5 Interesting Facts You Need To Know About Tracey Ullman

Quick Facts

Tracey Ullman is a woman who dons many professional hats. She is a comedian, actress, screenwriter, director, producer, author, businesswoman, dancer, and singer. Originally from Britain, Tracey also holds American citizenship. She is regarded as one of the most successful comics of our time.

She had a short-lived singing career and also worked as a dancer before deciding to pursue comedy. Tracey became a household name after she appeared in British sketch shows such as A Kick Up the Eighties, Three of a Kind, and Girls on Top. With her growing success came a bigger platform and opportunity in the form of her own comedy series, The Tracey Ullman Show. It ran for three seasons, from 1987 to 1990. She went on to produce Tracey Takes On for HBO, winning numerous awards for her work on the project.

In 2008, she launched Tracey Ullman’s State of the Union, a sketch comedy series on Showtime and it ran for two years. She also starred in a number of feature films. Tracey was given her own sketch series on television networks in the United States and the United Kingdom, becoming the first British woman to achieve such a feat. She is the richest British female comic and actress, as well as the third richest comedian in Britain.

Early Life and Background Details

Tracey was born on December 30, 1959, in Slough, Buckinghamshire, to Antony and Dorin Ullman. Her father served in the second world war and found work after the war ended as a lawyer, then a salesman, and later on, as a travel agent. She was the second of two daughters born to her parents.

As a young child, it was obvious that Tracey had the performance gene. When she was 6 years old, her father died of a heart attack while sitting in front of her and it devastated her entire family. They had to move from their upper-middle-class life to a life of struggle as her mother couldn’t make ends meet. The stress of losing her husband and working several odd jobs led her mother into deep depression, so Tracey and her sister, Patti had to perform variety shows every night to cheer her up.

Tracey began writing and performing in school plays and her undeniable talent secured her a scholarship to Italia Conti Academy when she was 12. A psychic predicted that she would become famous someday, especially in America. That was all the boost she needed. At 13, she appeared on The Tommy Steele Show. When she was 16, Tracey joined a ballet company after she mistakenly attended a dance audition. Her dance career took off spectacularly but ended abruptly after she forgot to wear underwear before a performance.

The talented youngster joined musical theatre, featuring in productions of The Rocky Horror Show, Elvis The Musical, and Grease. The BBC took notice of her and her television career was launched, beginning with comedy series.

She went on to feature in Three of a Kind, which earned her a BAFTA Award, her first of many. She also starred in Girls on Top. After a while, Tracy took her talents to American television. The Tracey Ullman Show was a big hit, it went on to win 10 Emmy Awards. Some of her most memorable performances include Plenty, Bullets Over Broadway, Tracy Takes On New York, Household Saints, State of the Union, The Simpsons, and Give My Regard to Brad Street. Throughout her career, she has been revered as one of the greatest impersonators of all time.

Her Husband and Children

The hilarious female comic met Allan McKeown, who later became her husband, in 1982 while she was still trying to make it as an actress and comedian on the show Three of a Kind. He was an established TV producer. They worked together for a pilot of a proposed television show, A Cut Above. The show never took off, but their relationship did. Tracy and Allan got married in 1983 in what the media described as a hasty wedding.

The two stayed together for 30 years, right up till the moment of Allan’s death. They have two children together, Mabel and Johnny. Johnny, like his mother, is an actor and writer.

Net Worth

Considering that Tracey Ullman has been working nearly all her life, it is not surprising that she has amassed a ludicrous amount of money from her efforts. At the moment, she is estimated to worth over £80 million. She shows no signs of slowing down, so her income and net worth are bound to increase in the coming years.

Interesting Facts To Know About Tracey Ullman

Here are some interesting facts about the great comedian and actress you should know.

1. Tracey is best friends with the iconic actress, Meryl Street. They’ve known each other for 38 years and every single one of them have been filled with love and wonderful friendship. In fact, Meryl believes Tracey should run for President of America.

2. She was inspired to record her first music album after she ran into famous music label owner, Dave Robinson’s wife. She released two records with his label; You Broke My Heart in 17 Places, and You Caught Me Out.

3. The Emmy Award she won for her eponymously titled show was the first Emmy to come home to Fox network.

4. Tracey has been nominated for a total of twenty-four Emmy Awards.

5. Due to the amount of prosthetic make-up she has to put on for her disguises in order to play the many characters she impersonates, she once fainted on the floor of the make-up room right before a performance.

Also Read: Top 10 Richest People in the world with full biography and details.