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Jo Anne Worley to Speak at AMDA LA’s 2017 Spring Commencements

June 01, 2017 - Alumni, Announcements

CLASSY, SASSY AND UNDENIABLY BRASSY: 

From television and the silver screen to the boards of Broadway, JoAnne Worley is instantly recognized for her raucous laugh, trademark twirl of pearls or pointed digit embedded in her cheek. 

Her first major break was the musical revue Billy Barnes People in Los Angeles, then on Broadway. The New York Times presciently wrote: “Worley has an earthy style that suggests she could be a rowdy comedienne.” 

Worley was soon cast as Carol Channing’s standby in the original Broadway production of Hello, Dolly!, then in The MAD Show, a revue based on the satire magazine. TV producer and host Merv Griffin discovered her Greenwich Village nightclub act and made her a primary guest star on his show. These appearances led to her casting in the famous original lineup of “Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In.” 

After “Laugh-In,” Worley continued working in movies, theatre, and as a frequent guest on TV comedies, dramas, variety, and game shows. She also gained notoriety for her work as a voice actor in cartoons, video games and animated features, including her role as the Wardrobe in Disney’s Academy Award-winning Beauty and the Beast. 

Worley’s regional theatre credits include Gypsy, Annie Get Your Gun, Hello Dolly!, Anything Goes, and Once Upon A Mattress. She returned to Broadway to appear in revivals of On the Twentieth Century, Grease and Follies as well as The Drowsy Chaperone at the Marquis Theatre. In 2008, she took over the role of Madame Morrible in the L.A. cast of Wicked. 

Worley continues to perform today in several acting circuits and in her one- woman show, “KEEP LAUGHIN.” She is also very active in the lecture circuit and proudly serves as president of the nonprofit Actors and Others for Animals.