Ricki Lake
Ricki Lake
Ricki Pamela Lake (born September 21, 1968) is an American television host and actress. She is known for her lead role as Tracy Turnblad in the 1988 film Hairspray, for which she received a nomination for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead. She is also known for her talk show, Ricki Lake, which was broadcast internationally from September 1993 until May 2004. When the show debuted, she was 24 and credited as being the youngest person to host a syndicated talk show at the time. In late 2012, Lake began hosting a second syndicated talk show, The Ricki Lake Show. The series was canceled in 2013 after a single season, but Lake won her first Daytime Emmy Award for the project. She also starred in other Waters films including Cry-Baby, Cecil B. Demented, and Serial Mom. She starred in Mrs. Winterbourne, Cabin Boy, Last Exit to Brooklyn, Cookie, and Inside Monkey Zetterland. She joined the cast of the Vietnam War drama series China Beach as a Red Cross volunteer, Holly "the Donut Dolly" Pelegrino, for the show's third season. She also had a recurring role on the CBS sitcom The King of Queens as Doug's sister Stephanie. She also had a cameo in the 2007 film Hairspray as a talent agent and sang "Mama I'm A Big Girl Now" with Nikki Blonsky and Marissa Jaret Winokur for the film's end credits. In 2008, her documentary about home birth and midwifery, The Business of Being Born, was released. She also jointly wrote a book, Your Best Birth, on the world of natural childbirth and birthing options, along with Abby Epstein and Jacques Moritz, which was published in 2009. Lake and Epstein also launched MyBestBirth.com, an online social network, powered by Ning, intended to allow parents and medical professionals to dialogue about varying birthing options and resources. She returned to television on May 11, 2009, succeeding Sharon Osbourne as host for the third season of VH1's Charm School. On November 10, 2010, Lake joined fellow talkers Phil Donahue, Sally Jessy Raphael, Geraldo Rivera, and Montel Williams as guests of Oprah Winfrey on The Oprah Winfrey Show, marking the first time those hosts appeared together on one show since their respective programs left the air. She competed on the 13th season of Dancing with the Stars. She was partnered with three-time champion Derek Hough and cited Kirstie Alley's appearance as an inspiration to do the show. In October 2019, she began competing in The X Factor: Celebrity. In March 2018, at SXSW, Lake and Epstein premiered their documentary film Weed the People, examining the use of cannabis as medicine and its status as a Schedule I prohibited drug in the United States. The film focused in particular on the use of cannabis in the treatment of pediatric cancer.
Known For Acting
Most Rating 9.344
Birthday 1968-09-21
Place of Birth Hastings-on-Hudson, New York, USA
Also Known As
The In Crowd
1988

The In Crowd

A Family Again
1988

A Family Again

Serial Mom
1994

Serial Mom

Under the Christmas Tree
2021

Under the Christmas Tree

Based on an Untrue Story
1993

Based on an Untrue Story

Cabin Boy
1994

Cabin Boy

Cry-Baby
1990

Cry-Baby

Mrs. Winterbourne
1996

Mrs. Winterbourne

Cecil B. Demented
2000

Cecil B. Demented

Working Girl
1988

Working Girl

Last Exit to Brooklyn
1989

Last Exit to Brooklyn

Where the Day Takes You
1992

Where the Day Takes You

The Business of Being Born
2008

The Business of Being Born

Murder She Purred: A Mrs. Murphy Mystery
1998

Murder She Purred: A Mrs. Murphy Mystery

Skinner
1993

Skinner

Cookie
1989

Cookie

Matters of Life & Dating
2007

Matters of Life & Dating

I Am Divine
2013

I Am Divine

Inside Monkey Zetterland
1992

Inside Monkey Zetterland

Babycakes
1989

Babycakes

It Came from... Baltimore!!
2005

It Came from... Baltimore!!

Loving Leah
2009

Loving Leah

The Chase
1991

The Chase

Moon Manor
2022

Moon Manor

More Business of Being Born
2011

More Business of Being Born

Buffy the Vampire Slayer
1992

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Embrace
2016

Embrace

Gemini
2017

Gemini

Hairspray Live!
2016

Hairspray Live!

Hairspray
2007

Hairspray

The Naked Brothers Band: The Movie
2005

The Naked Brothers Band: The Movie

Park
2006

Park

A Dirty Shame
2004

A Dirty Shame

Hairspray
1988

Hairspray

Jackie's Back!
1999

Jackie's Back!