Jo Anne Worley
Worley in May 2010
Born	September 6, 1937 (1937-09-06) (age 88) Lowell, Indiana, U.S.
Occupations	Actress comedian singer
Years active	1955–present
Spouse	Roger Perry ​ ​ (m. 1975; div. 2000)​

Jo Anne Worley (born September 6, 1937) is an American actress, comedian, and singer. Her work coverstelevision,films,theater,game shows,talk shows,commercials, andcartoons. Worley is widely known for her work on the comedy-variety showRowan & Martin's Laugh-In.

Worley was born on September 6, 1937, inLowell, Indiana,^[1] the third child of Rose Irene (née Gardner) and Joseph Lauraine Worley. In 1962, her parents divorced and her father remarried, having four children with his second wife, Nancy.^[1]

Always known for her loud voice, Worley once said that when she attended church as a little girl, she never sang the hymns but would onlylip sync them for fear that she would drown out everyone else. Before graduating from high school, she was named school comedienne.^[1]

After graduating from high school in 1955, Worley moved toBlauvelt, New York, where she began her professional career as a member of the Pickwick Players.^[2] This led to a drama scholarship toMidwestern State University inWichita Falls, Texas.^[3]

After studying at Midwestern for two years, Worley moved to Los Angeles to study atLos Angeles City College and thePasadena Playhouse.^[4][5][6][7] She was soon given her first musical role in a production ofWonderful Town. In 1961, Worley received her first major break when she appeared in the musical revueBilly Barnes People in Los Angeles; this production moved toBroadway, where it ran for only six performances. However, theNew York Times reviewer wrote: "Jo Anne Worley has an earthy style that suggests she could be a rowdy comedienne."^[4][5][6][8] In 1964, she was selected to appear as a stand-in on the original Broadway production ofHello, Dolly! One year later, Worley created her own nightclub act inGreenwich Village, where she was discovered byMerv Griffin in 1966.^[4][5][6]

Impressed by Worley's talents, Griffin engaged her to be one of his primary guest stars on his show, where she made approximately 40 appearances onThe Merv Griffin Show.^[4][5][6] In 1966, she appearedOff-Broadway inThe Mad Show, a musical revue based onMad Magazine.^[9] In 1967, Worley's stint on Griffin's show led to her discovery byGeorge Schlatter, who soon cast her inRowan & Martin's Laugh-In.^[4][5][6]

In 1970, Worley leftLaugh-In to pursue other projects and has made guest appearances on several television series, includingLove, American Style,The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson,The Andy Williams Show,Adam-12,Emergency!,Murder, She Wrote,The Middle, and different game shows such asSuper Password,Hollywood Squares, andthe many versions ofPyramid. She continued working in various movies, television series, and theatrical performances (original productions and revivals alike) over the years. Worley also became known for her work as a voice provider for several cartoons, animated movies, and video games. Her voice work includesNutcracker Fantasy (1979), the Disney moviesBeauty and the Beast (1991),A Goofy Movie (1995),Beauty and the Beast: Belle's Magical World (1998), and the voice of the Wardrobe in the video gameKingdom Hearts II (2005). She remains involved with Disney, making cameos in several Disney Channel sitcoms such asKim Possible playing the role of Bonnie Rockwaller's mother,Wizards of Waverly Place, andJessie.

Worley performed in regional theater, such as the Melody Top Theater in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where she appeared inGypsy: A Musical Fable as Rose (1984),Annie Get Your Gun (1982),Hello Dolly! (1980),Anything Goes (1978) andOnce Upon a Mattress (1974),^[10] She also appeared at the Welk Dinner Theater in San Diego, California inSame Time, Next Year in 1985,^[11]Call Me Madam at the California Music Theatre, Pasadena, California, in 1987,^[12] andNunsense at the La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts, La Mirada, California, in 1991.^[13]

In 1989, Worley returned to Broadway to appear inPrince of Central Park, but the show was canceled after four performances.^[14] She was cast as theWicked Witch of the West in a 1999musical production ofThe Wizard of Oz, directed and adapted by Robert Johanson, withMickey Rooney playing the eponymous role. The production had a limited run at thePantages Theater, Hollywood, California, and at the Theater at theTheater at Madison Square Garden, and she also joined the limited US tour.^[15][16] Worley played Mrs. Tottendale in theBroadway musical,The Drowsy Chaperone at theMarquis Theatre from July through December 2007. She then reprised the role of Mrs. Tottendale at The Cape Playhouse from June to July 2015.

From January 8 until August 24, 2008, Worley played the role ofMadame Morrible in the Los Angeles production ofWicked.^[17]

Worley is an animal lover. For more than 40 years she has been involved with the organization Actors and Others for Animals, founded in 1971, which funds spay-and-neuter programs, and provides veterinary financial assistance to pet guardians in Southern California.^[18][19][20] She served on a voluntary basis on the board of directors for several years before becoming vice president, and since 2007, has served as president of the organization.^[19][21]

Citations

• Erickson, Hal (2000)."From Beautiful Downtown Burbank": A Critical History ofRowan and Martin's Laugh-In, 1968-1973.Jefferson, North Carolina:McFarland & Company. p. 76.ISBN 978-0786440498.
• Hyatt, Wesley (2006).Emmy Award Winning Nighttime Television Shows 1948-2004.Jefferson, North Carolina:McFarland & Company. p. 450.ISBN 978-0786423293.
• Bianculli, David (2010).Dangerously Funny: The Uncensored Story of "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour".New York City:Touchstone Books. p. 367.ISBN 978-1439101179.
• The Guide. 1967. p. 112.{{cite book}}:|work= ignored (help)

• Jo Anne Worley atIMDb 
• Jo Anne Worley at theTCM Movie Database
• Jo Anne Worley at theInternet Broadway Database
• Jo Anne Worley at theInternet Off-Broadway Database (archived)

• 1937 births
• Actresses from Indiana
• American film actresses
• American musical theatre actresses
• American television actresses
• American sketch comedians
• American voice actresses
• American video game actresses
• American women comedians
• Comedians from Indiana
• Comedians from New York (state)
• Living people
• Los Angeles City College alumni
• Midwestern State University alumni
• People from Lowell, Indiana
• Entertainers from Greater Los Angeles
• People from Blauvelt, New York
• 21st-century American women

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