Carol Lawrence is a musical theater actress, who has also made many appearances on film and television (including "Murder She Wrote", "Saved by the Bell" as well as the daytime serial "General Hospital"). Born as Carolina Maria LaRaia (September 5, 1932) in Melrose Park, Illinois, Carol Lawrence made her Broadway debut in 1952. She achieved success in the role of Maria in the original Broadway production of "West Side Story" in 1957. She received a nomination for Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical for this role. She played the role for two years, and after an appearance in the show "Saratoga" returned to "West Side Story" for its 1960 season. Among her other Broadway successes were "I Do! I Do!" (1967) and "Kiss of the Spider Woman" (1993-95). She has played several roles at "The Muny in St. Louis", the oldest and 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).

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