Nicole Blonsky
Encyclopedia
Nicole Margaret "Nikki" Blonsky (born November 9, 1988) is an American actress, singer
and dancer. She is best known for her role as Tracy Turnblad in the 2007 film
Hairspray
and as Maggie Baker in the 2008 television movie
Queen Sized
. She is also known for her starring role in the ABC Family
original series Huge
.
, in Nassau County
on Long Island
, the daughter of Karen Smeja, a school aide, and Carl Blonsky, a municipal worker for the village water pollution
control district. She grew up singing, since she was three years old, and started taking vocal training lessons at the age of eight. Blonsky was raised in her mother's Catholic
religion (her father is Jewish
).
In her sophomore year, Blonsky transferred from the John L. Miller-Great Neck North High School
to the alternative, 50-student from Village School, from which she graduated. During her time, she joined the theater program at the William A. Shine Great Neck South High School. There she was cast in roles in productions of Les Misérables
, Sweeney Todd
, Kiss Me, Kate
and, in the title role, the opera Carmen.
She went to Great Neck Public Library's Levels and was in shows such as Alice In Wonderland. Blonsky has said that she wanted to play the role of Tracy Turnblad from the first time she saw Hairspray for her 15th birthday on Broadway. In 2007 she worked at Cold Stone Creamery
when she found out she was cast as Tracy Turnblad in Hairspray.
as Tracy Turnblad. She was accompanied by Queen Latifah
as Motor-Mouth Maybelle, Zac Efron
as Link, Michelle Pfeiffer
as Velma Von Tussle, and John Travolta
as Edna Turnblad.
Blonsky began work on her debut album in September 2007. She confirmed in November 2007 that she was working with alternative rock musician Duncan Sheik
on a number of tracks. Her first single, "On a High
," a cover of one of Sheik's tracks, was featured in the Lifetime
Original Movie Queen Sized
, in which Blonsky also starred. On December 18, 2007, she performed with the Turtle Creek Chorale in her first solo performance.
On 22 June 2008, she sang the American National Anthem in the pre-race ceremony at the 2008 Toyota\Save Mart 350 that took place at Infineon Raceway
.
In 2009, Blonsky made a guest appearance on the Ugly Betty
episode "Dressed for Success
", in which she played Teri O'Shaughnessy, an assistant at Elle
, the rival magazine of the show’s fictional Mode. Blonsky also co-starred in the MTV
mystery series Valemont
in 2009. She later starred in the short lived ABC Family
series Huge
. The show premiered in June 2010, and was canceled by September.
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
and dancer. She is best known for her role as Tracy Turnblad in the 2007 film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
Hairspray
Hairspray (2007 film)
Hairspray is a 2007 musical film produced by Kolaja Productions and distributed by New Line Cinema. It was released in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom on July 20, 2007. The film is an adaptation of the 2002 Broadway musical of the same name, which in turn was based on John...
and as Maggie Baker in the 2008 television movie
Television movie
A television film is a feature film that is a television program produced for and originally distributed by a television network, in contrast to...
Queen Sized
Queen Sized
Queen Sized is a Lifetime drama telefilm that premiered on January 12, 2008, starring Nikki Blonsky. The movie was made in Shreveport, LA.-Plot:...
. She is also known for her starring role in the ABC Family
ABC Family
ABC Family, stylized as abc family, is an American television network, owned by ABC Family Worldwide Inc., a subsidiary of the Disney-ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company...
original series Huge
Huge (TV series)
Huge is a short lived American drama series that aired on the ABC Family television network. The series is based on the young-adult novel of the same name by Sasha Paley. The hour-long drama series revolves around eight teens sent to a summer weight-loss camp called Camp Victory...
.
Personal life
Blonsky was raised in Great Neck, New YorkGreat Neck, New York
The term Great Neck is commonly applied to a peninsula on the North Shore of Long Island, which includes the village of Great Neck, the village of Great Neck Estates, the village of Great Neck Plaza, and others, as well as an area south of the peninsula near Lake Success and the border of Queens...
, in Nassau County
Nassau County, New York
Nassau County is a suburban county on Long Island, east of New York City in the U.S. state of New York, within the New York Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,339,532...
on Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
, the daughter of Karen Smeja, a school aide, and Carl Blonsky, a municipal worker for the village water pollution
Water pollution
Water pollution is the contamination of water bodies . Water pollution occurs when pollutants are discharged directly or indirectly into water bodies without adequate treatment to remove harmful compounds....
control district. She grew up singing, since she was three years old, and started taking vocal training lessons at the age of eight. Blonsky was raised in her mother's Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
religion (her father is Jewish
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
).
In her sophomore year, Blonsky transferred from the John L. Miller-Great Neck North High School
Great Neck North High School
John L. Miller Great Neck North High School or simply "North High," or "North," is a public high school, including grades 9 through 12, in the village of Great Neck, New York, operated by the Great Neck School District...
to the alternative, 50-student from Village School, from which she graduated. During her time, she joined the theater program at the William A. Shine Great Neck South High School. There she was cast in roles in productions of Les Misérables
Les Misérables
Les Misérables , translated variously from the French as The Miserable Ones, The Wretched, The Poor Ones, The Wretched Poor, or The Victims), is an 1862 French novel by author Victor Hugo and is widely considered one of the greatest novels of the nineteenth century...
, Sweeney Todd
Sweeney Todd
Sweeney Todd is a fictional character who first appeared as then antagonist of the Victorian penny dreadful The String of Pearls and he was later introduced as an antihero in the broadway musical Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street and its film adaptation...
, Kiss Me, Kate
Kiss Me, Kate
Kiss Me, Kate is a musical with music and lyrics by Cole Porter. It is structured as a play within a play, where the interior play is a musical version of William Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew. The original production starred Alfred Drake, Patricia Morison, Lisa Kirk and Harold Lang.Kiss...
and, in the title role, the opera Carmen.
She went to Great Neck Public Library's Levels and was in shows such as Alice In Wonderland. Blonsky has said that she wanted to play the role of Tracy Turnblad from the first time she saw Hairspray for her 15th birthday on Broadway. In 2007 she worked at Cold Stone Creamery
Cold Stone Creamery
Cold Stone Creamery is an American-based ice cream parlor chain. The company, based in Scottsdale, Arizona, is owned and operated by Kahala Franchising, L.L.C. The company's main product is premium ice cream, or ice cream made with approximately 12-14% butterfat, that is made on location and...
when she found out she was cast as Tracy Turnblad in Hairspray.
Career
Blonsky starred in the film HairsprayHairspray (2007 film)
Hairspray is a 2007 musical film produced by Kolaja Productions and distributed by New Line Cinema. It was released in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom on July 20, 2007. The film is an adaptation of the 2002 Broadway musical of the same name, which in turn was based on John...
as Tracy Turnblad. She was accompanied by Queen Latifah
Queen Latifah
Dana Elaine Owens , better known by her stage name Queen Latifah, is an American singer, rapper, and actress. Her work in music, film and television has earned her a Golden Globe award, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, two Image Awards, a Grammy Award, six additional Grammy nominations, an Emmy...
as Motor-Mouth Maybelle, Zac Efron
Zac Efron
Zachary David Alexander "Zac" Efron is an American actor. He began acting professionally in the early 2000s and became known with his lead roles in the Disney Channel Original Movie High School Musical, the WB series Summerland, and the 2007 film version of the Broadway musical Hairspray...
as Link, Michelle Pfeiffer
Michelle Pfeiffer
Michelle Marie Pfeiffer is an American actress. She made her film debut in 1980 in The Hollywood Knights, but first garnered mainstream attention with her performance in Brian De Palma's Scarface . Pfeiffer has won numerous awards for her work...
as Velma Von Tussle, and John Travolta
John Travolta
John Joseph Travolta is an American actor, dancer and singer. Travolta first became known in the 1970s, after appearing on the television series Welcome Back, Kotter and starring in the box office successes Saturday Night Fever and Grease...
as Edna Turnblad.
Blonsky began work on her debut album in September 2007. She confirmed in November 2007 that she was working with alternative rock musician Duncan Sheik
Duncan Sheik
Duncan Scott Sheik is an American singer-songwriter and composer. Sheik initially found success as a singer, most notably for his 1996 debut single "Barely Breathing". He later expanded his work to include compositions for motion pictures and the Broadway stage, leading him to involvement in the...
on a number of tracks. Her first single, "On a High
On a High
"On a High" is a song written and recorded by singer-songwriter Duncan Sheik and released as the first single from his album Daylight.A female cover of "On a High" can be heard in the commercials for the TV movie Queen Sized, sung by Nikki Blonsky....
," a cover of one of Sheik's tracks, was featured in the Lifetime
Lifetime Television
Lifetime Television, often referred to as Lifetime TV, or most commonly, Lifetime, is an American cable television specialty channel devoted to movies, sitcoms and dramas, all of which are either geared toward women or feature women in lead roles. The cable network is owned by A&E Television Networks...
Original Movie Queen Sized
Queen Sized
Queen Sized is a Lifetime drama telefilm that premiered on January 12, 2008, starring Nikki Blonsky. The movie was made in Shreveport, LA.-Plot:...
, in which Blonsky also starred. On December 18, 2007, she performed with the Turtle Creek Chorale in her first solo performance.
On 22 June 2008, she sang the American National Anthem in the pre-race ceremony at the 2008 Toyota\Save Mart 350 that took place at Infineon Raceway
Infineon Raceway
Infineon Raceway, formerly Sears Point Raceway, is a road course and drag strip located on the landform known as Sears Point in the southern Sonoma Mountains near Sonoma, California, USA. The course is a complex series of twists and turns that go up and down the hills...
.
In 2009, Blonsky made a guest appearance on the Ugly Betty
Ugly Betty
Ugly Betty is an American comedy-drama television series developed by Silvio Horta, which premiered on ABC on September 28, 2006, and ended on April 14, 2010. The series revolves around the character Betty Suarez and is based on Fernando Gaitán's Colombian telenovela soap opera Yo soy Betty, la fea...
episode "Dressed for Success
Dressed for Success (Ugly Betty)
"Dress for Success" is the eleventh episode in the third season, the 52nd episode overall, of the American dramedy series Ugly Betty, which aired on January 8, 2009...
", in which she played Teri O'Shaughnessy, an assistant at Elle
Elle (magazine)
Elle is a worldwide magazine of French origin that focuses on women's fashion, beauty, health, and entertainment. Elle is also the world's largest fashion magazine. It was founded by Pierre Lazareff and his wife Hélène Gordon in 1945. The title, in French, means "she".-History:Elle was founded in...
, the rival magazine of the show’s fictional Mode. Blonsky also co-starred in the MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
mystery series Valemont
Valemont
Valemont is a supernatural American television miniseries on MTV that premiered on September 21, 2009. Two episodes premiered on Tuesdays during The Hills and The City. For six consecutive weeks, two and a half minute episodes of Valemont premiered in the commercial pods directly preceding The...
in 2009. She later starred in the short lived ABC Family
ABC Family
ABC Family, stylized as abc family, is an American television network, owned by ABC Family Worldwide Inc., a subsidiary of the Disney-ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company...
series Huge
Huge (TV series)
Huge is a short lived American drama series that aired on the ABC Family television network. The series is based on the young-adult novel of the same name by Sasha Paley. The hour-long drama series revolves around eight teens sent to a summer weight-loss camp called Camp Victory...
. The show premiered in June 2010, and was canceled by September.
Awards
- 2007 Critics' Choice Award for Best Young Actress (for HairsprayHairspray (2007 film)Hairspray is a 2007 musical film produced by Kolaja Productions and distributed by New Line Cinema. It was released in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom on July 20, 2007. The film is an adaptation of the 2002 Broadway musical of the same name, which in turn was based on John...
). - 2007 Critics' Choice Award for Best Ensemble (for Hairspray)
Filmography
| Year | Film/Show | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Hairspray Hairspray (2007 film) Hairspray is a 2007 musical film produced by Kolaja Productions and distributed by New Line Cinema. It was released in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom on July 20, 2007. The film is an adaptation of the 2002 Broadway musical of the same name, which in turn was based on John... |
Tracy Turnblad | Nominated - Golden Globe Award for Best Actress |
| 2008 | Queen Sized Queen Sized Queen Sized is a Lifetime drama telefilm that premiered on January 12, 2008, starring Nikki Blonsky. The movie was made in Shreveport, LA.-Plot:... |
Maggie Baker | TV movie |
| Harold Harold (film) Harold is a 2008 American comedy film, co-written by Greg Fields and T. Sean Shannon, starring Spencer Breslin, Cuba Gooding Jr., Nikki Blonsky, Ally Sheedy and Stella Maeve. The film is T. Sean Shannon's first full-length feature and is partially adapted from his earlier short film, which itself... |
Rhonda | ||
| 2009 | Ugly Betty Ugly Betty Ugly Betty is an American comedy-drama television series developed by Silvio Horta, which premiered on ABC on September 28, 2006, and ended on April 14, 2010. The series revolves around the character Betty Suarez and is based on Fernando Gaitán's Colombian telenovela soap opera Yo soy Betty, la fea... |
Teri O'Shaughnessy | Episode: "Dressed for Success Dressed for Success (Ugly Betty) "Dress for Success" is the eleventh episode in the third season, the 52nd episode overall, of the American dramedy series Ugly Betty, which aired on January 8, 2009... " |
| Valemont Valemont Valemont is a supernatural American television miniseries on MTV that premiered on September 21, 2009. Two episodes premiered on Tuesdays during The Hills and The City. For six consecutive weeks, two and a half minute episodes of Valemont premiered in the commercial pods directly preceding The... |
Poppie | ||
| 2010 | Huge Huge (TV series) Huge is a short lived American drama series that aired on the ABC Family television network. The series is based on the young-adult novel of the same name by Sasha Paley. The hour-long drama series revolves around eight teens sent to a summer weight-loss camp called Camp Victory... |
Willamina "Will" | Main Role (June 28 - August 30, 2010) |
| 2011 | Waiting For Forever Waiting For Forever Waiting for Forever is a 2010 American romance film directed by James Keach, starring Rachel Bilson and Tom Sturridge. The film had a limited theatrical release beginning February 4, 2011. It was shot in Salt Lake City and Ogden, Utah.-Plot:... |
Dolores | |
| 2011 | Fresh Beat Band | Ice Villian |
External links
- Official website
- Nikki's MySpaceMySpaceMyspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
page - Nikki's FacebookFacebookFacebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
page - "17 Year-Old Nikki Blonsky Cast as Hairspray Film's Tracy", BroadwayWorld.com, June 8, 2006
- "Breaking News: Unknown Lands Hairspray Lead", Cinematical.com, June 8, 2006
- "A ‘Hairspray’ dream come true", MSNBC/Access Hollywood, June 15, 2006