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| Birth Name(s) : Tracey Ullman |
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Full Tracey Ullman Biography
Tracey Ullman (born December 30, 1959) is a British-born, naturalized U.S. citizen, comedian, actress, singer, dancer, screenwriter, and author, who is most famous for being the host of her eponymous variety television show.
Her early appearances were on such British TV sketch comedy shows as A Kick Up the Eighties (with Rik Mayall) and Three of a Kind (with Lenny Henry and David Copperfield ). She also appeared as Candice Valentine in Girls On Top with Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders.
She later found even greater success producing programs for HBO, including Tracey Takes On..., for which she has won numerous awards. She has also appeared in many feature films.
Tracey Ullman was born in Slough, Buckinghamshire (now Berkshire) to Antony Ullman, her Polish Roman Catholic father, and Dorin Ullman, her British mother, who was of Roma heritage. Antony had been a Polish soldier who was evacuated from Dunkirk in 1940. Ullman's father sold furniture, booked travel, and brokered marriages. He also translated amongst the Polish community in the UK. When Ullman was six years old, her father died of a heart attack. He was fifty years old. In an effort to cheer the family up, Tracey recounted putting on shows in her mother's bedroom, performing along side her older sister, Patty. That first show was entitled, The Patty Ullman Show.
At age 12, one of Tracey's headmasters took notice of the young star's future potential, and recommended her to the Italia Conti Academy stage school. Although the school gave Ullman her first taste of the stage, she does not look back at the period as being a joyous one. Ullman's biggest drawback was her dark features. During auditions, they would line the children up, and select them for roles. Young Ullman, ethnically, did not fit the criteria (the criteria being blonde-haired and blue-eyed).
The exposure led to her being cast in numerous West End theatre musicals, including Grease, and The Rocky Horror Show. During this time Ullman learned of a competition at London's Royal Court Theatre for an improvised play about club acts. Deciding to enter, Ullman created the character Beverly, a born-again Christian chanteuse. Ullman proved to be a big hit and won the title of Best Newcomer Award. At this point, the BBC became interested, and offered her her own show.
Along with her stint in the music world, Ullman also moved into television. She began starring in sketch comedies for the BBC, A Kick Up the Eighties, and Three of a Kind (with Lenny Henry and David Copperfield). In 1985, she donned a blonde wig and took the role of a promiscuous gold digger named "Candice Valentine" on the ITV sitcom Girls On Top, but jumped ship after one season.
At this point, US television beckoned, and television producer, legend, James L. Brooks, came calling. The two had discussed working together previously, but it wasn't until 1987 that the two formally got together and created The Tracey Ullman Show. Ullman played a variety of characters, completely disguised with the help of makeup, prosthetics, and even padding. The show was the first commercial hit for then unknown FOX channel. Ullman proved to be a triple treat - she could act, sing, and dance, as well as providing ethnic accents for some of her characters (Tracey is one of the few non-Australian actors that can deliver lines in a realistic Australian accent). Paula Abdul began her career with the series, serving as the show's choreographer. The then practically unknown Abdul even used her early music recordings for the series' strenuous dance numbers.
Ullman will make her return to television in 2008 in Tracey Ullman's State of the Union for Showtime. Production is due to begin in the fall of 2007, with an order of at least five episodes. The series takes a satirical look at a day in the life of America. Ullman will create new characters as well as impersonate famous ones. The series will be shot in a cinematic fashion.
Ullman co-starred with Carol Burnett in the television adaptation of Once Upon a Mattress. Ullman played Princess Winnifred, a role originally made famous by Burnett on Broadway, who took on the role of the evil Queen.
On 5 December 2006, Tracey was inducted into the Museum of Television and Radio along with likes of Carol Burnett, Lesley Visser, Lesley Stahl, Jane Pauley, and Betty White, in the She Made It category.
Ullman portrayed "Mother Nature" in the 2007 romantic-comedy film, I Could Never Be Your Woman, starring Michelle Pfeiffer. Ullman acted as creative consultant on the 2006 Dreamworks feature, Flushed Away.
Tracey has signed on to voice along with such actors as Dustin Hoffman, Kevin Kline, William H. Macy, Stanley Tucci, Christopher Lloyd and Sigourney Weaver in the computer-animated The Tale of Despereaux.
Ullman also had a bit part as an interviewee from stock footage in the movie The Queen with Helen Mirren. The footage was used without her permission.
Ullman announced in 2005 her intentions to become an American citizen; she became one in December 2006 . In 2006, Ullman topped the list for the "Wealthiest British Comedians", with an estimated wealth of £75 million . |
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