Early years Lawrence was born Carolina Maria Laraia on September 5, 1932, in
Melrose Park, Illinois. Her parents were of Italian ancestry, her father being born in
Trivigno, in the
province of Potenza, and her maternal family coming from the same town. Laraia graduated from
Proviso Township High School, in Maywood, Illinois. She spent one year at
Northwestern University and then left to pursue her career. She achieved success in the role of
Maria in the original Broadway production of
West Side Story in 1957, receiving a nomination for the
Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical (even though the part was the lead), losing to
Barbara Cook (
The Music Man). Lawrence made a few record albums of standards and showtunes including
Tonight at 8:30 (1960), where she sang studio versions of the songs "
Tonight", and "
Something's Coming", both from
West Side Story. She appeared in concert, performing at Chautauqua Institute in New York and elsewhere, and on many variety shows on television as a singer and dancer, maintaining her fame as a star performer. Lawrence played several roles at
The Muny in St. Louis, Missouri, the largest outdoor theater in the U.S., including
Fanny Brice in
Funny Girl (1975), Charity in
Sweet Charity (1977), and Lucille Early in
No, No, Nanette (1990). Among her other musical theatre parts are the title role in
Mame (2000 at the Helen Hayes Center for Performing Arts in Nyack, New York), Guenevere in
Camelot (opposite husband Robert Goulet), and
Follies at the Wadsworth Theatre in Los Angeles in 2002. Her television performances include a guest role in
Breaking Point (as Evelyn Denner in the 1963 episode titled "There Are the Hip, and There Are the Square"). In October 1976, she appeared as the special guest on the popular weekly variety program
The Bobby Vinton Show, which aired across the United States and Canada. She performed "Friend of the Father". Other appearances include
Rawhide;
Combat!;
Wagon Train;
The Fugitive;
The Big Valley;
Hawaii 5-0;
Marcus Welby, M.D.;
Medical Center;
Kung Fu;
Mannix;
Murder, She Wrote;
Saved by the Bell; and
Sex and the City. From 1991 to 1993, she played the role of matriarch Angela Eckart on
General Hospital. In 2013, she appeared Off-Broadway at the Westside Theatre Downstairs in
Jason Odell Williams's play
Handle with Care. Lawrence has written her autobiography, with Phyllis Hobe, titled
Carol Lawrence: The Backstage Story, published in 1990. ==Awards==