Ricki Lake

Ricki Pamela Lake, born on September 21, 1968, is a celebrated American television personality and actress. She gained fame for portraying Tracy Turnblad in the iconic 1988 film Hairspray, a performance that earned her a nomination for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead.

Lake is also recognized for her successful talk show, Ricki Lake, which aired internationally from September 1993 to May 2004. When the show first launched, she was just 24 years old, making her the youngest person at that time to host a syndicated talk show. In late 2012, she debuted a second talk show, The Ricki Lake Show, which, despite being canceled after one season in 2013, earned her a Daytime Emmy Award.

Her film work includes appearances in several John Waters productions such as Cry-Baby, Cecil B. Demented, and Serial Mom. She also featured in productions like Mrs. Winterbourne, Cabin Boy, and Last Exit to Brooklyn. Lake portrayed a Red Cross volunteer, Holly "the Donut Dolly" Pelegrino, in the Vietnam War drama series China Beach and had a recurring part as Doug's sister, Stephanie, on the CBS sitcom The King of Queens.

In 2008, she released a documentary titled The Business of Being Born, focusing on home birth and midwifery, and co-authored a book, Your Best Birth, in 2009. Lake and co-producer Abby Epstein also created MyBestBirth.com, a platform for parents and health professionals to discuss birthing options.

Lake returned to television in 2009 as the host of VH1's Charm School. In 2010, she appeared alongside renowned talk show hosts on The Oprah Winfrey Show. She showcased her dancing skills in the 13th season of Dancing with the Stars and later competed in The X Factor: Celebrity in 2019. In March 2018, at SXSW, she and Epstein premiered