Dorothy Lyman’s Biography – Net Worth, Height, Children, Bio

• Dorothy Lyman is an American actress, producer, and director known for her work in numerous soap operas such as “All My Children” and “Another World”.
• Her net worth is estimated to be over $6 million as of 2020.
• She grew up in Minneapolis and began her acting career in 1970.
• She won two Emmy Awards for her role in “All My Children” and went on to take on directing and producing roles.
• She has been married twice and has three children.

Who is Dorothy Lyman?

Dorothy Lyman was born on 18 April 1947, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. She is an actress, producer, and director, known for her work in numerous soap operas such as “All My Children” and “Another World”. She was also a prominent character in the sitcom “Mama’s Family”, playing the role of Naomi Harper.

The Wealth of Dorothy Lyman

As of early-2020, Dorothy Lyman’s net worth is estimated to be over $6 million, earned through a successful career in the entertainment industry since the 1970s. She has earned a lot of wealth not only for acting but for her production and directing work behind the scenes, especially in many of her recent projects.

View this post on Instagram

Family dinner is back on tonight at 8! Hope you stopped by the Farmers Market. #4moreshows tonight, tomorrow and Saturday at 8pm, Sunday at 3pm. . . . . . #theschoolhousetheater #crotonfalls #newyork #gladstonehollow #thefarmplay #newplays #playwrights #dorothylyman #gladstonehollowschoolhouse

A post shared by The Schoolhouse Theater (@schoolhousetheaterny) on Jun 27, 2019 at 8:18am PDT

Early Life and Career Beginnings

Dorothy grew up in Minneapolis where her father worked in the stock market as a broker. She aspired to become an actress from a young age, and was even more motivated during high school, as she attended the same school as actress Jill Larson who would later succeed her in “All My Children”. In 1970, she began attending auditions for acting projects, focusing on soap operas which were the craze at the time.

Her first soap project was in “A World Apart” in 1971which, portraying the flower girl Julie Stark.

The show ran on ABC but it was short-lived, lasting for only a year, despite which the project filmed continuously in this period, leading to over 300 episodes being aired. She took a break from acting, and returned a few years later in the long-running soap opera “The Edge of Night” as a villainous character. The show aired on CBS before later moving to NBC, running from the 1950s to the 1980s, and was a noted favorite among several celebrities during its time.

Another World and All My Children

In 1976, Lyman was cast as Gwen Parrish Fame in the soap “Another World”, which she was a part of for four years.

The soap was very popular during its time due to its different take on the genre, focusing on the differences between families in terms of philosophy and social standing. It was one of the first shows to talk about then taboo topics such as abortion, and she started to gain national fame for her role.

Dorothy gained her most notable role in the early ‘80s, playing Opal Sue Gardner in “All My Children”. While she was only a part of the soap for two years, her performance was impactful and she won two Emmy Awards, one for a Supporting Actress and the other for Outstanding Actress.

The show was at the time the most widely viewed in the US, ranking number one in the ratings, and she was a part of the show during its golden years, during which it drew some of the biggest television audiences of all time.

Career After All My Children

After gaining fame in “All My Children”, she was offered a leading role in the show “Mama’s Family”, and worked both shows concurrently. She knew that she would eventually leave the soap, and the prospect of having a regular role in a sitcom plus bigger paydays enticed her to focus on that project. She left “All My Children” as it was also becoming taxing for her to keep flying in between two cities, but regards it as some of the most memorable times of her career.

“Mama’s Family” is a spin-off created from a segment that was featured in “The Carol Burnett Show”. The show aired on NBC and ran for six seasons and 130 episodes, starring her alongside Vicki Lawrence and Thelma Harper. The show improved its ratings over the years, though eventually, the show ended with Lawrence growing tired of the role and the show going for over 100 episodes, leaving many of its cast members burned out. Dorothy continued acting, appearing in “Tales from the Darkside”, “Generations”, and “The Bold and the Beautiful” staying in each show for around a year each.

Producer and Director

After the end of “Mama’s Family”, Lyman looked into more avenues of the entertainment industry apart from acting. She had grown interested in directing and producing that goes behind the scenes as she saw in “Mama’s Family”. She explored this avenue and became heavily involved during the third and fourth season of the show “The Nanny”, working on over 75 episodes in the mid-‘90s. The show aired on CBS, starring Fran Drescher, a fashion queen who starts working as a nanny in a high society area of New York.

Even as a producer and director, Dorothy took on other projects, though mainly in recurring or guest roles, including in “Bob, Bob Blow”.

She also made appearances in “Departed” and the third season of “Battlestar Galactica”. In 2001, she had a cameo role in the film “Blow” which starred Johnny Depp. A few of her recent projects include “Murder She Wrote” and “The Blacklist”, appearing as a guest in both.

She also took a liking to theatre work, and performed the one-woman show “My Kitchen Wars” which is based on the book of the same name written by Betty Fussell, and was held in New York and Hollywood.

Personal Life

Dorothy was first married to John Tillinger in 1971, and they have two children together duringr 12 years of marriage before getting divorced.

Her husband is also an actor, though is better known for his work as the director of theatrical projects. Some of his most notable projects include “Entertaining Mr. Sloane”, “Love Letters”, “Say Goodnight, Gracie”, and “The Wedding Banquet”. One of their children is film producer Emma Koskoff, who is known for her frequent collaborations with director Martin Scorsese, and is a credited producer of “The Irishman” and “The Wolf of Wall Street”. In 1987, Dorothy married Vincent Malle and the two stayed together for 14 years, having a child together. They filed for divorce in 2001 and settled it during the same year, since when she has apparently remained single, officially at least.

Facts

#	Fact
1	Originated the role of the colorful Opal Gardner on ABC's All My Children (1970).
2	Dorothy is know for her role as Naomi Oakes Ray Oates Harper on the TV show, Mama's Family (1983).
3	(Former) sister-in-law of Candice Bergen.
4	Her ex-husband is Louis Malle's brother.

Pictures

Movies

Actress

Title	Year	Status	Character
ALF	1988	TV Series	Maura Norris
The Bold and the Beautiful	1987	TV Series	Bonnie Roberts (1991-1992, 1994)
Tales from the Darkside	1985	TV Series	Catherine
Summer Fantasy	1984	TV Movie	Dr. Nancy Brannigan
All My Children	1981-1983	TV Series	Opal Purdy Cortlandt / Opal Sue Gardner Purdy Courtlandt #1 / Opal Purdy / ...
Another World	1980	TV Series	Gwen Parrish Frame / Gwen Frame
Night of the Juggler	1980		Nurse Jenny
A World Apart	1971	TV Series	Julie Stark
The 300 Year Weekend	1971		Jean
One Life to Live	1968	TV Series	Sister Margaret (1975)
The Edge of Night	1956	TV Series	Elly Jo Jameson (1972-1973)
Elementary	2015	TV Series	Belinda
Bad Hurt	2015		Mrs. Salisbury
Law & Order	2009	TV Series	Judge Dorothy Carr
The Northern Kingdom	2009		Nan
Battlestar Galactica	2007	TV Series	Socrata Thrace
The Departed	2006		Woman at Bar #1
World Trade Center	2006		Allison's Mother
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit	2005	TV Series	Principal Parker
As the World Turns	2004	TV Series	Naomi - The Maid
CSI: Miami	2003	TV Series	Vivian Kensington
Judging Amy	2002	TV Series	Ms. Patterson
The Practice	1999-2002	TV Series	Dr. Diane Starger / Battered Wife Syndrome Expert Dr. Emily Fink
V.I.P.	2002	TV Series	Granny Goshen
Taina	2002	TV Series
Reba	2002	TV Series	Helen
Speechless...	2001	Short	Mrs. Tanner
Blow	2001		Judge (Chicago)
Days of Our Lives	2001	TV Series	Contessa Dorothea DiLyman
The Nanny	1993-1998	TV Series	Society Woman #1 / Director / Stewardess / ...
Dinner and Driving	1997		Rita
Murder, She Wrote	1995	TV Series	Norma Shey
Hope & Gloria	1995	TV Series	Maxine
Sisters	1995	TV Series	Dr. Deborah Rosen
Picket Fences	1994	TV Series	Miriam Thorne
ABC Afterschool Specials	1994	TV Series	Mrs. Green
I Love Trouble	1994		Suzie, Chronicle Employee
Tears and Laughter: The Joan and Melissa Rivers Story	1994	TV Movie	Dorothy
Young Goodman Brown	1993		Sarah Good
Bob	1993	TV Series	Patty Fleisher
Bodies of Evidence	1993	TV Series	Claudia Brooks
Jack the Bear	1993		Mrs. Morris
Life Goes On	1991-1993	TV Series	Mary McKenna
Ruby in Paradise	1993		Mildred Chambers
Camp Cucamonga	1990	TV Movie	Millie Schector
Mama's Family	1983-1990	TV Series	Naomi Oates Harper
Generations	1989	TV Series	Rebecca Whitmore #2 (1991)
Hunter	1989	TV Series	Sgt. Carol James Meyers
The People Across the Lake	1988	TV Movie	Ruth Mortimer
Ollie Hopnoodle's Haven of Bliss	1988	TV Movie	Mom

Director

Title	Year	Status	Character
Janet's Class	2010	Documentary
The Northern Kingdom	2009
Split Ends	2009
Payne	1999	TV Series 1 episode
The Simple Life	1998	TV Series
The Nanny	1995-1998	TV Series 74 episodes

Producer

Title	Year	Status	Character
Janet's Class	2010	Documentary producer
The Northern Kingdom	2009	producer
Split Ends	2009	producer
The Nanny	1997-1998	TV Series producer - 18 episodes

Self

Title	Year	Status	Character
Vicki!	1992-1993	TV Series	Herself
The Celebrity Guide to Entertaining	1993	Video documentary	Herself
Win, Lose or Draw	1988	TV Series	Herself
Wordplay	1986	TV Series	Herself
Star's Table	1986	TV Series	Herself
Super Password	1985	TV Series	Herself
The (New) $25,000 Pyramid	1984	TV Series	Herself
Match Game/Hollywood Squares Hour	1984	TV Series	Herself
Family Feud	1982	TV Series	Herself

Archive Footage

Title	Year	Status	Character
Betty White's 90th Birthday: A Tribute to America's Golden Girl	2012	TV Special	Herself

Awards

Won Awards

Year	Award	Ceremony	Nomination	Movie
1983	Daytime Emmy	Daytime Emmy Awards	Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama Series	All My Children (1970)
1982	Daytime Emmy	Daytime Emmy Awards	Outstanding Actress in a Supporting Role in a Daytime Drama Series	All My Children (1970)

Nominated Awards

Year	Award	Ceremony	Nomination	Movie
1989	ACE	CableACE Awards	Supporting Actress in a Movie or Miniseries	Ollie Hopnoodle's Haven of Bliss (1988)