Maryedith Burrell

Maryedith Burrell
Born	April 12, 1952 Gilroy, California
Occupation	Producer Writer Actress
Years active	1979–present

Maryedith Burrell (born April 12, 1952) is an American film and television producer, writer, actress and comedian, best known for her roles in the early 1980s late night sketch comedy series Fridays. She also had recurring roles in the television series Throb, Parenthood, The Jackie Thomas Show, Seinfeld and Home Improvement. She was one of the writers of the television comedy film Mr. St. Nick.

She was born and raised in Gilroy, a small farming town near Monterey, CA. After attending a Catholic girls high school on scholarship, she headed to UC Santa Cruz, working and studying simultaneously with American Conservatory Theater and The San Francisco Mime Troupe. After two terms at UCSC, She transferred to UC Los Angeles and as a student in its Theatre Arts Program, won the Hugh O'Brian acting award. One of the judges happened to be Jack Lemmon, who was impressed by her acting talents. He gave her his phone number and offered to help with her career. Lemmon helped her to appear on the TV shows Days of Our Lives and M*A*S*H working with Alan Alda. While still a college student she traveled to London and worked with the Royal Shakespeare Company and director Peter Brook.

While working in the publicity department of Westwood Playhouse, she met Jason Robards, Gena Rowlands, Shelley Winters, and a number of writers and producers who taught her lessons about forming a career that would include writing as well as acting. She joined The Groundlings and it led to her first TV writing assignment. The Life and Times of Eddie Roberts was a new show by the creator of Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, Ann Marcus. She has also performed with other improv groups, including The War Babies, The Second City, The Comedy Store Players, Sills And Company and The Spolin Players where she learned her skills as an ensemble player.

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