Who’s Dorothy Lyman?
Famous American actress, film producer and director Dorothy Lyman was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota USA, on 18 April 1947 under the zodiac sign of Aries. She’s appeared in over 60 movies and TV series, and is probably still known best for her portrayal of Judge in the critically acclaimed 2001 biographical crime movie “Blow”, directed by Ted Demme, and which starred Johnny Depp, Franka Potente and Penelope Cruz. It tells the life story of Gorge Jung, who was a member of the Medellin Cartel, and the film won three of the 12 awards for which it was nominated.
Education and early life
Hector H. Lyman and Violet E. (nee Brightwell) raised their daughter Dorothy as an only child in Minneapolis; Hector was a stockbroker, while Violet was a housewife.
Dorothy studied at a local high school, which was at the same time attended by Jill Larson, who would go on to become a famous American actress. The girls were friends during high school, and both dreamed of becoming famous actresses; Dorothy enjoyed taking part in a couple of other activities rather than just acting, as she practiced dancing and played tennis.
She matriculated in 1965, and hasn’t mentioned if she had continued her education, however, it’s believed that Dorothy attended college, and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1969.
Roles in movies
Dorothy launched her acting career with her portrayal of Jean in the 1971 drama “The 300 Year Weekend”, while the following years saw her play supporting characters in the 1980 action crime drama “Night of the Juggler”, the 1984 romantic comedy drama “Summer Fantasy”, and the 1988 family comedy “Ollie Hopnoodle’s Haven of Bliss”.
She played Millie Schector in the 1990 action adventure comedy “Camp Cucamonga”, directed by Roger Duchowny, and which starred John Ratzenberger, Chad Allen and Jennifer Aniston; it follows the teachers and children who are attending a summer camp. Dorothy appeared in a couple of hit movies in the ‘90s, such as the 1993 romantic drama “Ruby in Paradise”, the 1994 romantic action comedy “I Love Trouble”, and the 1997 romantic comedy “Dinner and Driving”.
The year 2006 saw her play Woman at Bar in what’s rated to be one of the best movies of all time – the crime thriller drama “The Departed”. It was directed by Martin Scorsese, starred Leonardo DiCaprio, Jack Nicholson and Matt Damon, and follows a mole and an undercover police officer who are trying to discover each other’s identity; the film won 101 awards, including four Oscars, while it was nominated for 141 other awards.
Dorothy could then have been seen playing Nan in the 2009 drama “The Northern Kingdom”, Mrs Salisbury in the 2015 drama “Bad Hurt”, and Judge in the 2016 romantic drama “Blind”.
Most recently, in 2019, she played Ma in the action crime drama “Vault”, written and directed by Tom DeNucci, and which starred Lala Kent, Theo Rossi and Clive Standen.
Roles in TV series
In 1972 and 1973, Dorothy played Elly Jo Jamison in the mystery crime drama “The Edge of Night”, created by Irving Vendig, and which starred Ann Flood, Forrest Compton and Donald May. It follows the lives of lawyer Mike Karr and his friends, and the series won eight awards, including a Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Program Achievement in Daytime Drama.
Dorothy became famous following her portrayal of Opal Gardner between 1981 and 1983 in 28 episodes of the soap opera “All My Children”; it aired over 4,300 episodes between 1970 and 2011, and won 192 awards, including a Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Achievement by Individuals in Daytime Drama, while it was nominated for 575 other awards.
Between 1983 and 1990, Dorothy starred as Naomi Oates Harper in the comedy “Mama’s Family”, created by Dick Clair and Jenna McMahon, and which also starred Vicki Lawrence, Beverly Archer and Ken Berry. It follows Fran and her older sister Thelma ‘Mama’ Harper as they’re living in Mama’s house; the series won three of the 11 awards for which it was nominated.
FRIDAY: ATWT's Larry Bryggman and AMC's Dorothy Lyman Guest Star On 'The Blacklist' – @NBCBlacklist #ATWT #AllMyChildren, #LarryBryggman,#DorothyLyman https://t.co/nGQtMOMJgS pic.twitter.com/7SQGeX2dBz
— MIchael Fairman (@MichaelFairman) January 18, 2019
The ‘90s then saw Dorothy play supporting characters in many series, such as the drama “Generations”, the romantic drama “The Bold and the Beautiful”, and the romantic family comedy “The Nanny”.
Since the beginning of the 2000s, Dorothy’s only been making guest appearances in TV series, with three of her most recent roles having been in the 2018 pilot of the action crime drama “FBI”, the 2019 episode “The Pawnbrokers (No. 146/147)” of the mystery crime drama “The Blacklist”, and the 2022 episode “Turtle” of the biographical crime mini-series “The Girl from Plainville”.
Other credits
Dorothy was featured in the 1993 documentary video “The Celebrity Guide to Entertaining”.
She produced 18 episodes of the series “The Nanny” in 1997 and 1998, and she’s also produced and directed three movies: jn 2009 the romantic comedy “Split Ends” and the drama “The Northern Kingdom”, and in 2010 the documentary “Janet’s Class”.
Dorothy could’ve been seen appearing in the talk-shows “Sally Jessy Raphael”, “To Tell the Truth” and “Vicki!”
Awards and nominations
Dorothy’s won three awards: two Daytime Emmys for Outstanding Actress in a Supporting Role in a Daytime Drama Series (1982) and Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama Series (1983), both for her performance in “All My Children”, and a 2009 River’s Edge International Film Festival Jury Prize for Narrative Feature, for “Split Ends”.
She was also nominated for a 1989 CableACE Award for Supporting Actress in a Movie or Miniseries, for her performance in “Ollie Hopnoodle’s Have of Bliss”.
Love life and husband
Dorothy’s been married twice; she and American actor and director John Tillinger exchanged vows on 1 December 1971. John hasn’t been active in the film industry since 1991, while he’s perhaps still known best for having directed the 1991 fantasy comedy series “Monsters”. Dorothy gave birth to their daughter Emma Tillinger Koskoff in 1972, and she’s today a film producer, probably known best for having produced the Oscar-winning 2019 crime thriller movie “Joker”. Dorothy gave birth to her and John’s son Sebastian Tillinger sometime in the mid-‘70s, but they divorced on 4 August 1978.
She married her second husband, French movie producer Vincent Malle on 8 February 1987, andthey have a son Jackson Malle together, but divorced on 12 August 2001.
It seems that Dorothy’s been single since then, not having mentioned any other relationship.
Hobbies and interesting facts
Dorothy enjoys uploading pictures and videos onto her Instagram account, which is today followed by close to 1,500 people; most of these feature her spending time at her mansion, with her children, grandchildren, dogs and horses. She’s a lover of animals, and is an avid horseback rider.
Dorothy prefers winter over other seasons, mostly because she likes snow.
She enjoys preparing quality meals for her grandchildren, while mashed potatoes and fish seem to be her favorite ingredients for a delicious lunch.
Dorothy’s Golden Retriever dog Panda is her best friend.
She loves gardens, and has recently visited the Vilandry Castle’s heart garden.
Dorothy’s favorite actresses are Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway, and favorite movies “Mamma Mia!”, “Death Becomes Her” and “It’s Complicated”.
Age, height and net worth
Dorothy’s age’s 75. Her hair and eyes are brown, her height’s 5ft 5ins (1.67m) and weight’s 132lbs (60kgs).
Dorothy’s net worth’s been estimated at over $6 million as of September 2022.
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