- Nikki Blonsky
-
Nikki Blonsky 
Blonsky at the Slim-Fast fashion show, January 8, 2008Born Nicole Margaret Blonsky
November 9, 1988
Great Neck, New York, U.S.Occupation Actress, singer, dancer Years active 2007–present Height 4'10" Nicole Margaret "Nikki" Blonsky[1] (born November 9, 1988) is an American actress, singer and dancer. She is best known for her role as Tracy Turnblad in the 2007 film Hairspray and as Maggie Baker in the 2008 television movie Queen Sized. She is also known for her starring role in the ABC Family original series Huge.
Contents
Personal life
Blonsky was raised in Great Neck, New York, in Nassau County on Long Island, the daughter of Karen Smeja, a school aide, and Carl Blonsky, a municipal worker for the village water pollution control district.[2][3] She grew up singing, since she was three years old, and started taking vocal training lessons at the age of eight. [4] Blonsky was raised in her mother's Catholic religion (her father is Jewish).[5]
In her sophomore year, Blonsky transferred from the John L. Miller-Great Neck North High School to the alternative, 50-student from Village School, from which she graduated.[3] During her time, she joined the theater program at the William A. Shine Great Neck South High School. There she was cast in roles in productions of Les Misérables, Sweeney Todd, Kiss Me, Kate and, in the title role, the opera Carmen.[3]
She went to Great Neck Public Library's Levels and was in shows such as Alice In Wonderland.[citation needed] Blonsky has said that she wanted to play the role of Tracy Turnblad from the first time she saw Hairspray for her 15th birthday on Broadway.[5][6] [7] In 2007 she worked at Cold Stone Creamery when she found out she was cast as Tracy Turnblad in Hairspray.[8] [2]
Career
Blonsky starred in the film Hairspray as Tracy Turnblad. She was accompanied by Queen Latifah as Motor-Mouth Maybelle, Zac Efron as Link, Michelle Pfeiffer as Velma Von Tussle, and John Travolta as Edna Turnblad.
Blonsky began work on her debut album in September 2007. She confirmed in November 2007[where?] that she was working with alternative rock musician Duncan Sheik on a number of tracks. Her first single, "On a High," a cover of one of Sheik's tracks, was featured in the Lifetime Original Movie Queen Sized,[citation needed] in which Blonsky also starred. On December 18, 2007, she performed with the Turtle Creek Chorale in her first solo performance.[citation needed]
On 22 June 2008, she sang the American National Anthem in the pre-race ceremony at the 2008 Toyota\Save Mart 350 that took place at Infineon Raceway.[citation needed]
In 2009, Blonsky made a guest appearance on the Ugly Betty episode "Dressed for Success", in which she played Teri O'Shaughnessy, an assistant at Elle, the rival magazine of the show’s fictional Mode.[9] Blonsky also co-starred in the MTV mystery series Valemont in 2009. She later starred in the short lived ABC Family series Huge. The show premiered in June 2010,[10] and was canceled by September.
Awards
- 2007 : Critics' Choice Awards Hairspray (Best Young Actress).
- 2007 : Critics' Choice Awards Hairspray (Best Ensemble)
Filmography
Year Film/Show Role Notes 2007 Hairspray Tracy Turnblad Nominated - Golden Globe Award for Best Actress 2008 Queen Sized Maggie Baker TV movie Harold Rhonda 2009 Ugly Betty Teri O'Shaughnessy Episode: "Dressed for Success" Valemont Poppie 2010 Huge Willamina "Will" Main Role (June 28 - August 30, 2010) 2011 Waiting For Forever Dolores 2011 Fresh Beat Band Ice Villian References
- ^ "Movies - News - Zac Efron prepares for 'Hairspray' - Digital Spy". Digitalspy.co.uk. 2008-11-07. http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/movies/a34397/zac-efron-prepares-for-hairspray.html. Retrieved 2008-11-07.
- ^ a b Kahn, Robert (2007-07-15). "Nikki Blonsky's career takes hold with 'Hairspray'". New York's CW 11. Archived from the original on 2007-10-12. http://web.archive.org/web/20071012090929/http://cw11.trb.com/entertainment/news/ny-ffmov5289824jul15,0,2861845.story?coll=wpix-entnews-1. Retrieved 2007-07-21.
- ^ a b c Fischler, Marcelle S. (2007-07-08). "The Big Time; For 'Hairspray' Star". The New York Times. http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F40B13FD3E5A0C7B8CDDAE0894DF404482. Retrieved 2007-07-21.
- ^ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2284889/bio
- ^ a b Bloom, Nate (2007-07-10). "She's the Man: A Q&A with Amanda Bynes". Interfaith Family. http://www.interfaithfamily.com/arts_and_entertainment/popular_culture/Shes_the_Man_A_Q&A_with_Amanda_Bynes.shtml?rd=2. Retrieved 2010-12-29.
- ^ Fox, Michael (2007-07-19). "ARTS: Welcome To The '60s". The Detroit Jewish News. Archived from the original on 2007-09-28. http://web.archive.org/web/20070928083415/http://jnonline.us/main.asp?SectionID=3&SubSectionID=7&ArticleID=3398. Retrieved 2007-07-21.
- ^ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2284889/bio
- ^ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2284889/bio
- ^ Nikki Blonsky to Stir Up Trouble for Ugly Betty" TV Guide. November 4, 2008. Retrieved on November 5, 2008.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (March 22, 2010). "Nikki Blonsky to star in ABC Family's 'Huge'". The Hollywood Reporter. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/television/news/e3ib6547f261e43d0f6628afca3fe2c9d75. Retrieved March 23, 2010.[dead link]
External links
- Nikki Blonsky at the Internet Movie Database
- Nikki Blonsky at AllRovi
- Official website
- Nikki's MySpace page
- Nikki's Facebook page
- "17 Year-Old Nikki Blonsky Cast as Hairspray Film's Tracy", BroadwayWorld.com, June 8, 2006
- "Breaking News: Unknown Lands Hairspray Lead", Cinematical.com, June 8, 2006
- "A ‘Hairspray’ dream come true", MSNBC/Access Hollywood, June 15, 2006
Categories:- 1988 births
- Actors from New York
- American child actors
- American child singers
- American film actors
- American musical theatre actors
- American people of Jewish descent
- American television actors
- Living people
- People from Great Neck, New York
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