Tracey Ullman facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Tracey Ullman
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Ullman at a book signing in 1998
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Trace Ullman
30 December 1959 Slough, Buckinghamshire, England
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| Alma mater | Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts |
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| Years active | 1976–present |
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Works
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Full list |
| Spouse(s) | |
| Children | 2 |
| Awards | Full list |
| Comedy career | |
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| Musical career | |
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| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 1983–1985 |
| Labels | Stiff |
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Tracey Ullman (born Trace Ullman on December 30, 1959) is a talented British-American actress, singer, dancer, writer, producer, and director. Even though many people call her a comedian, Tracey sees herself as a 'character actress.' This means she loves playing many different kinds of people. Critics praise her for easily changing characters and accents. Some even call her the "female Peter Sellers" because of her amazing range.
Tracey started her career as a serious actress on stage. She also appeared in the British TV show Mackenzie. After a great performance in the play Four in a Million, she started doing comedy. She starred in British sketch comedy shows like A Kick Up the Eighties and Three of a Kind. For Three of a Kind, she won a BAFTA in 1984. After a short but successful singing career, she played Candice Valentine in Girls on Top.
Tracey Ullman moved from the United Kingdom to the United States. There, she created her own TV comedy series, The Tracey Ullman Show, from 1987 to 1990. This show was also where the famous cartoon The Simpsons first appeared as short clips. Later, she made shows for HBO, like Tracey Takes On... (1996–99), which won many awards. She has also been in several movies, including Plenty (1985).
In 2016, she returned to British TV with the BBC sketch comedy show Tracey Ullman's Show. This was her first project with the BBC in over 30 years. This show then led to the comedy series Tracey Breaks the News in 2017.
Tracey Ullman is known for her many awards. These include twelve American Comedy Awards, seven Primetime Emmy Awards, two British Academy Film Awards, four Satellite Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award.
Contents
Early Life and Training
Tracey Ullman was born in Slough, England. She was the younger of two daughters. Her mother, Doreen, had British and Roma family roots. Her father, Anthony John Ullman, was a Pole who served in the Polish Army during World War II. He later worked as a lawyer and salesman in England.
When Tracey was six, her father passed away suddenly. After this, her family moved to Hackbridge, near London. Her mother worked hard to support the family. To cheer everyone up, Tracey and her sister Patti would put on shows for their mother. As her family moved around, Tracey went to many different schools. She often wrote and performed in school plays.
A headmaster noticed her talent and suggested she go to a performing arts school. At age twelve, she won a full scholarship to the Italia Conti Academy. When she was sixteen, she got a contract with a German ballet company. She performed in a show called Gigi in Berlin. Back in England, she joined a dance group. She also started performing in West End musicals like Grease and The Rocky Horror Show.
Television Career Highlights
Starting on British TV
Tracey Ullman began her TV career in 1980 in the series Mackenzie. She played a serious role, but soon moved into comedy. She appeared in the improvised play Four in a Million and won an award for Most Promising New Actress.
In 1981, she joined the BBC Scotland sketch comedy show A Kick Up the Eighties. This led to her own sketch show, Three of a Kind, with Lenny Henry and David Copperfield. Tracey made sure she could approve scripts and choose her own costumes. The show started in July 1981 and ran for three seasons. Tracey also sang funny versions of popular songs on the show. Three of a Kind helped her start a successful singing career and win her first BAFTA award in 1984.
In 1985, she starred in the ITV sitcom Girls on Top. She played Candice Valentine. She left the show after the first season.
The Tracey Ullman Show
In 1985, Tracey moved to Los Angeles with her husband, Allan McKeown. She wanted to work in movies and theater. Her agent sent a video of her work around Hollywood. This led to a deal with CBS. However, Tracey wanted to do a sketch show because she loved playing many different characters.
The Tracey Ullman Show first aired on April 5, 1987. This show also featured the very first short cartoons of The Simpsons. These shorts later became their own popular TV series in 1989. The Tracey Ullman Show won ten Primetime Emmy Awards. Tracey herself won three, including one for Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program in 1990. The show ended in 1990 after four seasons.
Working with HBO
In 1991, Tracey's husband won a TV license in England. This led to a Tracey Ullman TV special called Tracey Ullman: A Class Act in 1993. This show was about the British class system. Its success led to HBO in America asking her to make a special for them. She chose to focus on New York City. Tracey Ullman Takes on New York came out in 1993. It won two Emmy Awards and other honors. This success then led to the HBO sketch comedy series Tracey Takes On... in 1996.
Tracey returned to HBO in 2003 with a TV special she also directed, Tracey Ullman in the Trailer Tales. In 2005, she came back to HBO with her one-woman stage show, Tracey Ullman: Live and Exposed.
Later TV Work
In 2001, Tracey created a fashion talk show for Oxygen Network called Tracey Ullman's Visible Panty Lines. The show ran for two seasons.
In 2007, she moved to Showtime and created Tracey Ullman's State of the Union. This new sketch comedy series started in 2008 and ran for three seasons.
After more than 30 years, Tracey Ullman returned to the BBC in 2016 with Tracey Ullman's Show. This show also aired in the United States on HBO. It received Emmy nominations for its costumes and sketch comedy. This show then led to Tracey Breaks the News in 2017.
Other Notable Roles
In 1995, Tracey became the voice of Little Lulu in a cartoon. In 1999, she had a recurring role as a unique therapist on Ally McBeal. This role won her another Emmy Award. In 2005, she starred with Carol Burnett in the TV movie Once Upon a Mattress.
In 2014, Tracey appeared as Genevieve Scherbatsky in How I Met Your Mother. In 2017, she starred in the series Howards End. In 2019, she played Betty Friedan in the series Mrs. America, which earned her an Emmy nomination. She also played councilwoman Irma Kostroski in Curb Your Enthusiasm.
Music Career
In 1983, Tracey got a recording contract with Stiff Records. The label owner liked the musical parodies she did on TV. Tracey said she would have tried anything!
Within 18 months, Tracey had five songs in the Top 30 in the UK. Her songs were fun, upbeat pop tunes. Her first album, You Broke My Heart in 17 Places (1983), was a Top 20 hit in the UK. It included three Top 10 singles. Her first hit, "Breakaway", reached #4. This was followed by "They Don't Know", which reached #2 in the UK and #8 in the US. The music video for "They Don't Know" even featured Paul McCartney! Another single, "Move Over Darling", reached #8 in the UK.
Tracey released her second and final album, You Caught Me Out, in 1984. This album included her version of Madness's "My Girl", which she changed to "My Guy". Her last Top 30 hit was "Sunglasses" in 1984.
Film Roles
Tracey Ullman has also been in many movies. Her first film role was a small part in Paul McCartney's movie Give My Regards to Broad Street (1984). She then had a supporting role in Plenty (1985) with Meryl Streep.
She played a main role in I Love You to Death (1990). She also appeared in films like Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993), Bullets Over Broadway (1994), Small Time Crooks (2000), Panic (2000), and ... Shame (2004). She was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for her work in Small Time Crooks in 2001. She played Jack's mother in the movie Into the Woods (2014) and appeared in The Prom (2020).
Tracey has also lent her voice to animated films. These include Tim Burton's Corpse Bride, The Tale of Despereaux, and Onward.
Stage Performances
Tracey Ullman has a long history in theater, starting in the 1970s. In 1980, she was in Talent in Liverpool. In 1982, she played Kate Hardcastle in She Stoops to Conquer. She also worked on the musical Starlight Express and performed in The Grass Widow with Alan Rickman.
In 1990, she starred with Morgan Freeman in a Wild West version of Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew. In 1991, she performed on Broadway in the one-woman show The Big Love. Both of these roles earned her Theatre World Awards.
In 2011, she returned to the British stage in the play My City. Her performance earned her an Evening Standard Theatre Awards nomination. In 2012, she joined the cast of What About Dick?, a musical comedy radio play. She performed this show with other famous actors like Eddie Izzard and Russell Brand.
Personal Life
Tracey Ullman married producer Allan McKeown in 1983. They had two children together. Allan passed away in 2013.
Tracey's mother passed away in 2015.
In 2018, Tracey became a grandmother.
Tracey became an American citizen in December 2006. She now holds dual citizenship in both the United Kingdom and the United States. In 2017, her wealth was estimated to be around £80 million.
Tracey is also a big fan of knitting. She even co-wrote a knitting book called Knit 2 Together: Patterns and Stories for Serious Knitting Fun in 2006.
Images for kids
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Tracey Ullman's signature
See also
In Spanish: Tracey Ullman para niños
