Although the 1980's were the decade of Lily's most iconic films, "9 to 5", "All of Me", "Big Business", "The Incredible Shrinking Woman" (written and directed by Jane Wagner), her signature role was written by her wife, Jane Wagner, in a stage production titled The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe which opened on Broadway in 1985 and won Tomlin the Tony Award for Best Lead Actress in a Play.