And the award for the greatest TV mom goes to...
by tbell1826 | created - 12 Jun 2018 | updated - 12 Jun 2018 | Public1. Lauren Graham
Actress | Gilmore Girls
Lauren Graham was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, to Donna Grant and Lawrence Graham, a candy industry lobbyist. Her father was from New York and her mother was from the American South, and Lauren has Irish, English, and Scottish ancestry. She grew up in Northern Virginia, USA (Fairfax, Arlington, and ...
Lorelai Gilmore, GILMORE GIRLS
2. Julie Bowen
Actress | Happy Gilmore
Julie Bowen was born in Baltimore, Maryland, and is the middle daughter of Suzanne and John Luetkemeyer Jr., a real estate developer. Her early education was at Calvert School in Baltimore, and Garrison Forest School, Maryland. She moved on to St. George's School, Rhode Island and then attended ...
Claire Dunphy, MODERN FAMILY
3. Meredith Baxter
Actress | All the President's Men
Meredith Baxter is an American actress from California, better known for television roles. Her most famous roles include Catholic teacher Bridget Fitzgerald in the sitcom "Bridget Loves Bernie" (1972-1973), divorced mother Nancy Lawrence in the family-themed drama "Family" (1976-1980), and ...
Elyse Keaton, FAMILY TIES
4. Mandy Moore
Actress | A Walk to Remember
Amanda Leigh Moore was born in Nashua, New Hampshire, on April 10, 1984, to Stacy (Friedman), a former news reporter, and Don Moore, an airline pilot. During her childhood, her family moved to Orlando, Florida, where she was raised. She has Russian Jewish (from her maternal grandfather), English, ...
Rebecca Pearson, THIS IS US
5. Patricia Heaton
Actress | Everybody Loves Raymond
While studying acting in New York with drama teacher William Esper, Heaton made her Broadway debut in the gospel musical "Don't Get God Started." She and her fellow students then formed Stage Three, an acting company that produced plays Off-Broadway. They took one production, "The Johnstown ...
Debra Barone, EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND; Frankie Heck, THE MIDDLE
6. Anna Gunn
Actress | Breaking Bad
An actress on both stage and screen, Anna Gunn has portrayed a vast array of complex and powerful characters throughout her career.
Anna grew up in Santa Fe, New Mexico after her parents, Sharon (Peters) and Clemens Gunn, Jr., transplanted the family from Cleveland, Ohio to the Southwest in the late...
Skyler White, BREAKING BAD
7. Roseanne Barr
Producer | Roseanne
Firebrand Roseanne Barr has long been one of America's funniest and most controversial comedians.
She was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, to Helen (Davis), a cashier and bookkeeper, and Jerome Hershel "Jerry" Barr, a salesman. Her family was Jewish, and had moved to the U.S. from Russia, Lithuania, ...
Roseanne Conner, ROSEANNE
8. Sofía Vergara
Actress | Hot Pursuit
Sofía Margarita Vergara Vergara was born and raised in Barranquilla, Colombia. Her mother, Margarita Vergara Dávila de Vergara, is a housewife. Her father, Julio Enrique Vergara Robayo, provides cattle to the meat industry. She has five siblings. She was educated at a private bilingual Spanish/...
Gloria Pritchett, MODERN FAMILY
9. Barbara Billingsley
Actress | Airplane!
Born Barbara Lillian Combes, she attended Los Angeles Junior College in the mid-1930s and then moved to New York City, where she worked as a model. In 1945, she received a contract from MGM, and she appeared in several films during the late 1940s and 1950s, sometimes without screen credit. In the ...
June Cleaver, LEAVE IT TO BEAVER
10. Katey Sagal
Actress | Futurama
An extremely gifted, versatile performer adept at both comedy and drama, actress/singer Katey Sagal became a household name in the late 1980s as the fabulously brazen, undomesticated Peg Bundy on the enduring Fox series Married... with Children (1987). During its lengthy run she received three ...
Peg Bundy, MARRIED...WITH CHILDREN; Gemma Teller Morrow, SONS OF ANARCHY
11. Debra Jo Rupp
Actress | That '70s Show
With over 300 television appearances to her credit, Debra Jo Rupp is perhaps best known for her role as the hilarious and beloved high-strung mom 'Kitty Forman' in the long-running FOX comedy series "That '70s Show." Her performance established her as a sitcom legend, and one of TV's Favorite Moms ...
Kitty Forman, THAT '70s SHOW
12. Patricia Richardson
Actress | Home Improvement
Whiskey-voiced Patricia Richardson is best known as Jill Taylor on Home Improvement (1991). For her work, she was nominated for two Golden Globe Awards and four Emmy Awards. She also starred in two other comedies: Eisenhower & Lutz (1988) with Scott Bakula, and FM (1989) with Robert Hays. After ...
Jill Taylor, HOME IMPROVEMENT
13. Edie Falco
Actress | The Sopranos
Edith Falco, called Edie, was born on July 5, 1963 in Brooklyn, New York, to Judith Anderson, an actress, and Frank Falco, a jazz drummer. She is of Italian (father) and Swedish, English, and Cornish (mother) descent. Edie grew up on Long Island and attended SUNY Purchase, where she was trained in ...
Carmela Soprano, THE SOPRANOS; Jackie Peyton, NURSE JACKIE
14. Winona Ryder
Actress | Little Women
Winona Ryder was born Winona Laura Horowitz in Olmsted County, Minnesota, and was named after a nearby town, Winona, Minnesota. She is the daughter of Cynthia (Istas), an author and video producer, and Michael Horowitz, a publisher and bookseller. Her father's family is Ukrainian Jewish and ...
Joyce Byers, STRANGER THINGS
15. Florence Henderson
Actress | The Brady Bunch
Florence Henderson was considered by protocol executive Jerold Franks, CSA to be "...one of the most generous stars I have ever worked with." Los Angeles, New York and all parts of the country, Florence has helped raise millions of dollars for various charitable organizations.
Jerold Franks, friend ...
Carol Brady, THE BRADY BUNCH
16. Shirley Jones
Actress | The Music Man
Named after child star Shirley Temple, Shirley Jones started singing at the age of six. She started formal training at the age of 12 and would dream of singing with her idol, Gordon MacRae. Upon graduating from high school, Shirley went to New York to audition for the casting director of Rodgers & ...
Shirley Partridge, THE PARTRIDGE FAMILY
17. Wendi McLendon-Covey
Actress | Bridesmaids
Actor, comedian and producer Wendi McLendon-Covey has been captivating audiences throughout her career.
Wendi recently concluded her impressive 10-season run starring on ABC's "The Goldbergs," a milestone marked by two Critic's Choice nominations. Notably, at the time of its conclusion, "The ...
Beverly Goldberg, THE GOLDBERGS
18. Gina Rodriguez
Actress | Deepwater Horizon
Named the "next big thing" and one of the "top 35 Latinos under 35," by The Hollywood Reporter, Gina Rodriguez's profile has been rising steadily since her breakout performance as the titular character in FILLY BROWN during the Sundance Film Festival in 2012.
Gina Rodriguez was born in Chicago, ...
Jane Gloriana Villanueva, JANE THE VIRGIN
19. Catherine Hicks
Actress | Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
Born in New York City and raised in Scottsdale, Arizona, Catherine Mary Hicks was a cheerleader at Gerard Catholic High School in Phoenix, Arizona, and graduated in 1969. Hicks attended Saint Mary's College-Notre Dame University and studied English literature. Moving east from South Bend, Indiana, ...
Annie Camden, 7TH HEAVEN
20. Joanna Kerns
Actress | Girl, Interrupted
Joanna Kerns was born on February 12, 1953 in San Francisco, California, USA. She is an actress and director, known for Girl, Interrupted (1999), Knocked Up (2007) and Growing Pains (1985). She has been married to Marc Appleton since September 30, 1994. She was previously married to Richard M. ...
Maggie Seaver, GROWING PAINS
21. Phylicia Rashad
Actress | The Cosby Show
Phylicia Rashad was born in Houston, Texas to African-American parents Vivian Elizabeth (Ayers), a poet and art director, and Andrew Arthur Allen, an orthodontist. As a child, Phylicia, her older brother Andrew (called Tex), and younger sister, dancer and actress Debbie Allen, lived in Mexico. She ...
Clair Huxtable, THE COSBY SHOW
22. Marion Ross
Actress | Superhero Movie
The lovely, cheery, continuously upbeat All-American mom from the classic Happy Days (1974) TV sitcom had fervent desires of becoming an actress while growing up in her obscure Minnesota town. Born Marian Ross (with an "a") on October 25, 1928, she grew up in her native state and, at one time, ...
Marion Cunningham, HAPPY DAYS
23. Judith Light
Actress | Who's the Boss?
Tony Award and Emmy Award winner Judith Light made her professional stage debut in 1970 and made her Broadway debut in the 1975 revival of A Doll's House starring Liv Ullmann and Sam Waterston. She made her television breakthrough in the daytime soap opera One Life to Live (1968). She assumed the ...
Angela Bower, WHO'S THE BOSS?
24. Elizabeth Montgomery
Actress | Bewitched
Elizabeth Montgomery was born into show business. Her parents were screen actor Robert Montgomery and Broadway actress Elizabeth Allen. Elizabeth graduated from the Spence School in New York City and attended the Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York. After three years' intensive training, she made ...
Samantha Stephens, BEWITCHED
25. Ilene Graff
Actress | Remington Steele
Ilene Graff was born on February 28, 1949 in Brooklyn, New York, USA. She is an actress, known for Remington Steele (1982), Mr. Belvedere (1985) and Loving Annabelle (2006). She was previously married to Ben Lanzarone.
Marsha Owens, MR. BELVEDERE
26. Karen Grassle
Actress | Little House on the Prairie
Karen Grassle is an American actress from Berkeley, California. She is primarily known for portraying the historical figure of Caroline Ingalls (1839 -1924) in the long-running Western television series "Little House on the Prairie" (1974-1983). Caroline was the mother of the novelist Laura Ingalls...
Caroline Ingalls, LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE
27. Donna Reed
Actress | It's a Wonderful Life
Donna Reed was born in the midwestern town of Denison, Iowa, on January 27, 1921, as Donna Belle Mullenger. A small town - a population of less than 3,000 people - Denison was located by the Boyer River, and was the county seat of Crawford County. Donna grew up as a farm girl, much like many young ...
Donna Stone, THE DONNA REED SHOW
28. Alley Mills
Actress | General Hospital
Alley Mills was born on May 9, 1951, in Chicago, Illinois. A graduate of Yale in 1973, she studied acting at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. While still in college, Alley Mills scored a small role in the film Diary of a Mad Housewife (1970). She got her first lead role in 1979 in a ...
Norma Arnold, THE WONDER YEARS
29. Lori Loughlin
Actress | Summerland
Lori Loughlin was born on July 28, 1964 in New York City, New York, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for Summerland (2004), When Calls the Heart (2014) and Full House (1987). She has been married to Mossimo Giannulli since November 27, 1997. They have two children. She was previously ...
Rebecca Donaldson-Katsopolis, FULL HOUSE
30. Janet Hubert
Self | The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air: Reunion
Janet Louise Hubert was born in Chicago, IL. She is best known for playing the sassy, witty, outgoing, protective mom on the hit TV sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1990).
Janet Hubert spent most of her childhood growing up in Momence, IL. That changed when she won a scholarship to Julliard ...
Vivian "Aunt Viv" Banks (#1), THE FRESH PRINCE OF BEL-AIR
31. Daphne Reid
Actress | The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
Daphne Reid (née Maxwell) is an American actress, comedian, interior designer, and former model from New York City. She is primarily known as the second actress to portray the regular character Vivian Banks in the popular sitcom "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air". She replaced Janet Hubert in this role,...
Vivian "Aunt Viv" Banks (#2), THE FRESH PRINCE OF BEL-AIR
32. Betsy Randle
Actress | Boy Meets World
Betsy Randle was born on June 24, 1955 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. She is an actress, known for Boy Meets World (1993), The Nightmare Room (2001) and Urban Mythology (2000). She is married to John Randle. They have two children.
Amy Matthews, BOY MEETS WORLD
33. Jo Marie Payton
Actress | Family Matters
JoMarie Payton was born in in Albany, Georgia on August 3, 1950. Her father, Driscoll Payton, was a construction worker and mother, Frankie Bell Payton, was a maid. They moved to the Miami suburb of Opa-Locka, Florida in 1950. JoMarie was the second of nine children.
JoMarie's first performance on ...
Harriette Winslow, FAMILY MATTERS
34. Suzanne Somers
Actress | Three's Company
Suzanne Somers was the third of four children born to Frank and Marion Mahoney. Her father worked loading beer onto boxcars, and her mother was a medical secretary. She grew up living in constant fear of being hurt or even killed at the hands of her verbally and physically abusive, alcoholic father...
Carol Foster-Lambert, STEP BY STEP
35. Jackée Harry
Actress | 227
Jackée Harry was born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and reared from the age of nine in Harlem, New York, by her mother, Flossie. At the tender age of fourteen, Jackée landed the lead role of the King in her school's production of The King and I. Upon graduation from New York City's High School ...
Lisa Landry, SISTER, SISTER
36. Tracee Ellis Ross
Producer | The Hair Tales
Tracee Joy Silberstein known professionally as Tracee Ellis Ross, is an American actress, singer, television host, producer and director. She is known for her lead roles in the television series Girlfriends (2000-2008) and Black-Ish (2014-2022). She owns Pattern Beauty, a hair-care line for curly ...
Rainbow "Bow" Johnson, BLACK-ISH
37. Allison Janney
Actress | The Help
Allison Janney is an award-winning actress who has earned a solid reputation in stage productions and in many supporting roles on screen, and who more recently has become prominent by portraying one of the major characters in the popular TV series The West Wing (1999).
Entertainment Weekly magazine ...
Bonnie Plunkett, MOM
38. Jane Kaczmarek
Actress | Malcolm in the Middle
Jane grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Her mother, Evelyn, was a school teacher. Her father, Edward, is a former Defense Department employee. She is the oldest of four children. Her brothers, Jim & Bill, are a teacher and an entrepreneur respectively. Her sister, Mary, works for an Internet company....
Lois, MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE
39. January Jones
Actress | X: First Class
January Jones was born on January 5, 1978 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. She is the daughter of Karen Sue (née Cox), a sporting goods store manager, and Marvin Roger Jones, a gym teacher and fitness director. She is of Czech, Danish, English, Welsh, and German ancestry. She was named after the ...
Betty Draper, MAD MEN
40. Jessica Walter
Actress | Arrested Development
Acclaimed actress Jessica Walter was born on January 31, 1941 in Brooklyn, New York, the daughter of Esther (Groisser), a teacher, and David Walter (his original surname was Warshawsky), a musician who was a member of the NBC Symphony Orchestra and the NYC Ballet Orchestra. She was of Russian ...
Lucille Bluth, ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT
41. Michael Learned
Actress | The Waltons
Four-time Best Actress Emmy Award winner Michael Learned was born on April 9, 1939 in Washington, D.C. The oldest of six daughters of a U.S. State Department employee, she was raised on her family's farm in Connecticut. The family moved to Austria when she was age 11, and it was while attending ...
Olivia Walton, THE WALTONS
42. Bonnie Franklin
Actress | One Day at a Time
Bonnie Franklin, of the freckled, fair-skinned, hazel-eyed, rosy-cheeked, carrot-haired variety, could light up a room with her buoyant, folksy personality, but she could be quite serious in a take-charge manner when it came to purposeful acting work. It took Norman Lear and a highly popular TV ...
Ann Romano, ONE DAY AT A TIME
43. Marla Pennington
Actress | Soap
Marla Pennington was born on March 5, 1954 in Los Angeles, California, USA. She is an actress, known for Soap (1977), Small Wonder (1985) and Magnum, P.I. (1980).
Joan Lawson, SMALL WONDER
44. Anne Schedeen
Actress | ALF
Anne Schedeen was born on January 8, 1949 in Portland, Oregon, USA. She is an actress, known for ALF (1986), Emergency! (1972) and Simon & Simon (1981). She has been married to Christopher Barrett since 1982. They have one child.
Kate Tanner, ALF
45. Kathy Baker
Actress | Picket Fences
For someone who has made an award-winning impact in all three mediums (stage, film and TV), actress Kathy Baker has been strangely denied all-out stardom, yet continues to demonstrate her versatility in whatever material comes her way.
The comely blonde was born Katherine Whitton Baker in Midland, ...
Jill Brock, PICKET FENCES
46. Julianna Margulies
Actress | ER
Julianna Margulies was born on June 8, 1966 in Spring Valley (near New York City), as the youngest of three daughters of Francesca (Goldberg), a teacher and dancer in American Ballet, and Paul Margulies, an advertising writer and philosopher. She is of Ashkenazi Jewish heritage (from Romania, ...
Alicia Florrick, THE GOOD WIFE
47. Linda Lavin
Actress | Alice
Born in Portland, Maine to a musically inclined family (her mother was once an opera singer) and on stage from the age of 5, singer/actress Linda Lavin graduated from The College of William and Mary with a theatre degree.
Linda pounded the New York pavements in the early 1960s searching for work ...
Alice Hyatt, ALICE
48. Jane Curtin
Actress | Coneheads
Jane Therese Curtin was born September 6th, 1947. Years later, a 27-year-old Jane auditioned for a comedy variety show. which turned out to be the the thing that would first expose her to fame, Saturday Night Live (1975). Jane won the audition against Mimi Kennedy, a tough competitor. Also in the ...
Allie Lowell, KATE & ALLIE
49. Susan Saint James
Actress | McMillan & Wife
Susan Saint James was a lovely and slightly loony TV successor to Shirley MacLaine. Her mildly kooky and clumsy free spirits came into vogue during the "free love" era of the late '60s.
Of German, Irish and English ancestry, Saint James was born Susan Jane Miller in Los Angeles on August 14, 1946, ...
Kate McArdle, KATE & ALLIE
50. Helen Hunt
Actress | As Good as It Gets
Helen Hunt began studying acting at the age of eight with her father, respected director and acting coach Gordon Hunt. A year later she made her professional debut and afterwards worked steadily in films, theatre and television.
Jamie Buchman, MAD ABOUT YOU
Tell Your Friends