Ricki Lake

Personal Info

Known For Actor

Gender Female

Birthday 1968-09-21 (56 years old)

Place of Birth Hastings-on-Hudson, New York, USA

Ricki Lake

Biography

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

Actor

2022
Moon Manor

as Self

2022
The Wheel

as Self - Expert

2022
Sherri

as Self - Guest

2020
Stars in the House

as Self - Special Guest

2019
Tamron Hall

as Self - Guest

2019
RuPaul

as Self

2019
The Masked Singer

as Raven (archive footage)

2019
2017
Gemini

as Vanessa

2017
Drop the Mic

as Self

2016
Hairspray Live!

as Pinky's Girl

2016
Embrace

as Self

2015
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend

as Dream Ghost #1

2013
I Am Divine

as Self

2009
Loving Leah

as Rabbi Gerry

2009
Drop Dead Diva

as Susan Semler

2008
2007
Matters of Life & Dating

as Linda Dackman

2007
Hairspray

as Talent Agent

2006
Park

as Peggy

2006
2005
2005
Dancing with the Stars

as Self - Contestant

2004
2000
1999
Jackie's Back!

as Ricki Lake

1998
Murder She Purred: A Mrs. Murphy Mystery

as Mary Minor 'Harry' Haristeen

1998
The King of Queens

as Stephanie Heffernan

1998
1997
The View

as Self - Guest

1997
The View

as Self

1997
The View

as Self - Guest Co-Host

1997
King of the Hill

as Lila (voice)

1996
Mrs. Winterbourne

as Connie Doyle

1994
Serial Mom

as Misty Sutphin

1994
Cabin Boy

as Figurehead

1993
Skinner

as Kerry Tate

1993
Based on an Untrue Story

as Velour Gnack

1993
1993
1992
Inside Monkey Zetterland

as Bella the Stalker

1992
1991
The Chase

as Tammie

1990
Cry-Baby

as Pepper Walker

1990
Gravedale High

as Cleofatra

1989
Cookie

as Pia

1989
Babycakes

as Grace

1988
Working Girl

as Bridesmaid

1988
A Family Again

as Carmen

1988
Hairspray

as Tracy Turnblad

1988
The In Crowd

as Dancer (uncredited)

1988
China Beach

as Holly Pelegrino

Producer

2018
Weed the People

as Executive Producer

2012
2011
More Business of Being Born

as Executive Producer

Creator

2009
Olivia

as Creator