Jo Anne Worley
- Actress
- Soundtrack
This tall, attractive, rubber-faced, tunnel-mouthed comedienne with the trademark bouffant black hair
is a one-of-a-kind commodity and certainly no shrinking
violet when it comes to entertaining. Unapologetically, she adores the
center stage...and vice versa -- the stage loves her. Like several of
her
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In (1967)
cohorts, Jo Anne Worley zoomed to overnight cult stardom in the late
1960s but, in her case, was able to extend her wild and woolly
popularity to several other levels once her "fifteen minutes" of fame
was over. Over the years, she has situated herself nicely into night
clubs, musical theater productions, game shows, talk shows,
commercials, and even cartoons. Four decades plus later, Jo Anne
continues to delight and is instantly recognized with a mere raucous
laugh or pointy digit embedded in her cheek.
The brassy, indefatigable Jo Anne was born in Lowell, Indiana, on
September 6, 1937, the third of five children and has always separated
herself from the crowd with her distinctively loud voice, whether
singing or not. The writing was on the wall when she was crowned
"school comedienne" in high school.
Following graduation (1955), she traveled east to pursue her dreams and initially apprenticed with the
Pickwick Players. After a two-year dramatic scholarship to Midwestern
State University, she transferred to Los Angeles City College and also
trained at the Pasadena Playhouse. It did not take long before she made
her professional debut in a production of "Wonderful Town." In 1961,
she garnered some attention in the popular L.A. musical revue "Billy
Barnes People," a show that took her all the way, if very briefly, to Broadway.
Performing in assorted musicals and revues over the next few years
including "Carnival" (1962), "Second City Review" (1964), and "Hotel
Passionato" (1965), Jo Anne's career was given a boost when she
co-starred with fellow up-and-comers
Linda Lavin and Paul Sand in the
Mad Magazine-inspired off-Broadway revue "The Mad Show" in 1966. That
same year, she received the break she was looking for when she was
discovered by talk-show host Merv Griffin
while showcasing her nightclub act in Greenwich Village. Griffin took a
strong liking to her and gave her a viable comedy platform to play on
with approximately 200 appearances in all. Producer
George Schlatter caught Jo Anne's zany
antics on Griffin's show and invited her to swinging TV stardom in
1968. The rest is history.
It's not always easy to stand out in a large ensemble but Jo Anne did,
complete with unabashed manic energy and faux operatic tones on
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In (1967)
as part of the "let it all hang out" generation. In this psychedelic,
irreverently political pastiche of comedy slapstick and music, Jo Anne
found a perfect forum for her talents. Her bold, infectious comic flair
proved a real crowd pleaser, and the big boned brunette became a
certifiable TV star. While the show also made stars out of
Ruth Buzzi,
Henry Gibson and
Arte Johnson and superstars out of
Goldie Hawn and
Lily Tomlin, it also managed to rebuff the
somewhat fading stars of co-hosts Dan Rowan
and Dick Martin, and singer/actress
Judy Carne.
In 1970, Jo Anne left the celebrated madness at the peak of the show's
popularity to pursue a variety of other creative outlets. She made
onscreen guest appearances on several TV shows, notably
Love, American Style (1969),
and was a steadfast presence on the talk show, variety show and game
show circuits. Strangly enough, however, she never found a sitcom or
another TV vehicle to adequately test-drive her comedy revvings.
With such a high-wattage personality that invites comparisons to
Carol Burnett,
Carol Channing and
Ethel Merman, Jo Anne may have out-sized
herself for films but her larger-than-life presence perfectly fit the
musical theater bill. For decades she found a vast number of showcases
to logically suit her. Her many musical tours have included, notably,
"Gypsy" as Mama Rose, "The Wizard of Oz" as the Wicked Witch, and
"Mame" as the title socialite. In addition, Jo Anne has found marvelous
vehicles in "The Pirates of Penzance," "Annie Get Your Gun," "Anything
Goes," "Nunsense," "Grease!," "Call Me Madam," and "Annie". Her
non-singing theater resume includes "Luv," "Same Time, Next Year,"
"Lovers and Other Strangers," "Moon Over Buffalo," "Steel Magnolias,"
and the female version of "The Odd Couple." Many of these shows
co-starred then-husband Roger Perry, whom
she married in 1975. The couple had no children and divorced in 2000.
In 1989, Jo Anne returned to Broadway to appear in the original
performance of "The Prince of Central Park." Her work over the years
has been plentiful, especially for the Disney people, including the
movie The Shaggy D.A. (1976)
and animated features
Beauty and the Beast (1991)
(as the voice of the Wardrobe) and
A Goofy Movie (1995).
Nearing the millennium, Jo Anne has made sporadic guest appearances on such TV shows as "Mad About You," "Caroline in the City," "Sabrina the Teenage Witch," "Boy Meets World," "Wizards of Waverly Place," "Bones," "Curb Your Enthusiasm," "Jessie" and "The Middle."
In other pursuits, Jo Anne has been active on the lecture circuit and
has also served on the Board of Directors for Actors and Others for
Animals. She also performs in concert, typically offering parodies of
well-known songs to suit her man-chasing personality. A culinary
enthusiast, she has also been seen whipping up specialties on the Food
Network ("Ready Set Cook" and "Chef du jour").
is a one-of-a-kind commodity and certainly no shrinking
violet when it comes to entertaining. Unapologetically, she adores the
center stage...and vice versa -- the stage loves her. Like several of
her
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In (1967)
cohorts, Jo Anne Worley zoomed to overnight cult stardom in the late
1960s but, in her case, was able to extend her wild and woolly
popularity to several other levels once her "fifteen minutes" of fame
was over. Over the years, she has situated herself nicely into night
clubs, musical theater productions, game shows, talk shows,
commercials, and even cartoons. Four decades plus later, Jo Anne
continues to delight and is instantly recognized with a mere raucous
laugh or pointy digit embedded in her cheek.
The brassy, indefatigable Jo Anne was born in Lowell, Indiana, on
September 6, 1937, the third of five children and has always separated
herself from the crowd with her distinctively loud voice, whether
singing or not. The writing was on the wall when she was crowned
"school comedienne" in high school.
Following graduation (1955), she traveled east to pursue her dreams and initially apprenticed with the
Pickwick Players. After a two-year dramatic scholarship to Midwestern
State University, she transferred to Los Angeles City College and also
trained at the Pasadena Playhouse. It did not take long before she made
her professional debut in a production of "Wonderful Town." In 1961,
she garnered some attention in the popular L.A. musical revue "Billy
Barnes People," a show that took her all the way, if very briefly, to Broadway.
Performing in assorted musicals and revues over the next few years
including "Carnival" (1962), "Second City Review" (1964), and "Hotel
Passionato" (1965), Jo Anne's career was given a boost when she
co-starred with fellow up-and-comers
Linda Lavin and Paul Sand in the
Mad Magazine-inspired off-Broadway revue "The Mad Show" in 1966. That
same year, she received the break she was looking for when she was
discovered by talk-show host Merv Griffin
while showcasing her nightclub act in Greenwich Village. Griffin took a
strong liking to her and gave her a viable comedy platform to play on
with approximately 200 appearances in all. Producer
George Schlatter caught Jo Anne's zany
antics on Griffin's show and invited her to swinging TV stardom in
1968. The rest is history.
It's not always easy to stand out in a large ensemble but Jo Anne did,
complete with unabashed manic energy and faux operatic tones on
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In (1967)
as part of the "let it all hang out" generation. In this psychedelic,
irreverently political pastiche of comedy slapstick and music, Jo Anne
found a perfect forum for her talents. Her bold, infectious comic flair
proved a real crowd pleaser, and the big boned brunette became a
certifiable TV star. While the show also made stars out of
Ruth Buzzi,
Henry Gibson and
Arte Johnson and superstars out of
Goldie Hawn and
Lily Tomlin, it also managed to rebuff the
somewhat fading stars of co-hosts Dan Rowan
and Dick Martin, and singer/actress
Judy Carne.
In 1970, Jo Anne left the celebrated madness at the peak of the show's
popularity to pursue a variety of other creative outlets. She made
onscreen guest appearances on several TV shows, notably
Love, American Style (1969),
and was a steadfast presence on the talk show, variety show and game
show circuits. Strangly enough, however, she never found a sitcom or
another TV vehicle to adequately test-drive her comedy revvings.
With such a high-wattage personality that invites comparisons to
Carol Burnett,
Carol Channing and
Ethel Merman, Jo Anne may have out-sized
herself for films but her larger-than-life presence perfectly fit the
musical theater bill. For decades she found a vast number of showcases
to logically suit her. Her many musical tours have included, notably,
"Gypsy" as Mama Rose, "The Wizard of Oz" as the Wicked Witch, and
"Mame" as the title socialite. In addition, Jo Anne has found marvelous
vehicles in "The Pirates of Penzance," "Annie Get Your Gun," "Anything
Goes," "Nunsense," "Grease!," "Call Me Madam," and "Annie". Her
non-singing theater resume includes "Luv," "Same Time, Next Year,"
"Lovers and Other Strangers," "Moon Over Buffalo," "Steel Magnolias,"
and the female version of "The Odd Couple." Many of these shows
co-starred then-husband Roger Perry, whom
she married in 1975. The couple had no children and divorced in 2000.
In 1989, Jo Anne returned to Broadway to appear in the original
performance of "The Prince of Central Park." Her work over the years
has been plentiful, especially for the Disney people, including the
movie The Shaggy D.A. (1976)
and animated features
Beauty and the Beast (1991)
(as the voice of the Wardrobe) and
A Goofy Movie (1995).
Nearing the millennium, Jo Anne has made sporadic guest appearances on such TV shows as "Mad About You," "Caroline in the City," "Sabrina the Teenage Witch," "Boy Meets World," "Wizards of Waverly Place," "Bones," "Curb Your Enthusiasm," "Jessie" and "The Middle."
In other pursuits, Jo Anne has been active on the lecture circuit and
has also served on the Board of Directors for Actors and Others for
Animals. She also performs in concert, typically offering parodies of
well-known songs to suit her man-chasing personality. A culinary
enthusiast, she has also been seen whipping up specialties on the Food
Network ("Ready Set Cook" and "Chef du jour").