceremony since 1974...
in 1983. Lyman attended high school with Jill Larson
Jill Larson
Jill Larson is an American dramatic actress. She is most widely known for her portrayal of Opal Cortlandt on the popular daytime drama, All My Children, a role she has played for 22 years, garnering her 2 Emmy nominations...
, the actress who would eventually succeed her in the role of Opal Gardner.
In an appearance on Vicki Lawrence
Vicki Lawrence
Vicki Lawrence is an American actress, comedienne, and Billboard Hot 100 #1 singer, who was frequently a game show panelist in the 1970s and 1980s...
's talk show Vicki!, Lyman noted that she continued to perform on All My Children concurrently with the beginning of Mama's Familys production, flying back and forth each week between New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. While the commute was brutal, she remembered it fondly, referring to that stage of her career as "All My Paychecks."
When Mama's Family
Mama's Family
Mama's Family is an American television sitcom that premiered on NBC on January 22, 1983. It was cancelled in May 1984, but NBC would continue to air reruns until September 1985. In September 1986, Mama's Family returned in first-run syndication, where it aired for an additional four seasons,...
ended its run, Lyman went behind the camera, producing and directing a total of 75 episodes of The Nanny
The Nanny (TV series)
The Nanny is an American television sitcom co-produced by Sternin & Fraser Ink, Inc., and Fran Drescher in association with TriStar Television for the CBS network...
(all episodes of the third and fourth seasons, and all but four episodes of the fifth), even making a special guest appearance on the Fran Drescher
Fran Drescher
Francine Joy "Fran" Drescher is an American film and television actress, comedian, screenwriter, director, producer, author, singer, talk show host, political lobbyist and health activist...
sitcom. After Mama's Family
Mama's Family
Mama's Family is an American television sitcom that premiered on NBC on January 22, 1983. It was cancelled in May 1984, but NBC would continue to air reruns until September 1985. In September 1986, Mama's Family returned in first-run syndication, where it aired for an additional four seasons,...
ended in 1990, Lyman had a recurring role on Bob
Bob (TV series)
Bob is an American television situation comedy starring Bob Newhart. It was the actor's third series for CBS and proved to be far less successful than The Bob Newhart Show and Newhart, his previous outings with the network. It lasted a season and a half, running from September 18, 1992 until...
, Bob Newhart
Bob Newhart
George Robert Newhart , known professionally as Bob Newhart, is an American stand-up comedian and actor. Noted for his deadpan and slightly stammering delivery, Newhart came to prominence in the 1960s when his album of comedic monologues The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart was a worldwide...
's third series. She also made a cameo appearance
Cameo appearance
A cameo role or cameo appearance is a brief appearance of a known person in a work of the performing arts, such as plays, films, video games and television...
in I Love Trouble, a film starring Nick Nolte
Nick Nolte
Nicholas King "Nick" Nolte is an American actor whose career has spanned over five decades, peaking in the 1990s when his commercial success made him one of the most popular celebrities of that decade.-Early life:...
and Julia Roberts
Julia Roberts
Julia Fiona Roberts is an American actress. She became a Hollywood star after headlining the romantic comedy Pretty Woman , which grossed $464 million worldwide...
.
In 2007, Lyman guest-starred in the third season of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica as Starbuck
Kara Thrace
Kara Thrace is a fictional character in the reimagined Battlestar Galactica franchise. Played by Katee Sackhoff, she is a revised version of Lieutenant Starbuck from the 1978 Battlestar Galactica series...
's mother. Lyman is currently living in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
after spending time in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. In California, she made a guest appearance on the TV sitcom Reba
Reba (TV series)
Reba is an American sitcom starring Reba McEntire, which ran from 2001 to 2007. For the show's first five seasons, it ran on The WB, with the show transitioning to The CW in its last year.-Synopsis:...
, playing Reba Hart's mother. She is only 8 years older than Reba McEntire who plays Reba.