Tracey Ullman
Encyclopedia
Tracey Ullman is a British stage and television actress, comedienne, singer, dancer, screenwriter and author (later also taking US citizenship).
Her early appearances were on British TV sketch comedy shows A Kick Up the Eighties
(with Rik Mayall
and Miriam Margolyes
) and Three of a Kind (with Lenny Henry
and David Copperfield
). After a brief but high-profile singing career, she appeared as Candice Valentine in Girls On Top
with Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders
.
She emigrated from the UK to the US and created her own network television series, The Tracey Ullman Show
, from 1987 until 1990, from which The Simpsons
was spun off in 1989. She later produced programs for HBO, including Tracey Takes On...
(1996–1999), for which she has won numerous awards. She has also appeared in several feature films. Ullman's most recent sketch comedy series, Tracey Ullman's State of the Union
, ran from 2008 to 2010 on Showtime.
, Buckinghamshire
(now in Berkshire
), the daughter of Dorin and Antony Ullman, a solicitor. Ullman later recalled, "My real name is Trace Ullman, but I added the 'y.' My mother said it was spelled the American way, but I don't think she can spell! I always wanted a middle name. My mum used to tell me it was Mary but I never believed her. I looked on my birth certificate and I didn't have one, just Trace Ullman." Ullman's mother was British and her father was a Polish soldier evacuated from Dunkirk in 1940, subsequently working as a furniture salesman and travel agent. When she was six, Ullman's father died of a heart attack while reading her a bedtime story. He was 50 years old. In an effort to cheer up her family, Tracey recounts putting on shows in her mother's bedroom, performing alongside her older sister, Patti. That first show was entitled The Patti Ullman Show. "I was a spin-off!" recalled Ullman. In her nightly performances she mimicked anyone and everyone, including neighbours, family members, friends, even celebrities. Soon after, Ullman's mother remarried.
At the age of 12, a headmaster saw Ullman'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 on it fondly.
At the age of 16, Ullman began finding jobs as a dancer, and soon landed a role in Gigi
in Berlin
. Upon returning to England
, she joined the "Second Generation" dance troupe. She also began appearing in variety shows.
The exposure led to her casting in numerous West End
musicals, including Grease
, and The Rocky Horror Show
. During this time Ullman was cast in a play at London's Royal Court Theatre
for an improvised play about club acts. Entering the competition, Ullman created the character Beverly, a born-again Christian chanteuse. The performance was a big hit and she won the "Best Newcomer Award". The BBC
became interested and offered her the chance to star in her own show. In 1983, Ullman took part in the workshops for Andrew Lloyd-Webber
's upcoming musical, Starlight Express
, playing the part of Pearl.
label Stiff Records
, although her style was more comic romantic than punk. She had six songs in the UK Top 100 in less than two years. Her 1983 debut album, You Broke My Heart in 17 Places
, featured her first hit single, "Breakaway
" (famous for her performance with a hairbrush as a microphone
); the international hit cover version of label-mate Kirsty MacColl's
"They Don't Know
" went to #2 in the UK, and #8 in the U.S. MacColl sang backing vocals on Ullman's version. It would later become the theme song to Ullman's later television series, Tracey Takes On....
Follow-up singles, a cover of Doris Day
's "Move Over Darling", which reached #8 in the UK, and the cover of Madness'
"My Girl", which Ullman changed to "My Guy's Mad at Me", were released. (The "My Guy" video featured the British Labour Party politician Neil Kinnock
, at the time the Leader of the Opposition)
Ullman's 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. Her career received another boost when the video for "They Don't Know" featured a cameo
from Paul McCartney
; at the time Ullman was filming a minor role in McCartney's film Give My Regards to Broad Street
. Ullman released her second and last album, You Caught Me Out
, in 1984.
Her final hit, "Sunglasses" (1984), featured comedian Adrian Edmondson
in its music video. During this time, she also appeared as a guest VJ on MTV
in the United States.
In her HBO stand-up special, Tracey Ullman: Live and Exposed
, Ullman recreated her music career, recounting how she entered the business, and why she left it. Performances of many of her hit singles were also performed in front of an audience for the performance. In October 2006, Ullman took part in the BBC Four
documentary series, If It Ain't Stiff, a mini-series dedicated to the history of the label. A new "remastered" version of ...17 Places was released in 2007.
and Three of a Kind for the BBC. In 1985, she donned a blond wig and took the role of a promiscuous gold digger named "Candice Valentine" on the ITV
sitcom Girls On Top
. She left after one season, due to being pregnant and giving birth to her first child in 1986.
At this point, US television beckoned, and renowned television producer James L. Brooks
came calling. The two had discussed working together previously, but it was not until 1987 that they created The Tracey Ullman Show
. Ullman played a variety of characters, completely unrecognizable with the help of makeup, prosthetics, and padding. The show was the first commercial hit for then unknown Fox
channel. Paula Abdul
served as the show's choreographer. The then-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 simple cartoon shorts (created by cartoonist Matt Groening
at the behest of Ullman Show producer James L. Brooks
). Ullman provided the voice of Emily Winthrop, a British dog trainer on The Simpsons episode "Bart's Dog Gets an F
" (1991). 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
. She wanted a share of The Simpsons merchandising and gross profits and believed she was entitled to $2.5 million of the estimated $50 million Fox made in 1992. The Fox network had paid her $58,000 in royalties for The Simpsons as well as $3 million for the 3½ seasons her show was on the air. As Ullman had continued her professional relationship with former producer Brooks, only the studio and not Brooks was named in the suit. Brooks was allowed to videotape his testimony as he was in the middle of filming I'll Do Anything
, in which Ullman appeared. Eventually the courts ruled in favor of the network.
, took a humorous jab at the British class system, and co-starred Monty Python
alumnus Michael Palin
. For the second, Tracey Ullman Takes On New York
, Ullman decided to take on a more American subject, New York City
. Both specials drew praise and awards. HBO became interested in doing a Tracey Takes On... series, and Ullman and her husband, Allan McKeown, set up production in Los Angeles
in 1995.
Tracey Takes On...
premiered 24 January 1996, on HBO. Each episode would focus on a topic for Ullman to "take on" and examine. The series would have two to three long sketches, and many small interview-styled bits, with her many characters commenting on that week's topic. Unlike the Fox
show, Tracey Takes On... was shot on location, not filmed in front of a live audience. Making the switch to a cable-produced series enabled Ullman free rein to do and say as she pleased.
A kiss with Tracey Ullman Show alum Julie Kavner
kicked off the series' first episode. Ullman portrayed characters, both male and female, made up of many ethnicities. This included an Asia
n donut shop owner, a (male) cab driver from the Middle East
, and an African-American airport security guard. The series went on to win eight Emmys, numerous CableACE Awards, and a host of other media awards, and was critically acclaimed. In 1997, it won the Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series Emmy Award category for the episode Vegas. In 1998 the series was published in book form, Tracey Takes On...
. The series was also awarded GLAAD awards for its portrayal of gay
and lesbian
characters. Tracey Takes On... completed its four-season run in 1999.
and Charlize Theron
. The series lasted for two seasons, and ended in 2002.
. Tales spotlighted just one of Ullman's most popular characters, Ruby Romaine. The pilot aired, but no series was ever commissioned.
Tracey returned to HBO in the summer of 2005, with her autobiographical one-woman stage show, Tracey Ullman: Live and Exposed
. The show garnered another Emmy nomination.
Ullman credits senior programmer, Robert Greenblatt, as a big influence in her decision for the move, and the network's budding roster of hit shows. Greenblatt was a young development director during her Tracey Ullman Show days, and was enthusiastic to get her over to Showtime. Five episodes were ordered for the first season.
For the first time since the early years of her career at the BBC, Ullman was not only creating a new lineup of original characters, but rather, also impersonating famous ones. Tracey Ullman's State of the Union
debuted on 30 March 2008.
The critical response to "State of the Union" was overwhelmingly positive. One critic pointed out a change in Ullman's humor:
Ullman has commented that the United States is, "now able to laugh at itself more," embracing more satiric
humor, rather than deeming it "unpatriotic". Now that she's an official citizen, Ullman joked that she, "won't end up in Guantánamo Bay," for speaking her mind.
Ullman hoped to continue the series after season one. Showtime announced that it had greenlighted a second season for 2009. It was commissioned for a third run for 2010.
. She also had a recurring role as an unconventional psychotherapist in Ally McBeal
, a role that won her an American Comedy Award.
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.
's 1984 film Give My Regards to Broad Street
. This was followed by a supporting role in the 1985 Meryl Streep
drama Plenty
which gained Ullman international aclaim for her comic and dramatic performance.
After the cancellation of The Tracey Ullman Show
in 1990, she made her starring debut alongside Kevin Kline
, River Phoenix
and Joan Plowright
in I Love You to Death
. Ullman has also appeared in lead and supporting roles in Robin Hood: Men in Tights
, Nancy Savoca
's Household Saints
, Bullets Over Broadway
, Small Time Crooks
, A Dirty Shame
, and Tim Burton's Corpse Bride.
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
.
Ullman signed on to voice along with such actors as Dustin Hoffman
, Kevin Kline
, William H. Macy
, Stanley Tucci
, Christopher Lloyd
, Sigourney Weaver
, and Emma Watson
in the computer-animated The Tale of Despereaux
.
Stock footage of Ullman was used in the movie The Queen
with Helen Mirren
. The footage was used without her permission.
on 27 December 1983; they have two children, Mabel Ellen McKeown (born 1986) and John Albert Victor McKeown (born 1991). Mabel McKeown works for Harriet Harman
in a job funded by the Labour Party. She unsuccessfully ran as Labour's candidate in the by-election in Cremorne in Kensington
and Chelsea Council
in 2010. She once contributed to The Huffington Post
. She has also campaigned for Labour
in her native country.
Ullman became an American
citizen in December 2006 and now holds dual citizenship
of the United States and the United Kingdom. In 2006, Ullman topped the list for the "Wealthiest British Comedians", with an estimated wealth of £75 million.
winning, and American Comedy Award winning actor.
On 5 December 2006, Tracey was honored at 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.
In April 2009, it was announced that Ullman would be awarded a Lifetime Achievement BAFTA Award, the following May. She became the first recipient of the Charlie Chaplin award on 9 May 2009.
Her early appearances were on British TV sketch comedy shows A Kick Up the Eighties
A Kick Up the Eighties
A Kick Up the Eighties was a 1981-1984 BBC Scotland sketch show starring Robbie Coltrane, Tracey Ullman, Richard Stilgoe, Miriam Margolyes, Rik Mayall, Ron Bain and Roger Sloman....
(with Rik Mayall
Rik Mayall
Richard Michael "Rik" Mayall is an English comedian, writer, and actor. He is known for his comedy partnership with Ade Edmondson, his over-the-top, energetic portrayal of characters, and as a pioneer of alternative comedy in the early 1980s...
and Miriam Margolyes
Miriam Margolyes
Miriam Margolyes, OBE is an English actress and voice artist. Her earliest roles were in theatre and after several supporting roles in film and television she won a BAFTA Award for her role in The Age of Innocence .-Early life:...
) and Three of a Kind (with Lenny Henry
Lenny Henry
Lenworth George "Lenny" Henry, is a British actor, writer, comedian and occasional television presenter.- Early life :...
and David Copperfield
David Copperfield (comedian)
David Copperfield is best known from the BBC 1980s sketch show Three of a Kind, in which he starred alongside Tracey Ullman and Lenny Henry. His real name is Stanley Barlow. He was born and raised in Yorkshire, where he began his professional career performing in various cabaret venues. His big...
). After a brief but high-profile singing career, she appeared as Candice Valentine in Girls On Top
Girls On Top
Girls On Top was a British television sitcom on ITV from 1985 to 1986. It was conceived by and starred French & Saunders - their first high-profile writing for television - and despite a low budget and poor critical reception received high ratings. It was made for the ITV network by Central.The...
with Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders
Jennifer Saunders
Jennifer Jane Saunders is an English comedienne, screenwriter, singer and actress. She has won two BAFTAs, an International Emmy Award, a British Comedy Award, a Rose d'Or Light Entertainment Festival Award, two Writers' Guild of Great Britain Awards, and a Peoples Choice Award.She first came into...
.
She emigrated from the UK to the US and created her own network television series, The Tracey Ullman Show
The Tracey Ullman Show
The Tracey Ullman Show was an American television variety show, hosted by British comedian and onetime pop singer Tracey Ullman. It debuted on April 5, 1987 as the Fox network's second primetime series after Married... with Children, and ran until May 26, 1990. The show blended sketch comedy shorts...
, from 1987 until 1990, from which The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
was spun off in 1989. She later produced programs for HBO, including Tracey Takes On...
Tracey Takes On...
Tracey Takes On... is an HBO sketch comedy series created by British-American comedienne Tracey Ullman.In 1993, Ullman returned to television after her hit Fox comedy series, The Tracey Ullman Show, was canceled, with two comedy specials for HBO. Tracey Ullman Takes On New York, and Tracey Ullman:...
(1996–1999), for which she has won numerous awards. She has also appeared in several feature films. Ullman's most recent sketch comedy series, Tracey Ullman's State of the Union
Tracey Ullman's State of the Union
Tracey Ullman's State of the Union is an American sketch-comedy series starring comedian Tracey Ullman. The series is written by Ullman along with Hollywood satirist Bruce Wagner. Gail Parent and Craig DiGregorio acted as contributing writers to the series' first season. On May 17, 2010, it was...
, ran from 2008 to 2010 on Showtime.
Early life
Ullman was born Trace Ullman in SloughSlough
Slough is a borough and unitary authority within the ceremonial county of Royal Berkshire, England. The town straddles the A4 Bath Road and the Great Western Main Line, west of central London...
, Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
(now in Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
), the daughter of Dorin and Antony Ullman, a solicitor. Ullman later recalled, "My real name is Trace Ullman, but I added the 'y.' My mother said it was spelled the American way, but I don't think she can spell! I always wanted a middle name. My mum used to tell me it was Mary but I never believed her. I looked on my birth certificate and I didn't have one, just Trace Ullman." Ullman's mother was British and her father was a Polish soldier evacuated from Dunkirk in 1940, subsequently working as a furniture salesman and travel agent. When she was six, Ullman's father died of a heart attack while reading her a bedtime story. He was 50 years old. In an effort to cheer up her family, Tracey recounts putting on shows in her mother's bedroom, performing alongside her older sister, Patti. That first show was entitled The Patti Ullman Show. "I was a spin-off!" recalled Ullman. In her nightly performances she mimicked anyone and everyone, including neighbours, family members, friends, even celebrities. Soon after, Ullman's mother remarried.
At the age of 12, a headmaster saw Ullman's future potential, and recommended her to the Italia Conti Academy
Italia Conti Academy
The Italia Conti Academy is a theatre arts training school based in London. It was founded in 1911 by actress Italia Conti...
stage school. Although the school gave Ullman her first taste of the stage, she does not look back on it fondly.
At the age of 16, Ullman began finding jobs as a dancer, and soon landed a role in Gigi
Gigi
Gigi is a 1944 novella by French writer Colette. The plot focuses on a young Parisian girl being groomed for a career as a courtesan and her relationship with the wealthy cultured man named Gaston who falls in love with her and eventually marries her....
in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
. Upon returning to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, she joined the "Second Generation" dance troupe. She also began appearing in variety shows.
The exposure led to her casting in numerous West End
West End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
musicals, including Grease
Grease (musical)
Grease is a 1971 musical by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey. The musical is named for the 1950s United States working-class youth subculture known as the greasers. The musical, set in 1959 at fictional Rydell High School , follows ten working-class teenagers as they navigate the complexities of love,...
, and The Rocky Horror Show
The Rocky Horror Show
The Rocky Horror Show is a long-running British horror comedy stage musical, which opened in London on 19 June 1973. It was written by Richard O'Brien, produced and directed by Jim Sharman. It came eighth in a BBC Radio 2 listener poll of the "Nation's Number One Essential Musicals"...
. During this time Ullman was cast in a play at London's Royal Court Theatre
Royal Court Theatre
The Royal Court Theatre is a non-commercial theatre on Sloane Square, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It is noted for its contributions to modern theatre...
for an improvised play about club acts. Entering the competition, Ullman created the character Beverly, a born-again Christian chanteuse. The performance was a big hit and she won the "Best Newcomer Award". The BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
became interested and offered her the chance to star in her own show. In 1983, Ullman took part in the workshops for Andrew Lloyd-Webber
Andrew Lloyd Webber
Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber is an English composer of musical theatre.Lloyd Webber has achieved great popular success in musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End and on Broadway. He has composed 13 musicals, a song cycle, a set of...
's upcoming musical, Starlight Express
Starlight Express
Starlight Express is a rock musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber , Richard Stilgoe and Arlene Phillips , with later revisions by Don Black and David Yazbek . The story follows a child's dream in which his toy train set comes to life; famously the actors perform wearing roller skates...
, playing the part of Pearl.
Music career
In 1983, Ullman succeeded as a singer on the punkPunk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
label Stiff Records
Stiff Records
Stiff Records is a record label created in London in 1976, by entrepreneurs Dave Robinson and Andrew Jakeman , and active until 1985. It was reactivated in 2007....
, although her style was more comic romantic than punk. She had six songs in the UK Top 100 in less than two years. Her 1983 debut album, You Broke My Heart in 17 Places
You Broke My Heart In 17 Places
You Broke My Heart In 17 Places, is a studio album by singer-actress-comedienne, Tracey Ullman. It peaked at number 14 on the UK album chart and number 34 on the Billboard 200 in the U.S., in the Spring of 1984....
, featured her first hit single, "Breakaway
Breakaway (Irma Thomas song)
"Breakaway" is a song written by Jackie DeShannon and Sharon Sheeley. It was originally recorded by Irma Thomas in 1964 and released as the B-Side of her biggest hit, the US #17 hit single "Wish Someone Would Care"...
" (famous for her performance with a hairbrush as a microphone
Microphone
A microphone is an acoustic-to-electric transducer or sensor that converts sound into an electrical signal. In 1877, Emile Berliner invented the first microphone used as a telephone voice transmitter...
); the international hit cover version of label-mate Kirsty MacColl's
Kirsty MacColl
Kirsty Anna MacColl was an English singer-songwriter.MacColl scored several pop hits from the early 1980s to the early 1990s...
"They Don't Know
They Don't Know (Kirsty MacColl song)
"They Don't Know" is a popular song, written and composed by singer-songwriter Kirsty MacColl, the daughter of singer-songwriter Ewan MacColl. Ms. MacColl recorded it in 1979. It became popular on radio in the United Kingdom, reaching #2 on the Music Week airplay chart...
" went to #2 in the UK, and #8 in the U.S. MacColl sang backing vocals on Ullman's version. It would later become the theme song to Ullman's later television series, Tracey Takes On....
Follow-up singles, a cover of Doris Day
Doris Day
Doris Day is an American actress, singer and, since her retirement from show business, an animal rights activist. With an entertainment career that spanned through almost 50 years, Day started her career as a big band singer in 1939, but only began to be noticed after her first hit recording,...
's "Move Over Darling", which reached #8 in the UK, and the cover of Madness'
Madness (band)
In 1979, the band recorded the Lee Thompson composition "The Prince". The song, like the band's name, paid homage to their idol, Prince Buster. The song was released through 2 Tone Records, the label of The Specials founder Jerry Dammers. The song was a surprise hit, peaking in the UK music charts...
"My Girl", which Ullman changed to "My Guy's Mad at Me", were released. (The "My Guy" video featured the British Labour Party politician Neil Kinnock
Neil Kinnock
Neil Gordon Kinnock, Baron Kinnock is a Welsh politician belonging to the Labour Party. He served as a Member of Parliament from 1970 until 1995 and as Labour Leader and Leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition from 1983 until 1992 - his leadership of the party during nearly nine years making him...
, at the time the Leader of the Opposition)
Ullman's songs were over-the-top evocations of 1960s and 1970s pop music with a 1980s edge, "somewhere between Minnie Mouse
Minnie Mouse
Minerva "Minnie" Mouse is an animated character created by Ub Iwerks and Walt Disney. The comic strip story "The Gleam" by Merrill De Maris and Floyd Gottfredson first gave her full name as Minerva Mouse. Minnie has since been a recurring alias for her. Minnie is currently voiced by actress Russi...
and The Supremes
The Supremes
The Supremes, an American female singing group, were the premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s.Originally founded as The Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, The Supremes' repertoire included doo-wop, pop, soul, Broadway show tunes, psychedelic soul, and disco...
" as Britain's Melody Maker
Melody Maker
Melody Maker, published in the United Kingdom, was, according to its publisher IPC Media, the world's oldest weekly music newspaper. It was founded in 1926 as a magazine targeted at musicians; in 2000 it was merged into "long-standing rival" New Musical Express.-1950s–1960s:Originally the Melody...
put it, or "retro before retro was cool", as a retrospective reviewer wrote in 2002. Her career received another boost when the video for "They Don't Know" featured a cameo
Cameo appearance
A cameo role or cameo appearance is a brief appearance of a known person in a work of the performing arts, such as plays, films, video games and television...
from Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
; at the time Ullman was filming a minor role in McCartney's film Give My Regards to Broad Street
Give My Regards to Broad Street
Give My Regards to Broad Street is the soundtrack album to the 1984 film of the same name. Unlike the film, the album was successful, achieving #1 in the UK chart and its lead single "No More Lonely Nights" was BAFTA and Golden Globe award nominated....
. Ullman released her second and last album, You Caught Me Out
You Caught Me Out
You Caught Me Out is the second studio album by singer-actress-comedienne, Tracey Ullman. It was released on Stiff Records in 1984 throughout Europe...
, in 1984.
Her final hit, "Sunglasses" (1984), featured comedian Adrian Edmondson
Adrian Edmondson
Adrian Charles "Ade" Edmondson is an English comedian. He is probably best known for his comedic roles in the television series The Young Ones and Bottom , for which he also wrote together with his long-time collaboration partner Rik Mayall.-Early life:Edmondson, the second of four children, was...
in its music video. During this time, she also appeared as a guest VJ on 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....
in the United States.
In her HBO stand-up special, Tracey Ullman: Live and Exposed
Tracey Ullman: Live and Exposed
Tracey Ullman: Live and Exposed is an HBO stand-up special starring comedian Tracey Ullman. The stage show documents Ullman's life, with reenactments of her childhood, her early days as a dancer, her time on the stage, her music stint, and her television career.Many of Ullman's characters are also...
, Ullman recreated her music career, recounting how she entered the business, and why she left it. Performances of many of her hit singles were also performed in front of an audience for the performance. In October 2006, Ullman took part in the BBC Four
BBC Four
BBC Four is a British television network operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation and available to digital television viewers on Freeview, IPTV, satellite and cable....
documentary series, If It Ain't Stiff, a mini-series dedicated to the history of the label. A new "remastered" version of ...17 Places was released in 2007.
Early years
Along with her stint in the music world, Ullman began working in television. Between 1981 and 1984 she starred in sketch comedies A Kick Up the EightiesA Kick Up the Eighties
A Kick Up the Eighties was a 1981-1984 BBC Scotland sketch show starring Robbie Coltrane, Tracey Ullman, Richard Stilgoe, Miriam Margolyes, Rik Mayall, Ron Bain and Roger Sloman....
and Three of a Kind for the BBC. In 1985, she donned a blond wig and took the role of a promiscuous gold digger named "Candice Valentine" on the ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
sitcom Girls On Top
Girls On Top
Girls On Top was a British television sitcom on ITV from 1985 to 1986. It was conceived by and starred French & Saunders - their first high-profile writing for television - and despite a low budget and poor critical reception received high ratings. It was made for the ITV network by Central.The...
. She left after one season, due to being pregnant and giving birth to her first child in 1986.
At this point, US television beckoned, and renowned television producer James L. Brooks
James L. Brooks
James Lawrence Brooks is an American director, producer and screenwriter. Growing up in North Bergen, New Jersey, Brooks endured a fractured family life and passed the time by reading and writing. After dropping out of New York University, he got a job as an usher at CBS, going on to write for the...
came calling. The two had discussed working together previously, but it was not until 1987 that they created The Tracey Ullman Show
The Tracey Ullman Show
The Tracey Ullman Show was an American television variety show, hosted by British comedian and onetime pop singer Tracey Ullman. It debuted on April 5, 1987 as the Fox network's second primetime series after Married... with Children, and ran until May 26, 1990. The show blended sketch comedy shorts...
. Ullman played a variety of characters, completely unrecognizable with the help of makeup, prosthetics, and padding. The show was the first commercial hit for then unknown Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
channel. Paula Abdul
Paula Abdul
Paula Julie Abdul is an American singer-songwriter, dancer, choreographer, actress and television personality.In the 1980s, Abdul rose from cheerleader for the Los Angeles Lakers to highly sought-after choreographer at the height of the music video era before scoring a string of pop music-R&B hits...
served as the show's choreographer. The then-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
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
, which was featured in simple cartoon shorts (created by cartoonist Matt Groening
Matt Groening
Matthew Abram "Matt" Groening is an American cartoonist, screenwriter, and producer. He is the creator of the comic strip Life in Hell as well as two successful television series, The Simpsons and Futurama....
at the behest of Ullman Show producer James L. Brooks
James L. Brooks
James Lawrence Brooks is an American director, producer and screenwriter. Growing up in North Bergen, New Jersey, Brooks endured a fractured family life and passed the time by reading and writing. After dropping out of New York University, he got a job as an usher at CBS, going on to write for the...
). Ullman provided the voice of Emily Winthrop, a British dog trainer on The Simpsons episode "Bart's Dog Gets an F
Bart's Dog Gets an F
"Bart's Dog Gets an F" is the sixteenth episode of The Simpsons second season. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on March 7, 1991. In this episode, the Simpson family's dog, Santa's Little Helper, manages to infuriate the entire family by destroying Homer's new shoes,...
" (1991). 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
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
. She wanted a share of The Simpsons merchandising and gross profits and believed she was entitled to $2.5 million of the estimated $50 million Fox made in 1992. The Fox network had paid her $58,000 in royalties for The Simpsons as well as $3 million for the 3½ seasons her show was on the air. As Ullman had continued her professional relationship with former producer Brooks, only the studio and not Brooks was named in the suit. Brooks was allowed to videotape his testimony as he was in the middle of filming I'll Do Anything
I'll Do Anything
I'll Do Anything is a 1994 American dramedy film written and directed by James L. Brooks. Its primary plot concerns a down-on-his-luck actor who suddenly finds himself the sole caretaker of his six-year-old daughter.-Synopsis:...
, in which Ullman appeared. Eventually the courts ruled in favor of the network.
HBO
Ullman returned to television in 1993, but this time in cable television. Two specials were created allowing Ullman to bring life to a host of new characters. The first, Tracey Ullman: A Class ActTracey Ullman: A Class Act
Tracey Ullman: A Class Act is a sketch comedy first aired in 1992.-Summary:Actress-comedienne Tracey Ullman stars in the one-off comedy special, Tracey Ullman: A Class Act. The special studies and skewers the British class system. The show is broken up into three sketches...
, took a humorous jab at the British class system, and co-starred Monty Python
Monty Python
Monty Python was a British surreal comedy group who created their influential Monty Python's Flying Circus, a British television comedy sketch show that first aired on the BBC on 5 October 1969. Forty-five episodes were made over four series...
alumnus Michael Palin
Michael Palin
Michael Edward Palin, CBE FRGS is an English comedian, actor, writer and television presenter best known for being one of the members of the comedy group Monty Python and for his travel documentaries....
. For the second, Tracey Ullman Takes On New York
Tracey Ullman Takes On New York
Actress-comedienne, Tracey Ullman, stars in the one-off comedy special, Tracey Ullman Takes On New York, her first HBO project, later launching the series Tracey Takes On....-The Johnsons:...
, Ullman decided to take on a more American subject, New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. Both specials drew praise and awards. HBO became interested in doing a Tracey Takes On... series, and Ullman and her husband, Allan McKeown, set up production in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
in 1995.
Tracey Takes On...
Tracey Takes On...
Tracey Takes On... is an HBO sketch comedy series created by British-American comedienne Tracey Ullman.In 1993, Ullman returned to television after her hit Fox comedy series, The Tracey Ullman Show, was canceled, with two comedy specials for HBO. Tracey Ullman Takes On New York, and Tracey Ullman:...
premiered 24 January 1996, on HBO. Each episode would focus on a topic for Ullman to "take on" and examine. The series would have two to three long sketches, and many small interview-styled bits, with her many characters commenting on that week's topic. Unlike the Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
show, Tracey Takes On... was shot on location, not filmed in front of a live audience. Making the switch to a cable-produced series enabled Ullman free rein to do and say as she pleased.
A kiss with Tracey Ullman Show alum Julie Kavner
Julie Kavner
Julie Deborah Kavner is an American film and television actress, comedian and voice artist. Noted for her role as Marge Simpson on the animated television series The Simpsons, she also voices other characters for the show, including Jacqueline Bouvier, and Patty and Selma Bouvier.Born in Los...
kicked off the series' first episode. Ullman portrayed characters, both male and female, made up of many ethnicities. This included an Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
n donut shop owner, a (male) cab driver from the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
, and an African-American airport security guard. The series went on to win eight Emmys, numerous CableACE Awards, and a host of other media awards, and was critically acclaimed. In 1997, it won the Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series Emmy Award category for the episode Vegas. In 1998 the series was published in book form, Tracey Takes On...
Tracey Takes On...(book)
Tracey Takes On..., based on the HBO comedy series of the same name, is written by its star, Tracey Ullman. Ullman plays a variety of characters in her sketch-comedy series. Much of the book is transcripts from the series, translated with fonts, photographs, and inventive ways that represent the...
. The series was also awarded GLAAD awards for its portrayal of gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
and lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
characters. Tracey Takes On... completed its four-season run in 1999.
Oxygen stint
In 2001, Ullman took a break from her character-based series and created a chat show for Oxygen, Tracey Ullman's Visible Panty Lines. The show's main focus was fashion. Ullman had developed her own clothing website a few years prior. Interviewees included Arianna HuffingtonArianna Huffington
Arianna Huffington is a Greek American author and syndicated columnist. She is best known as co-founder of the news website The Huffington Post. A popular conservative commentator in the mid-1990s, she adopted more liberal political beliefs in the late 1990s...
and Charlize Theron
Charlize Theron
Charlize Theron is a South African actress, film producer and former fashion model.She rose to fame in the late 1990s following her roles in 2 Days in the Valley, Mighty Joe Young, The Devil's Advocate and The Cider House Rules...
. The series lasted for two seasons, and ended in 2002.
Return to HBO
A Takes On... spin-off pilot was produced in 2003, Tracey Ullman in the Trailer TalesTracey Ullman in the Trailer Tales
Tracey Ullman in the Trailer Tales is a 2003 HBO comedy special starring comedian Tracey Ullman, a spin-off of Ullman's sketch series, Tracey Takes On.......
. Tales spotlighted just one of Ullman's most popular characters, Ruby Romaine. The pilot aired, but no series was ever commissioned.
Tracey returned to HBO in the summer of 2005, with her autobiographical one-woman stage show, Tracey Ullman: Live and Exposed
Tracey Ullman: Live and Exposed
Tracey Ullman: Live and Exposed is an HBO stand-up special starring comedian Tracey Ullman. The stage show documents Ullman's life, with reenactments of her childhood, her early days as a dancer, her time on the stage, her music stint, and her television career.Many of Ullman's characters are also...
. The show garnered another Emmy nomination.
Showtime
Upon her naturalization in the United States, it was announced in April 2007 that she would be making the move from her 14-year working relationship with cable network, HBO, to the rival, Showtime. Ullman was to create a brand new series for the network, that would be inspired in part by her recently gained naturalisation. The series would focus on America, "the good, the bad, and the absolutely ridiculous", which also served as the series tag line.Ullman credits senior programmer, Robert Greenblatt, as a big influence in her decision for the move, and the network's budding roster of hit shows. Greenblatt was a young development director during her Tracey Ullman Show days, and was enthusiastic to get her over to Showtime. Five episodes were ordered for the first season.
For the first time since the early years of her career at the BBC, Ullman was not only creating a new lineup of original characters, but rather, also impersonating famous ones. Tracey Ullman's State of the Union
Tracey Ullman's State of the Union
Tracey Ullman's State of the Union is an American sketch-comedy series starring comedian Tracey Ullman. The series is written by Ullman along with Hollywood satirist Bruce Wagner. Gail Parent and Craig DiGregorio acted as contributing writers to the series' first season. On May 17, 2010, it was...
debuted on 30 March 2008.
The critical response to "State of the Union" was overwhelmingly positive. One critic pointed out a change in Ullman's humor:
Ullman has commented that the United States is, "now able to laugh at itself more," embracing more satiric
Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
humor, rather than deeming it "unpatriotic". Now that she's an official citizen, Ullman joked that she, "won't end up in Guantánamo Bay," for speaking her mind.
Ullman hoped to continue the series after season one. Showtime announced that it had greenlighted a second season for 2009. It was commissioned for a third run for 2010.
Other notable work
Ullman was the modern-day cartoon voice of Little LuluLittle Lulu
"Little Lulu" is the nickname for Lulu Moppett, a comic strip character created in the mid-1930s by Marjorie Henderson Buell. The character debuted in The Saturday Evening Post on February 23, 1935 in a single panel, appearing as a flower girl at a wedding and strewing the aisle with banana peels...
. She also had a recurring role as an unconventional psychotherapist in Ally McBeal
Ally McBeal
Ally McBeal is an American legal comedy-drama series which aired on the Fox network from 1997 to 2002. The series was created by David E. Kelley, who also served as the executive producer, along with Bill D'Elia...
, a role that won her an American Comedy Award.
Ullman co-starred with Carol Burnett
Carol Burnett
Carol Creighton Burnett is an American actress, comedian, singer, dancer and writer. Burnett started her career in New York. After becoming a hit on Broadway, she made her television debut...
in the television adaptation of Once Upon a Mattress
Once Upon a Mattress
Once Upon a Mattress is a musical comedy with music by Mary Rodgers, lyrics by Marshall Barer and book by Jay Thompson, Dean Fuller, and Marshall Barer. It opened off-Broadway in May 1959, and then moved to Broadway...
. Ullman played Princess Winnifred, a role originally made famous by Burnett on Broadway, who took on the role of the evil Queen.
Film career
Along with her television work, Ullman has featured in many films throughout her career. Her first theatrical film was a small role in Paul McCartneyPaul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
's 1984 film Give My Regards to Broad Street
Give My Regards to Broad Street
Give My Regards to Broad Street is the soundtrack album to the 1984 film of the same name. Unlike the film, the album was successful, achieving #1 in the UK chart and its lead single "No More Lonely Nights" was BAFTA and Golden Globe award nominated....
. This was followed by a supporting role in the 1985 Meryl Streep
Meryl Streep
Mary Louise "Meryl" Streep is an American actress who has worked in theatre, television and film.Streep made her professional stage debut in 1971's The Playboy of Seville, before her screen debut in the television movie The Deadliest Season in 1977. In that same year, she made her film debut with...
drama Plenty
Plenty
Plenty may refer to:*PLENTY , a local currency accepted in Pittsboro, North Carolina*Plenty , a play by David Hare*Plenty , a 1985 film directed by Fred Schepisi*Plenty , a 2010 album by the English band Red Box...
which gained Ullman international aclaim for her comic and dramatic performance.
After the cancellation of The Tracey Ullman Show
The Tracey Ullman Show
The Tracey Ullman Show was an American television variety show, hosted by British comedian and onetime pop singer Tracey Ullman. It debuted on April 5, 1987 as the Fox network's second primetime series after Married... with Children, and ran until May 26, 1990. The show blended sketch comedy shorts...
in 1990, she made her starring debut alongside Kevin Kline
Kevin Kline
Kevin Delaney Kline is an American theatre, voice, film actor and comedian. He has won an Academy Award and two Tony Awards, and has been nominated for five Golden Globe Awards, two BAFTA Awards and an Emmy Award.- Early life :...
, River Phoenix
River Phoenix
River Jude Phoenix was an American film actor, musician, and teen icon. He was the oldest brother of fellow actors Rain, Joaquin, Liberty, and Summer Phoenix.Phoenix began acting at age 10 in television commercials...
and Joan Plowright
Joan Plowright
Joan Ann Plowright, Baroness Olivier, DBE , better known as Dame Joan Plowright, is an English actress, whose career has spanned over sixty years. Throughout her career she has won two Golden Globe Awards and a Tony Award and has been nominated for an Academy Award, an Emmy, and two BAFTA Awards...
in I Love You to Death
I Love You to Death
I Love You to Death is a 1990 American dark comedy film directed by Lawrence Kasdan. It is loosely based on an attempted murder that happened in 1984, in Allentown, Pennsylvania, where Frances Toto repeatedly tried to kill her husband, Anthony...
. Ullman has also appeared in lead and supporting roles in Robin Hood: Men in Tights
Robin Hood: Men in Tights
Robin Hood: Men in Tights is a 1993 French-American adventure comedy film and a parody of the Robin Hood story. Produced and directed by Mel Brooks, the film stars Cary Elwes, Richard Lewis, and Dave Chappelle in his film debut...
, Nancy Savoca
Nancy Savoca
Nancy Savoca is an American film screenwriter, director, and producer. Born and raised in the Bronx, New York, she is the daughter of Sicilian and Argentine immigrants Calogero Savoca and Maria Elvira Savoca...
's Household Saints
Household Saints
Household Saints is a 1993 film starring Tracey Ullman, Vincent D'Onofrio, and Lili Taylor. It was based on the novel by Francine Prose and directed by Nancy Savoca. The film explores the lives of three generations of Italian-American women over the course of the latter-half of the 20th century...
, Bullets Over Broadway
Bullets Over Broadway
Bullets Over Broadway is a 1994 crime-comedy film written by Woody Allen and Douglas McGrath and directed by Woody Allen. It stars an ensemble cast including John Cusack, Dianne Wiest, Chazz Palminteri, and Jennifer Tilly....
, Small Time Crooks
Small Time Crooks
Small Time Crooks is a 2000 American crime-comedy film directed, written, and starring Woody Allen, along with Tracey Ullman and Hugh Grant.-Plot:...
, A Dirty Shame
A Dirty Shame
A Dirty Shame is a 2004 satirical sex comedy written and directed by John Waters, and starring Tracey Ullman, Selma Blair, Johnny Knoxville, Chris Isaak, Suzanne Shepherd, and Mink Stole.-Plot:...
, and Tim Burton's Corpse Bride.
Ullman portrayed Mother Nature
Mother Nature
Mother Nature is a common personification of nature that focuses on the life-giving and nurturing aspects of nature by embodying it in the form of the mother. Images of women representing mother earth, and mother nature, are timeless...
in the 2007 romantic-comedy film, I Could Never Be Your Woman
I Could Never Be Your Woman
I Could Never Be Your Woman is a 2007 American romantic comedy film directed and written by Amy Heckerling and starring Michelle Pfeiffer and Paul Rudd. The film was released on May 11 in Spain, July 18 in Belgium, September 14 in Brazil, September 20 in Greece and October 19 in Taiwan...
, starring 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...
. Ullman acted as creative consultant on the 2006 Dreamworks
DreamWorks
DreamWorks Pictures, also known as DreamWorks, LLC, DreamWorks SKG, DreamWorks II Distribution Co., LLC, DreamWorks Studios or DW Studios, LLC, is an American film studio which develops, produces, and distributes films, video games and television programming...
feature, Flushed Away
Flushed Away
Flushed Away is a 2006 computer animated British film directed by David Bowers and Sam Fell. It is a partnership between Aardman Animations of Wallace and Gromit fame, and DreamWorks Animation, and is Aardman's first completely computer-animated feature as opposed to the usual stop-motion.The film...
.
Ullman signed on to voice along with such actors as Dustin Hoffman
Dustin Hoffman
Dustin Lee Hoffman is an American actor with a career in film, television, and theatre since 1960. He has been known for his versatile portrayals of antiheroes and vulnerable characters....
, Kevin Kline
Kevin Kline
Kevin Delaney Kline is an American theatre, voice, film actor and comedian. He has won an Academy Award and two Tony Awards, and has been nominated for five Golden Globe Awards, two BAFTA Awards and an Emmy Award.- Early life :...
, William H. Macy
William H. Macy
William Hall Macy, Jr. is an American actor and writer. He was nominated for an Academy Award for his role as Jerry Lundegaard in Fargo. He is also a teacher and director in theater, film and television. His film career has been built mostly on his appearances in small, independent films, though...
, Stanley Tucci
Stanley Tucci
Stanley Tucci is an American actor, writer, film producer and film director. He has been nominated for several notable film awards, including an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, for his performance in The Lovely Bones...
, Christopher Lloyd
Christopher Lloyd
Christopher Allen Lloyd is an American actor. He is best known for playing Emmett Brown in the Back to the Future trilogy, Uncle Fester in The Addams Family and Addams Family Values, and Judge Doom in Who Framed Roger Rabbit. He played Reverend Jim Ignatowski in the television series Taxi and more...
, Sigourney Weaver
Sigourney Weaver
Sigourney Weaver is an American actress. She is best known for her critically acclaimed role of Ellen Ripley in the four Alien films: Alien, Aliens, Alien 3 and Alien Resurrection, for which she has received worldwide recognition .Other notable roles include Dana...
, and Emma Watson
Emma Watson
Emma Charlotte Duerre Watson is an English actress and model.Watson rose to prominence playing Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter film series. Watson was cast as Hermione at the age of nine, having previously acted only in school plays. From 2001 to 2011, she starred in all eight Harry Potter...
in the computer-animated The Tale of Despereaux
The Tale of Despereaux (film)
The Tale of Despereaux is a 2008 computer-animated film directed by Sam Fell and Robert Stevenhagen. Loosely based on the 2003 fantasy book of the same name by Kate DiCamillo, the movie is narrated by Sigourney Weaver and stars Matthew Broderick and Emma Watson...
.
Stock footage of Ullman was used in the movie The Queen
The Queen (film)
The Queen is a 2006 British drama film directed by Stephen Frears, written by Peter Morgan, and starring Helen Mirren as the title role, HM Queen Elizabeth II...
with Helen Mirren
Helen Mirren
Dame Helen Mirren, DBE is an English actor. She has won an Academy Award for Best Actress, four SAG Awards, four BAFTAs, three Golden Globes, four Emmy Awards, and two Cannes Film Festival Best Actress Awards.-Early life and family:...
. The footage was used without her permission.
Personal life
Ullman married producer Allan McKeownAllan McKeown
Allan McKeown is an English Emmy-Award winning UK and US television and stage producer.- Early life :Allan McKeown was born in Ealing on 21 May 1946. His parents Edith McKeown and Victor McKeown moved first to Hackney and then to Hainault in Essex. His father was the Clerk of Works at the new...
on 27 December 1983; they have two children, Mabel Ellen McKeown (born 1986) and John Albert Victor McKeown (born 1991). Mabel McKeown works for Harriet Harman
Harriet Harman
Harriet Ruth Harman QC is a British Labour Party politician, who is the Member of Parliament for Camberwell and Peckham, and was MP for the predecessorPeckham constituency from 1982 to 1997...
in a job funded by the Labour Party. She unsuccessfully ran as Labour's candidate in the by-election in Cremorne in Kensington
Kensington
Kensington is a district of west and central London, England within the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. An affluent and densely-populated area, its commercial heart is Kensington High Street, and it contains the well-known museum district of South Kensington.To the north, Kensington is...
and Chelsea Council
Chelsea, London
Chelsea is an area of West London, England, bounded to the south by the River Thames, where its frontage runs from Chelsea Bridge along the Chelsea Embankment, Cheyne Walk, Lots Road and Chelsea Harbour. Its eastern boundary was once defined by the River Westbourne, which is now in a pipe above...
in 2010. She once contributed to The Huffington Post
The Huffington Post
The Huffington Post is an American news website and content-aggregating blog founded by Arianna Huffington, Kenneth Lerer, and Jonah Peretti, featuring liberal minded columnists and various news sources. The site offers coverage of politics, theology, media, business, entertainment, living, style,...
. She has also campaigned for Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
in her native country.
Ullman became an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
citizen in December 2006 and now holds dual citizenship
Multiple citizenship
Multiple citizenship is a status in which a person is concurrently regarded as a citizen under the laws of more than one state. Multiple citizenships exist because different countries use different, and not necessarily mutually exclusive, citizenship requirements...
of the United States and the United Kingdom. In 2006, Ullman topped the list for the "Wealthiest British Comedians", with an estimated wealth of £75 million.
Filmography
- Mackenzie (1980) TV Series – Lisa MacKenzie
- Three of a Kind (1981) TV Series
- Happy Since I Met You (1981) (TV) – Karen
- A Kick Up the EightiesA Kick Up the EightiesA Kick Up the Eighties was a 1981-1984 BBC Scotland sketch show starring Robbie Coltrane, Tracey Ullman, Richard Stilgoe, Miriam Margolyes, Rik Mayall, Ron Bain and Roger Sloman....
(1981) TV Series – Various Roles - Give My Regards to Broad StreetGive My Regards to Broad StreetGive My Regards to Broad Street is the soundtrack album to the 1984 film of the same name. Unlike the film, the album was successful, achieving #1 in the UK chart and its lead single "No More Lonely Nights" was BAFTA and Golden Globe award nominated....
(1984) – Sandra - PlentyPlenty (film)Plenty is a 1985 British drama film directed by Fred Schepisi and starring Meryl Streep . It was adapted from David Hare's play of the same name.-Plot:...
(1985) – Alice Park - "Girls On TopGirls On TopGirls On Top was a British television sitcom on ITV from 1985 to 1986. It was conceived by and starred French & Saunders - their first high-profile writing for television - and despite a low budget and poor critical reception received high ratings. It was made for the ITV network by Central.The...
" (1985) TV Series – Candice Valentine - Jumpin' Jack FlashJumpin' Jack Flash (film)Jumpin' Jack Flash is a 1986 spy comedy film starring Whoopi Goldberg, Stephen Collins, Carol Kane, John Wood, Annie Potts, and Jonathan Pryce...
(1986) – Fiona - The Tracey Ullman ShowThe Tracey Ullman ShowThe Tracey Ullman Show was an American television variety show, hosted by British comedian and onetime pop singer Tracey Ullman. It debuted on April 5, 1987 as the Fox network's second primetime series after Married... with Children, and ran until May 26, 1990. The show blended sketch comedy shorts...
(1987) – TV Series - I, Martin Short, Goes Hollywood (1989) (TV) – Tina Wise
- I Love You to DeathI Love You to DeathI Love You to Death is a 1990 American dark comedy film directed by Lawrence Kasdan. It is loosely based on an attempted murder that happened in 1984, in Allentown, Pennsylvania, where Frances Toto repeatedly tried to kill her husband, Anthony...
(1990) – Rosalie Boca - Tracey Ullman: A Class ActTracey Ullman: A Class ActTracey Ullman: A Class Act is a sketch comedy first aired in 1992.-Summary:Actress-comedienne Tracey Ullman stars in the one-off comedy special, Tracey Ullman: A Class Act. The special studies and skewers the British class system. The show is broken up into three sketches...
(1992) (TV) – Various - Death Becomes HerDeath Becomes HerDeath Becomes Her is a 1992 American dark slapstick screwball comedy fantasy film directed by Robert Zemeckis and starring Goldie Hawn, Meryl Streep, and Bruce Willis...
(1992) – Toni (scenes deleted) - Happily Ever After (1993) (voice) – Thunderella and Moonbeam
- Robin Hood: Men in TightsRobin Hood: Men in TightsRobin Hood: Men in Tights is a 1993 French-American adventure comedy film and a parody of the Robin Hood story. Produced and directed by Mel Brooks, the film stars Cary Elwes, Richard Lewis, and Dave Chappelle in his film debut...
(1993) – Latrine - Household SaintsHousehold SaintsHousehold Saints is a 1993 film starring Tracey Ullman, Vincent D'Onofrio, and Lili Taylor. It was based on the novel by Francine Prose and directed by Nancy Savoca. The film explores the lives of three generations of Italian-American women over the course of the latter-half of the 20th century...
(1993) – Catherine Falconetti - Tracey Ullman Takes On New YorkTracey Ullman Takes On New YorkActress-comedienne, Tracey Ullman, stars in the one-off comedy special, Tracey Ullman Takes On New York, her first HBO project, later launching the series Tracey Takes On....-The Johnsons:...
(1993) (TV) – Various characters - I'll Do AnythingI'll Do AnythingI'll Do Anything is a 1994 American dramedy film written and directed by James L. Brooks. Its primary plot concerns a down-on-his-luck actor who suddenly finds himself the sole caretaker of his six-year-old daughter.-Synopsis:...
(1994) – Beth Hobbs - Bullets Over BroadwayBullets Over BroadwayBullets Over Broadway is a 1994 crime-comedy film written by Woody Allen and Douglas McGrath and directed by Woody Allen. It stars an ensemble cast including John Cusack, Dianne Wiest, Chazz Palminteri, and Jennifer Tilly....
(1994) – Eden Brent - Prêt-à-PorterPrêt-à-Porter (film)Prêt-à-Porter is a 1994 American satirical black comedy film co-written, directed, and produced by Robert Altman and shot during the Paris, France, Fashion Week with a host of international stars, models and designers...
(1994) – Nina Scant - The Little Lulu ShowThe Little Lulu ShowThe Little Lulu Show is an animated television series, based on the Marjorie Henderson Buell comic book character Little Lulu. The show was produced by CINAR Animation after Marge's death in 1993, and aired on HBO Family and Cartoon Network in the United States and on , CTV, and the Family Channel...
(1995) TV Series – Lulu (First few episodes) - Tracey Takes On...Tracey Takes On...Tracey Takes On... is an HBO sketch comedy series created by British-American comedienne Tracey Ullman.In 1993, Ullman returned to television after her hit Fox comedy series, The Tracey Ullman Show, was canceled, with two comedy specials for HBO. Tracey Ullman Takes On New York, and Tracey Ullman:...
(1996) – TV Series - Ally McBealAlly McBealAlly McBeal is an American legal comedy-drama series which aired on the Fox network from 1997 to 2002. The series was created by David E. Kelley, who also served as the executive producer, along with Bill D'Elia...
(1997–2000) – Dr Tracey Clark - C-Scam (2000)
- Panic (2000) – Martha
- Small Time CrooksSmall Time CrooksSmall Time Crooks is a 2000 American crime-comedy film directed, written, and starring Woody Allen, along with Tracey Ullman and Hugh Grant.-Plot:...
(2000) – Frenchy - Visible Panty Lines (2001) TV Series
- Tracey Ullman in the Trailer TalesTracey Ullman in the Trailer TalesTracey Ullman in the Trailer Tales is a 2003 HBO comedy special starring comedian Tracey Ullman, a spin-off of Ullman's sketch series, Tracey Takes On.......
(2003) (TV) – Ruby Romaine/Svetlana/Pepper Kane - A Dirty ShameA Dirty ShameA Dirty Shame is a 2004 satirical sex comedy written and directed by John Waters, and starring Tracey Ullman, Selma Blair, Johnny Knoxville, Chris Isaak, Suzanne Shepherd, and Mink Stole.-Plot:...
(2004) – Sylvia Stickles - Tracey Ullman: Live and ExposedTracey Ullman: Live and ExposedTracey Ullman: Live and Exposed is an HBO stand-up special starring comedian Tracey Ullman. The stage show documents Ullman's life, with reenactments of her childhood, her early days as a dancer, her time on the stage, her music stint, and her television career.Many of Ullman's characters are also...
(2005) - The Cat That Looked at a King (2004) (V) (voice) – The Cat
- Corpse BrideCorpse BrideCorpse Bride, often promoted as Tim Burton's Corpse Bride, is a 2005 stop-motion-animated fantasy musical film directed by Mike Johnson and Tim Burton. It is set in a fictional Victorian era village in Europe. Johnny Depp led an all-star cast as the voice of Victor, while Helena Bonham Carter ...
(2005) (voice) – Nell Van Dort/Hildegarde - Kronk's New GrooveKronk's New GrooveKronk's New Groove is a 2005 direct-to-video animated film released by The Walt Disney Company on December 13, 2005. The film is the sequel to the 2000 animated film The Emperor's New Groove, and features reprises of the roles of David Spade, John Goodman, Eartha Kitt, Patrick Warburton and Wendie...
(2005) (V) (voice) – Ms. Birdwell - Once Upon a MattressOnce Upon a MattressOnce Upon a Mattress is a musical comedy with music by Mary Rodgers, lyrics by Marshall Barer and book by Jay Thompson, Dean Fuller, and Marshall Barer. It opened off-Broadway in May 1959, and then moved to Broadway...
(2005) (TV) – Princess Winnifred - I Could Never Be Your WomanI Could Never Be Your WomanI Could Never Be Your Woman is a 2007 American romantic comedy film directed and written by Amy Heckerling and starring Michelle Pfeiffer and Paul Rudd. The film was released on May 11 in Spain, July 18 in Belgium, September 14 in Brazil, September 20 in Greece and October 19 in Taiwan...
(2007) – Mother Nature - Dawn French's Girls Who Do ComedyDawn French's Girls Who Do ComedyDawn French's Girls Who Do Comedy is an interview series shown on BBC Four. In the series, Dawn French interviewed some of the most prolific comedians of the century from Phyllis Diller to Catherine Tate and asked about life, love, family and comedy...
Three part TV series (2006) - The Tale of DespereauxThe Tale of Despereaux (film)The Tale of Despereaux is a 2008 computer-animated film directed by Sam Fell and Robert Stevenhagen. Loosely based on the 2003 fantasy book of the same name by Kate DiCamillo, the movie is narrated by Sigourney Weaver and stars Matthew Broderick and Emma Watson...
(2008) (voice) – Mig - Tracey Ullman's State of the UnionTracey Ullman's State of the UnionTracey Ullman's State of the Union is an American sketch-comedy series starring comedian Tracey Ullman. The series is written by Ullman along with Hollywood satirist Bruce Wagner. Gail Parent and Craig DiGregorio acted as contributing writers to the series' first season. On May 17, 2010, it was...
(2008–2010) TV Series – Various characters
Stage
- 1982: Rita, Sue and Bob Too
- 1990: The Taming Of The ShrewThe Taming of the ShrewThe Taming of the Shrew is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1590 and 1591.The play begins with a framing device, often referred to as the Induction, in which a mischievous nobleman tricks a drunken tinker named Sly into believing he is actually a nobleman himself...
– Kate - 1991: The Big LoveThe Big LoveThe Big Love, is a non-fiction scandalous biographical account of an alleged love affair between actor Errol Flynn and then 15-year-old actress Beverly Aadland, as told by her mother, Florence Aadland....
– Florence Aadland - 2005: Tracey Ullman: Live and ExposedTracey Ullman: Live and ExposedTracey Ullman: Live and Exposed is an HBO stand-up special starring comedian Tracey Ullman. The stage show documents Ullman's life, with reenactments of her childhood, her early days as a dancer, her time on the stage, her music stint, and her television career.Many of Ullman's characters are also...
- 2011: My City – Elizabeth Lambert
Discography
- 1983: You Broke My Heart In 17 PlacesYou Broke My Heart In 17 PlacesYou Broke My Heart In 17 Places, is a studio album by singer-actress-comedienne, Tracey Ullman. It peaked at number 14 on the UK album chart and number 34 on the Billboard 200 in the U.S., in the Spring of 1984....
UK #12 US #34 - 1984: You Caught Me OutYou Caught Me OutYou Caught Me Out is the second studio album by singer-actress-comedienne, Tracey Ullman. It was released on Stiff Records in 1984 throughout Europe...
UK #92 - 1984: Forever - The Best Of Tracey Ullman
Charting singles
- 1983: BreakawayBreakaway (Irma Thomas song)"Breakaway" is a song written by Jackie DeShannon and Sharon Sheeley. It was originally recorded by Irma Thomas in 1964 and released as the B-Side of her biggest hit, the US #17 hit single "Wish Someone Would Care"...
UK #4 US #70 - 1983: They Don't KnowThey Don't Know (Kirsty MacColl song)"They Don't Know" is a popular song, written and composed by singer-songwriter Kirsty MacColl, the daughter of singer-songwriter Ewan MacColl. Ms. MacColl recorded it in 1979. It became popular on radio in the United Kingdom, reaching #2 on the Music Week airplay chart...
UK #2 US #8 - 1983: Move Over Darling UK #8
- 1984: My Guy UK #23
- 1984: Sunglasses UK #18
- 1984: Helpless UK #61
- 1985: Terry UK #81
Awards and honors
To date, Ullman is a seven time Emmy AwardEmmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
winning, and American Comedy Award winning actor.
On 5 December 2006, Tracey was honored at the Museum of Television and Radio along with likes of Carol Burnett
Carol Burnett
Carol Creighton Burnett is an American actress, comedian, singer, dancer and writer. Burnett started her career in New York. After becoming a hit on Broadway, she made her television debut...
, Lesley Visser
Lesley Visser
Lesley Candace Visser is an American sportscaster, radio personality, and sportswriter. Visser is the first female NFL analyst on TV, and the only sportscaster in history, male or female, who has worked on Final Four, NBA Finals, World Series, Triple Crown, Monday Night Football, the Olympics, the...
, Lesley Stahl
Lesley Stahl
Lesley Rene Stahl is an American television journalist. Since 1991, she has reported for CBS on 60 Minutes.-Personal life:...
, Jane Pauley
Jane Pauley
Margaret Jane Pauley is an American television journalist, and has been involved in news reporting since 1975...
, and Betty White
Betty White
Betty White Ludden , better known as Betty White, is an American actress, comedienne, singer, author, and former game show personality. With a career spanning seven decades since 1939, she is best known to modern audiences for her television roles as Sue Ann Nivens on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and...
, in the She Made It category.
In April 2009, it was announced that Ullman would be awarded a Lifetime Achievement BAFTA Award, the following May. She became the first recipient of the Charlie Chaplin award on 9 May 2009.
Awarded
- London Critics' Circle Award Most Promising New Actress "Four in a Million" 1981
- BAFTA Award Best Light Entertainment Performance "Three of a Kind" and "A Kick Up the Eighties" 1983
- Golden Globe Award Best Actress in a Television Series (Comedy or Musical) 1987
- Emmy Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Program "Tracey Ullman Show" 1988–89
- American Comedy Award Funniest Female Performer of the Year 1988
- Emmy Outstanding Writing in a Variety or Music Program "Tracey Ullman Show" 1989–90
- Emmy Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program "The Best of the Tracey Ullman Show" 1989–90
- Theatre World Special Award 1991
- Emmy Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series "Love & War" 1992–93
- American Comedy Award Funniest Female Performer in a Television Special "Funny Women of Television" 1992
- Emmy Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program "Tracey Ullman: Takes On New York" 1993–94
- CableACE Award Best Performance in a Comedy Series "Tracey Ullman: Takes on New York" 1994
- Women in Film Lucy Award in recognition of her excellence and innovation in her creative works that have enhanced the perception of women through the medium of television 1995
- Emmy Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series Tracey Takes On... 1996–97
- CableACE Award Best Actress in a Comedy Series Tracey Takes On... 1996
- CableACE Award Best Variety Special or Series Tracey Takes On... 1996
- American Comedy Award Funniest Female Performer in a Television Special Women of the Night IV 1996
- Golden Satellite Best Actress in a Television Series (Musical or Comedy) Tracey Takes On... 1997
- The Actor Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series Tracey Takes On... 1998
- Emmy Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series Ally McBeal 1998–99
- American Comedy Award Funniest Female Leading Performer in a Television Series Tracey Takes On... 1998
- American Comedy Award Funniest Female Guest Appearance in a Television Series Ally McBeal 1999
- American Comedy Award Funniest Female Leading Performer in a Television Series Tracey Takes On... 1999
- American Comedy Award Funniest Female Leading Performer in a Television Series Tracey Takes On... 2000
- Satellite Awards – Best Performance in a Comedy Series, Tracey Ullman 2008
Further reading
- Guinness Book of British Hit SinglesGuinness Book of British Hit SinglesBritish Hit Singles & Albums was a music reference book published in the United Kingdom by HiT Entertainment's "Guinness World Records". It listed all the singles and albums featured in the Top 75 Charts in UK, as compiled by the editors of British Hit Singles & Albums...
7th Edition - Archive of an Entertainment WeeklyEntertainment WeeklyEntertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
story by Frank Spotnitz on 1992 lawsuit - Tracey Ullman TV.com "Awards"