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Tracey Ullman (born December 30, 1959) is a British comedienne, actress, singer, dancer, screenwriter, and author, who is most famous for being the host of her eponymous variety television show.
She emigrated to the United States and wound up having her own network television series, The Tracey Ullman Show, from which The Simpsons was spun off in 1989. She later found even greater success producing shows for HBO, including Tracey Takes On..., for which she has won numerous awards. She has also appeared in many feature films. Ullman announced in 2005 her intentions to become an American citizen. In 2006, Ullman topped the list for the "Wealthiest British Comedians", with an estimated wealth of £75 million [1].
Early life
"I was a spin-off!" recalled Ullman. In her nightly performances Tracey was able to mimic anyone and everyone, including neighbors, family members, friends, even celebrities. Soon after, Ullman's mother remarried. 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 blond-haired and blue-eyed). At age 16, Ullman began to find jobs as a dancer. One of her big breaks came when she landed a role in Gigi in Berlin[2]. Upon returning to England, she joined the "Second Generation" dance troop[3]. She also began to appear in variety shows. The exposure led to her being cast in numerous West End theatre musicals, including Grease, and The Rocky Horror Show[4]. During this time Ullman learned of a competition at London's Royal Court Theatre[5] 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[6]. At this point, the BBC became interested, and offered her her own show. Music careerIn 1983, Ullman succeeded as a singer on the legendary punk label Stiff Records[7], although her style was more comic romantic than punk[8]. She had six songs in the British Top 100 in less than two years, including her first hit Breakaway (famous for her performance with a hairbrush as a microphone); the international hit They Don't Know (which got to #2 and was written by label-mate Kirsty MacColl, who also sang backing vocals), and the Madness cover version My Guy[9] (whose video featured the British politician Neil Kinnock, at the time the Leader of the Opposition)[10]. Her songs were over-the-top evocations of 1960s and 1970s pop music with a 1980s edge, "somewhere between Minnie Mouse and The Supremes" as Britain's Melody Maker put it, or "retro before retro was cool", as a retrospective reviewer wrote in 2002. The video for They Don't Know featured a cameo from Paul McCartney[11]; at the time Ullman was filming a minor role in McCartney's film Give My Regards To Broad Street[12]. Her final hit was Sunglasses (1984). During this time, she was also a guest VJ on MTV in the United States[13]. In October 2006, Ullman recounted her music days in the BBC Four documentary series, If It Ain't Stiff.[14] Television careerAlong 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. 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 series. 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. 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. The Tracey Ullman Show earned four Emmys and spawned The Simpsons, which was featured in very simple cartoon shorts (created by cartoonist Matt Groening at the behest of Ullman Show producer James L. Brooks). In 1992 Ullman filed a lawsuit against Twentieth Century Fox in Los Angeles Superior Court over profits from the later half hour incarnation of The Simpsons for $2.5 million of the estimated $50,000,000 USD in profits reaped from merchandising. Years after her show went off the air, she said jokingly in a late night television interview that she hoped to one day have a regular 2-minute spot on The Simpsons. Despite the lawsuit, Ullman would later provide the voice of "Emily Winthrop", a veddy British dog trainer on The Simpsons in Bart's Dog Gets an F. As Ullman had continued her professional relationship with former producer Brooks, only the studio and not Brooks was named in the suit. In fact, Brooks was allowed to videotape his testimony because in an only-in-Hollywood twist he was at that time directing Ullman in his later de-musicalized film I'll Do Anything. Ullman was unsuccessful and viewed by some as trying to greedily cash in on a project that she could not show in court that she had any hand in creating. However, supporters point out that she only sought a small portion of merchandising from the studio's slice that she felt her contract for the cancelled show entitled her to (a 12 page contract that was hastily signed only hours before filming on the first The Tracey Ullman Show was to commence). It wasn't until 1993 that Ullman dove back into television, but this time, cable television. Two specials were created allowing Ullman to bring life to a host of new characters. The first, Tracey Ullman: A Class Act, took a humorous jab at the British class system, and co-starred Monty Python alum Michael Palin.[15] For the second, Tracey Ullman Takes On New York, Ullman decided to take on a more American topic, New York.[16] Both specials drew critical praise, and even awards. HBO became interested in doing a Tracey Takes On series, and Tracey and her husband, Allan McKeown, set up production in Los Angeles in 1995. Image:Hirschshow.gif Al Hirschfeld portrait of Tracey Ullman and Tracey Takes On... Nothing was off limits, and a lesbian kiss with Tracey Ullman Show alum, Julie Kavner, kicked off the series' first episode.[17] Ullman played both men and women of many ethnicities during the series' run, including an Asian donut shop owner, a (male) cab driver from the Middle East, and an African-American airport security guard.[18] The series went onto win eight Emmys, numerous CableACE, and a host other media awards, and was critcally acclaimed. In 1997, it won the Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series Emmy Award for the episode Vegas.[19] In 1998, it was also published in book form by Ullman. The series was also awarded GLAAD awards for its portrayal of gay and lesbian characters. Besides, Takes On, she was also the modern-day cartoon voice of Little Lulu[20]. She also had a recurring role as Ally McBeal's unconventional psychotherapist, a role which won her an American Comedy Award[21]. Tracey returned to HBO in the summer of 2005, with a special of her autobiographical one-woman stage show Tracey Ullman: Live and Exposed,[22] which garnered her another Emmy nomination.[23] 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.[24] On 26 December 2005, Tracey Takes On... The Complete First Season was released on DVD from HBO Home Video. The Complete Second Season of Tracey Takes On... was released 27 June 2006. Both sets contain commentary, extended footage, as well as the original HBO pilot. 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.[25] To date Ullman has seven Emmy wins. Movie careerAlong with her television work, Tracey has featured in many films throughout her career. After the cancellation of The Tracey Ullman Show in 1990, she made her starring debut along side Kevin Kline in I Love You To Death. Ullman has also appeared in Robin Hood: Men in Tights, Household Saints, Small Time Crooks, A Dirty Shame, and Tim Burton's Corpse Bride. She had a small role in Paul McCartney's film "Give My Regards to Broad Street" 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. [26] 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.[27] FamilyUllman is married to producer Allan McKeown; they have two children, Mabel and Johnny. Filmography
Discography
Hit Singles
Awards
Bibliography
ReferencesGuinness Book of British Hit Singles 7th Edition Sources
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