Tracey Ullman

Tracey Ullman
Tracey Ullman at 1990 Emmy Awards
Birth name	Trace Ullman
Born	(1959-12-30) 30 December 1959 Slough, Buckinghamshire (now in Berkshire), England
Medium	Television, film, music
Nationality	British and American
Years active	1980–present
Genres	Sketch-comedy, social commentary, satire, character comedy, parody
Spouse	Allan McKeown ​ ​ (m. 1983; died 2013)​
Children	2
Notable works and roles	Various in The Tracey Ullman Show Rosalie Boca in I Love You To Death Eden Brent in Bullets Over Broadway Various in Tracey Takes On... Frenchy in Small Time Crooks Sylvia Stickles in A Dirty Shame Various in Tracey Ullman's State of the Union
Signature
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Tracey Ullman (born 30 December 1959) is an English-American stage and television actress, comedian, singer, dancer, director, author, and screenwriter of dual British and American citizenship.

Her early appearances were on British TV sketch comedy shows A Kick Up the Eighties (with Rik Mayall and Miriam Margolyes) and Three of a Kind (with Lenny Henry and David Copperfield). After a brief but high-profile singing career, she appeared as Candice Valentine in Girls on Top with Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders.

She emigrated from the United Kingdom to the United States where she starred in her own network television comedy series, The Tracey Ullman Show, from 1987 until 1990. She later produced programmes for HBO, including Tracey Takes On... (1996–99), for which she garnered numerous awards. She has also appeared in several feature films. Ullman's most recent sketch comedy series, Tracey Ullman's State of the Union, ran from 2008 to 2010 on Showtime.

Early life

Ullman was born Trace Ullman in Slough, Buckinghamshire (now in Berkshire), the daughter of Dorin (Cleaver), who is of English and Roma decent, and Anthony John Ullman, a Polish Roman Catholic, who worked as a solicitor. On the subject of her name, Ullman later recalled, "My real name is Trace Ullman, but I added the 'y'. My mother said it was spelled the American way, but I don't think she can spell! I always wanted a middle name. My mum used to tell me it was Mary but I never believed her. I looked on my birth certificate and I didn't have one, just Trace Ullman." Ullman's father was a Polish soldier evacuated from Dunkirk in 1940. He subsequently worked as a furniture salesman and a travel agent. Both of Ullman's parents took notice of her talents. When she was six, Ullman's father died of a heart attack while reading to her. He was fifty years old.

Ullman, who had been living a very upper-Middle class life, moved to Hackbridge with her older sister and her mother who could barely make ends meet. Money was tight. Dorin would go on to take a host of odd jobs. "My mother was always doing strange things like driving parts around for a garage, all covered in oil and paid 10 pounds a week. But she was very funny, and our defence against hardship was having a great sense of humour." On a separate occasion, on the subject of her mother's jobs, Ullman recalled: "[Mom] worked in a laboratory, testing food, and would bring home samples for our dinner. Sometimes she'd have to report that formula X had been found unfit for human consumption." Despite reality, Ullman's mother maintained that they were middle-class. "My mother always insisted on middle-class because we had money at one time. We're really lower-middle," says Ullman in a 1993 interview for The Independent.

In an effort to cheer their mother up, Ullman, along with her older sister Patti, created and performed a nightly variety show on their mother's bedroom windowsill. That first show was entitled "The Patti Ullman Show." "I was a spin-off!" recalls Ullman. Ullman would mimic neighbours, family members, and celebrities. She would also perform alone for herself after everyone had gone to bed. "I'd stand in front of the mirror and talk to myself until I fell asleep. I'd interview myself as women with problems. Women in documentaries who had three kids and chain-smoked and husbands in prison that hit them."

Ullman's mother would eventuality remarry to a man who Ullman has described as a maniac who drove a London taxi and had a son who stole. He was not a fan of the children's nightly variety show routine. "There was a new person in her bed now and I couldn't do my nightly performance any more. I was nine years old and my show had been cancelled." Alcoholism and domestic abuse became a common occurrence in the household. The marriage resulted in the family moving around the country with Ullman attending numerous schools. Her flair for mimicry helped her while attending state schools. Her upper-crust accent proved to be a liability when it came to her interaction with classmates. "I had to talk like them to avoid being beaten up."

Ullman acted in school plays, and it was here that she caught the eye of a headmaster who recommended that she attend a "special school." "I thought he meant a school for juvenile delinquents." Eventually, her mother agreed, and at age twelve, Ullman won a full scholarship to the Italia Conti Academy. Ullman believed that Italia Conti would be full of children reciting Shakespeare. Instead she was met by stage mothers and teachers who bypassed her due to her ethnic features. When she was thirteen, she appeared in The Tommy Steel Show.

Despite the encouragement she received from family, friends and teachers, Ullman's big boost of confidence came from a very unlikely source. In 1973, a couple came to see the house her family was living in and selling beside the Thames river. While Ullman’s mother began giving the couple details, the woman, who had been staring at Ullman, stopped her and announced that she was a clairvoyant, and that she saw an enormous star above her daughter’s head. She went on to predict that Ullman would become famous, especially in America. Ullman’s mother, unimpressed, said that she was quite aware of that and resumed giving the details.

The treatment she received at Italia Conti led to her spending more time in pubs than in class. Despite her 0 levels, Ullman's interest in the theater waned and she was keen on becoming a travel agent like her father.

At sixteen, Ullman was goaded into attending a dance audition by her Italia Conti school friends. Despite not taking it seriously, she found herself headed for Berlin, cast in a ballet version of Gigi a week later. Upon returning to England, she joined the "Second Generation" dance troupe, performing in London, Blackpool, and Liverpool. Her dancing career would come to an abrupt halt when she forgot to wear underwear during a performance. Ullman subsequently branched out into musical theatre and was cast numerous West End musicals, including Grease, Elvis The Musical, and The Rocky Horror Show.

Disillusioned with the entertainment industry, Ullman sought full-employment by working in a paper products distribution company. Her boredom led to her competing in a contest at London's Royal Court Theatre; an improvised play about club acts. Ullman created the character Beverly, a born-again Christian chanteuse. The performance was a big success and won her the "Best Newcomer Award". At this point the BBC became interested and offered her the chance to star in her own show. In 1983, Ullman took part in the workshops for Andrew Lloyd Webber's upcoming musical, Starlight Express, playing the part of Pearl.

Music career

Ullman, who had already made a name for herself as a comedian with her BBC comedy series Three of a Kind, had a chance encounter with the wife of the head of the punk label Stiff Records, Dave Robinson, which led to her recording her first album. “One day, I was at my hairdresser, and Dave Robinson’s wife Rosemary leant over and said, ‘Do you want to make a record?’ I was having some of those Boy George kind of dreadlock things put in and I went, ‘Yeah I want to make a record.’ I would have tried anything.” Ullman's then future husband, Allan McKeown, had reservations about her launching a music career and tried talking her out of it. “When I first met Miss Ullman, I was a tv producer, and I called her into my office in London and I told her that she had a big career in comedy, and she said to me, ‘Well actually, I’m doing an record next week,’ and I said, ‘Now listen here Miss Ullman, if I know anything about show business, is that you shouldn’t get involved with singing. Imagine how stupid I felt about four months later, I’m in London driving around and I hear, ‘And now, the Top of the Pops, Tracey Ullman with ‘They Don’t Know About Us.’” recalled McKeown in 2010.

Ullman went on to succeed as a singer. Her 1983 début album, You Broke My Heart in 17 Places, featured her first hit single, "Breakaway" (famous for her performance with a hairbrush as a microphone); the international hit cover version of label-mate Kirsty MacColl's "They Don't Know" number two in the UK, and number eight in the US. MacColl sang backing vocals on Ullman's version. In less than two years, Ullman had six songs in the UK Top 100.

Follow-up singles, a cover of Doris Day's "Move Over Darling," which reached number eight in the UK, and the cover of Madness's "My Girl," which Ullman changed to "My Guy's Mad at Me," were released. (The "My Guy" video featured the British Labour Party politician Neil Kinnock, at the time the Leader of the Opposition)

Ullman's songs were over-the-top evocations of 1960s and 1970s pop music with a 1980s edge, "somewhere between Minnie Mouse and the Supremes" as the Melody Maker put it, or "retro before retro was cool," as a reviewer wrote in 2002. Her career received another boost when the video for "They Don't Know" featured a cameo from Paul McCartney; at the time Ullman was filming a minor role in McCartney's film Give My Regards to Broad Street. Ullman released her second album, You Caught Me Out, in 1984. It is the last album she is known to have recorded or released to date.

Her thus-far final hit, "Sunglasses" (1984), featured comedian Adrian Edmondson in its music video. During this time, she also appeared as a guest VJ on MTV in the United States.

Ullman revealed her reason for leaving the music industry in the 2007 documentary, If It Ain't Stiff: “We had a lot of fun, but I knew I had enough when there was one moment when I realized that I had enough because it was kind of dumb, was when I went on one of those (in Dutch accent) Holland happy happy laugh music show, and this guy came up to me and said, ‘Tracey Ullman, hello,’ and I went, ‘Hello,’ and he went ‘(laughs) Tracey Ullman, crazy as ever! (laughs hysterically)’ and i’m thinking this is fucking stupid. I took the bow off my head because I wore a lot of bows, it’s when somebody starts getting desperate. I said that’s it, it’s time to grow up.”

While she has chosen to end her recording career, she has continued singing in film, television, and theatre.

In 2013, Ullman re-teamed with McCartney, appearing in his music video for the single, "Queenie Eye" from his album, New.

Television career

Early years

Before venturing into television comedy, Ullman tried her hand at serious drama, but said that she found that she was not cut out to be a straight actress: "I really thought I was great when I did a quite serious soap opera for the BBC. I played a nice girl from St. John's Wood. 'Mummy, I think I'm pregnant. I don't know who's done it.' Then I would fall down a hill or something. 'EEEEE! Oh, no, lost another baby.' It seemed all I ever did was have miscarriages--or make yogurt."

In 1981, Ullman put together an improvised club act for the Royal Court Theatre's production of Four in a Million, for which she won the London Theatre Critics' award as Most Promising New Actress. This led to her being cast in the sketch comedy programme A Kick Up the Eighties and later Three of a Kind.

In 1985, she was cast as the promiscuous gold digger Candice Valentine on the ITV sitcom Girls on Top. Ullman was joined by comedians/comedy actresses Jennifer Saunders, Ruby Wax, and Saunders's now-and-then partner Dawn French. The programme had initially been conceived as a vehicle for Ullman. It ran for two series, with Ullman bowing out after the first.

The Tracey Ullman Show

At this point, US television producer James L. Brooks approached her. The two had discussed working together previously, but it was not until 1987 that they created The Tracey Ullman Show. Ullman played a variety of characters, completely unrecognisable with the help of make-up, prosthetics and padding. Paula Abdul served as the show's choreographer. The then-unknown Abdul even used her early music recordings for the series' strenuous dance numbers.

The Tracey Ullman Show earned four Emmys and spawned The Simpsons, which was featured in simple cartoon shorts (created by cartoonist Matt Groening at the behest of Ullman Show producer James L. Brooks). Ullman provided the voice of Emily Winthrop, a British dog trainer on The Simpsons episode "Bart's Dog Gets an F" (1991). In 1992 Ullman filed a lawsuit against Twentieth Century Fox in Los Angeles Superior Court over profits from the later half-hour incarnation of The Simpsons. She wanted a share of The Simpsons' merchandising and gross profits and believed she was entitled to $2.5 million of the estimated $50 million Fox made in 1992. The Fox network had paid her $58,000 in royalties for The Simpsons as well as $3 million for the 3½ seasons her show was on the air. As Ullman had continued her professional relationship with former producer Brooks, only the studio and not Brooks was named in the suit. Brooks was allowed to videotape his testimony as he was in the middle of filming I'll Do Anything, in which Ullman appeared. Eventually the courts ruled in favour of the network.

HBO

Ullman returned to television in 1993, but this time in cable television. Two specials were created allowing Ullman to bring life to new characters. The first, Tracey Ullman: A Class Act, took a humorous jab at the British class system, and co-starred Monty Python's Michael Palin. For the second, Tracey Ullman Takes On New York, Ullman decided to take on a more American subject, New York City. Both specials drew praise and awards. HBO became interested in doing a Tracey Takes On... series, and Ullman and her husband, Allan McKeown, set up production in Los Angeles in 1995.

Tracey Takes On... premièred on 24 January 1996, on HBO. Each episode would focus on a topic for Ullman to "take on" and examine. The series would have two to three long sketches, and many small interview-styled bits, with her many characters commenting on that week's topic. Unlike the Fox show, Tracey Takes On... was shot on location, not filmed in front of a live audience. Making the switch to a cable-produced series enabled Ullman free rein to do and say as she pleased.

A kiss with Tracey Ullman Show alum Julie Kavner kicked off the series' first episode. Ullman portrayed characters, both male and female, made up of many ethnicities. This included an Asian donut shop owner, a (male) cab driver from the Middle East, and an African-American airport security guard. The series won eight Emmys, numerous CableACE Awards and a host of other media awards. In 1997, it won the Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series Emmy Award category for the episode Vegas. In 1998 the series was published in book form, Tracey Takes On.... The series was also awarded GLAAD awards for its portrayal of gay and lesbian characters. Tracey Takes On... completed its four-season run in 1999.

Oxygen stint

In 2001, Ullman took a break from her character-based series and created a chat show for Oxygen, Tracey Ullman's Visible Panty Lines. The show's main focus was fashion. Ullman had developed her own clothing website a few years prior. Interviewees included Arianna Huffington and Charlize Theron. The series lasted for two seasons, and ended in 2002.

Return to HBO

A Takes On... spin-off pilot was produced in 2003, Tracey Ullman in the Trailer Tales. Tales spotlighted just one of Ullman's most popular characters, Ruby Romaine. The pilot aired, but no series was ever commissioned.

Tracey returned to HBO in 2005, with her autobiographical one-woman stage show, Tracey Ullman: Live and Exposed. The show garnered another Emmy nomination.

Showtime

Upon her naturalisation in the United States, it was announced in April 2007 that she would be making the move from her 14-year working relationship with cable network, HBO, to the rival, Showtime. Ullman created a brand new series for the network, inspired in part by her naturalisation. The series would focus on America, "the good, the bad, and the absolutely ridiculous", which served as the series tag line.

Ullman credits senior programmer, Robert Greenblatt, as a big influence in her decision for the move, and the network's list of hit shows. Greenblatt was a young development director during her Tracey Ullman Show days, and was enthusiastic to get her over to Showtime. Five episodes were ordered for the first season.

For the first time since the early years of her career at the BBC, Ullman was creating a new line-up of original characters, and also impersonating famous ones. Tracey Ullman's State of the Union debuted on 30 March 2008.

The critical response to "State of the Union" was overwhelmingly positive. One critic pointed out a change in Ullman's humour:

It's been fascinating to watch Ullman evolve from, say, Imogene Coca and Carol Burnett to something leaner and meaner, like a young Whoopi Goldberg. Or Lenny Bruce, with his surreal jive and need to shock. Or Lily Tomlin, signalling in coded transmissions through a worm hole to some parallel universe. Or Anna Deavere Smith, chameleon and exorcist, seeing around corners and speaking in tongues. Or, of course, Robin Williams, before all the bad films and worse career choices, a brilliant mind unmade of equal parts politics and paranoia, music video and psychotherapy, a scrambled shaman egghead and Jack–in–a–Pandora's box. Think of America as performance art.

Ullman has commented that the United States is "now able to laugh at itself more," embracing more satiric humour, rather than deeming it "unpatriotic". Now that she is a citizen, Ullman joked that she "won't end up in Guantánamo Bay," for speaking her mind.

Ullman hoped to continue the series after season one. Showtime announced that it had greenlighted a second season for 2009. It was commissioned for a third run for 2010.

Return to network television

In March 2014, Ullman was introduced as Genevieve Scherbatsky, the mother to character Robin Scherbatsky in How I Met Your Mother.

On 20 March 2014, it was announced that Ullman had been tapped to co-star in the upcoming CBS sitcom pilot, Good Session. The single-camera comedy will be written and executive produced by Matt Miller (Chuck) with actor James Roday (Psych) cast in the lead. Ullman's character, Ellen, is described as an 'astute, straightforward therapist who uses her own brand of insight and humor to inspire the couples she helps to tell the truth.'

Other notable work

Ullman was the modern-day cartoon voice of Little Lulu. In 1999, she had a recurring role as an unconventional psychotherapist in Ally McBeal, a role that won her an Emmy Award and American Comedy Award.

Ullman co-starred with Carol Burnett in the television adaptation of Once Upon a Mattress. Ullman played Princess Winnifred, a role originally made famous by Burnett on Broadway, who took on the role of the overbearing Queen.

On 7 February 2014, it was announced that Ullman would supply the voice of a 'happily wicked witch' in the second season of Disney Junior's Sofia the First.

Film career

Along with her television work, Ullman has featured in many films throughout her career. Her first theatrical film was a small role in Paul McCartney's 1984 film Give My Regards to Broad Street. This was followed by a supporting role in the 1985 Meryl Streep drama Plenty.

After the cancellation of The Tracey Ullman Show in 1990, she made her starring début alongside Kevin Kline, River Phoenix and Joan Plowright in I Love You to Death. Ullman has also appeared in lead and supporting roles in Robin Hood: Men in Tights, Nancy Savoca's Household Saints, Bullets over Broadway, Small Time Crooks, A Dirty Shame, and Tim Burton's Corpse Bride. She was nominated as Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for her work in Small Time Crooks in 2001.

Ullman portrayed Mother Nature in the 2007 romantic-comedy film, I Could Never Be Your Woman, starring Michelle Pfeiffer. Ullman acted as creative consultant on the 2006 DreamWorks feature, Flushed Away.

Ullman signed on to voice along with Dustin Hoffman, Kevin Kline, William H. Macy, Stanley Tucci, Christopher Lloyd, Sigourney Weaver and Emma Watson in the computer-animated The Tale of Despereaux.

Stock footage of Ullman was used in the film The Queen with Helen Mirren.

On 12 June 2013, it was announced by The Hollywood Reporter that Ullman had been cast in the film adaptation of the Broadway musical Into the Woods, playing the mother of Jack the Giant Killer.

Theatre

Aside from television, film, and music, Ullman has an extensive stage career.

On 6 October 2014, it was formally announced that Ullman would star in a limited engagement of The Band Wagon, beginning 6 November through 16 November 2014 at City Center. The production will be directed and choreographed by Kathleen Marshall. Ullman worked with Marshall previously on the television adaptation of Once Upon a Mattress. "The Bang Wagon" marks the third time Ullman teamed with actor, Michael McKean. The two previously appeared together in "Jumpin' Jack Flash," "Tracey Takes On..." (McKean also directed), and now "The Band Wagon."

Personal life

Ullman married producer Allan McKeown on 27 December 1983; they have two children, born in 1986 and 1991. On 26 December 2013, it was confirmed that Allan McKeown had died on 24 December 2013 at his home from prostate cancer, just three days shy of his thirtieth wedding anniversary to Ullman.

Ullman became an American citizen in December 2006 and now holds dual citizenship in the United States and the United Kingdom. In 2006, she topped the list for the "Wealthiest British Comedians", with an estimated wealth of £75 million.

Ullman is noted for her close friendship with actress, Meryl Streep. The two met on the set of the film Plenty (1985); Ullman played opposite Streep. At present, both have worked on three films together: Plenty, Death Becomes Her (scenes deleted), and 2014‘s Into the Woods. Ullman frequently pays tribute to Streep at ceremonies.

Filmography

Television

Year	Show	Role	Notes
1980	Mackenzie	Lisa MacKenzie	TV series
1981	Screenplay	Karen	Episode: "Happy Since I Met You"
	A Kick Up the Eighties	Various	TV series
1981–83	Three of a Kind	Various	TV series
1985	Girls on Top	Candice Valentine	Series one only, additional material credit
1987	Saturday Night Live	Herself (uncredited)	Episode: Garry Shandling/Los Lobos "Hollywood Mom" (sketch)
1987–1990	The Tracey Ullman Show	Various
1989	I, Martin Short, Goes Hollywood	Tina Wise	TV film
1991	The Full Wax	Herself	Episode #1.4
	The Simpsons	Emily Winthrop Mrs. Winfield	Episode: "Bart's Dog Gets An F"
1993	Love & War	Dava Levine	Episode: "The Prima Dava" Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series
	Tracey Ullman: A Class Act	Various	Additional material credit
	Tracey Ullman Takes On New York	Various
1995	The Little Lulu Show	Lulu	First few episodes
1996–99	Tracey Takes On...	Various	Creator, writer, executive producer, second unit director (season 4)
1998–99	Ally McBeal	Dr. Tracey Clark	Episode: "Troubled Water" Episode: "Sideshow" Episode: "The Real World" Episode: "The Playing Field" Episode: "Theme of Life"
2001–02	Tracey Ullman's Visible Panty Lines	Herself	TV talk show series
2003	Tracey Ullman in the Trailer Tales	Ruby Romaine Svetlana Pepper Kane	Directorial debut, writer, executive producer
2004	Will & Grace	Ann	Episode: "Looking for Mr. Good Enough"
2005	Tracey Ullman: Live and Exposed	Herself	Writer
	Once Upon a Mattress	Princess Winnifred	TV film
2006	Dawn French's Girls Who Do Comedy	Herself	3 episodes
2008	Mumbai Calling	Telephone Voice	7 episodes
2008–2010	Tracey Ullman's State of the Union	Various	Writer, director, creator, executive producer
2011	Kennedy Center Honors	Herself	Tribute to Meryl Streep
2014	How I Met Your Mother	Genevieve Scherbatsky	Episode: "Vesuvius" Episode: "Daisy" Episode: "The End of the Aisle"
	Sofia the First	Marla	Episode: "Mom's the Word"

Film

Year	Film	Role	Notes
1984	Give My Regards to Broad Street	Sandra
1985	Plenty	Alice Park
1986	Jumpin' Jack Flash	Fiona
1990	I Love You to Death	Rosalie Boca
	Happily Ever After	Thunderella - Moonbeam
1992	Death Becomes Her	Toni	Scenes deleted
1993	Robin Hood: Men in Tights	Latrine
	Household Saints	Catherine Falconetti
1994	I'll Do Anything	Beth Hobbs
	Bullets over Broadway	Eden Brent
	Prêt-à-Porter	Nina Scant
1996	Everyone Says I Love You		Scenes deleted
2000	C-Scam
	Panic	Martha
	Small Time Crooks	Frenchy
2004	A Dirty Shame	Sylvia Stickles
	The Cat That Looked at a King	The Cat (voice)	Video
2005	Corpse Bride	Nell Van Dort (voice) Hildegarde (voice)
	Kronk's New Groove	Ms. Birdwell (voice)	Video
2006	Flushed Away		Creative consultant
2007	I Could Never Be Your Woman	Mother Nature
2008	The Tale of Despereaux	Mig (voice)
2014	Into the Woods	Jack's Mother

Music videos

Year	Single	Director
1983	"Breakaway"	Dave Robinson
	"They Don't Know"	Dave Robinson
	"Move Over Darling"
1984	"My Guy"
	"Sunglasses"
	"Helpless"
1985	"Terry"
1989	"Monster in the Mirror"	Laura DiTrapani
2013	"Queenie Eye"	Simon Aboud

Theatre

Year	Production	Role	Location
1976	Gigi		Theater des Westens Berlin
1977	Second Generation		Blackpool and Liverpool
1977/78	Aladdin		Liverpool Empire
1978	Elvis The Musical		London Astoria
	Oh! Boy		London Astoria
1979	Grease	Frenchy	London Astoria
1980	The Rocky Horror Show	Janet	Comedy Theatre
	Talent		Everyman Theatre
	Dracula	Lucy	Young Vic
1981	Four in a Million	Beverly	Royal Court Theatre
1981–82	Dick Whittington	Dick	Theatre Royal, Newcastle
1982	Rita, Sue and Bob Too	Bob's wife	Royal Court Theatre
	She Stoops to Conquer	Kate Hardcastle	Lyric Hammersmith
	Bows and Arrows	Henrietta	Young Writer's Festival
1983	The Grass Widow	Carmen	Royal Court Theatre
1990	The Taming of the Shrew	Kate Hardcastle	Delacorte Theater
1991	The Big Love	Florence Aadland	The Orpheum Theatre
2005	Tracey Ullman: Live and Exposed	Self	The Fonda Theatre
2011	My City	Elizabeth Lambert	Almeida Theatre
2012	What About Dick?	Aunt Maggie Enid Bastard The Countess von Kuns	The Orpheum Theatre
2014	The Band Wagon	Lily Martin	New York City Center

Discography

Solo

• 1983: You Broke My Heart in 17 Places – No. 12 UK; No. 34 US
• 1984: You Caught Me Out – No. 92 UK

Soundtracks

• 2005: The Corpse Bride
• 2014: Into the Woods

Comedy

• 1983: Three of a Kind (with Lenny Henry and David Copperfield)

Audio books

• 1993: Puss in Boots

Compilations

• 1984: Forever – The Best of Tracey Ullman
• 1992: The Best Of Tracey Ullman: You Broke My Heart In 17 Places
• 1996: The Very Best of Tracey Ullman
• 2002: The Best of... Tracey Ullman
• 2002: Tracey Ullman Takes on the Hits
• 2010: Tracey Ullman - Move Over Darling: The Complete Stiff Recordings (2-disc set)

Charting singles

• 1983: "Breakaway" – No. 4 UK; No. 70 US
• 1983: "They Don't Know" – No. 2 UK; No. 8 US
• 1983: "Move Over, Darling" – No. 8 UK
• 1984: "My Guy" – No. 23 UK
• 1984: "Sunglasses" – No. 18 UK
• 1984: "Helpless" – No. 61 UK
• 1985: "Terry" – No. 81 UK

Awards and honours

Tracey Ullman at the 1989 Emmy Awards

Ullman is a seven-time Emmy Award-winning actress.

On 5 December 2006, Tracey was honoured at the Museum of Television and Radio along with likes of Carol Burnett, Lesley Visser, Lesley Stahl, Jane Pauley and Betty White, in the She Made It category.

In April 2009, it was announced that Ullman would be awarded a Lifetime Achievement BAFTA Award the following May. She became the first recipient of the Charlie Chaplin Lifetime Achievement Award for Comedy on 9 May 2009.

Awarded

• London Critics' Circle Award Most Promising New Actress "Four in a Million" 1981
• BAFTA Award Best Light Entertainment Performance "Three of a Kind" and "A Kick Up the Eighties" 1983
• Golden Globe Award Best Actress in a Television Series (Comedy or Musical) 1987
• Emmy Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Program "Tracey Ullman Show" 1988–89
• American Comedy Award Funniest Female Performer of the Year 1988
• Emmy Outstanding Writing in a Variety or Music Program "Tracey Ullman Show" 1989–90
• Emmy Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program "The Best of the Tracey Ullman Show" 1989–90
• Theatre World Special Award 1991
• Emmy Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series "Love & War" 1992–93
• American Comedy Award Funniest Female Performer in a Television Special "Funny Women of Television" 1992
• Emmy Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Programme "Tracey Ullman: Takes On New York" 1993–94
• CableACE Award Best Performance in a Comedy Series "Tracey Ullman: Takes on New York" 1994
• Women in Film Lucy Award in recognition of her excellence and innovation in her creative works that have enhanced the perception of women through the medium of television 1995
• Emmy Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series Tracey Takes On... 1996–97
• CableACE Award Best Actress in a Comedy Series Tracey Takes On... 1996
• CableACE Award Best Variety Special or Series Tracey Takes On... 1996
• American Comedy Award Funniest Female Performer in a Television Special Women of the Night IV 1996
• Golden Satellite Best Actress in a Television Series (Musical or Comedy) Tracey Takes On... 1997
• The Actor Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series Tracey Takes On... 1998
• Emmy Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series Ally McBeal 1998–99
• American Comedy Award Funniest Female Leading Performer in a Television Series Tracey Takes On... 1998
• American Comedy Award Funniest Female Guest Appearance in a Television Series Ally McBeal 1999
• American Comedy Award Funniest Female Leading Performer in a Television Series Tracey Takes On... 1999
• American Comedy Award Funniest Female Leading Performer in a Television Series Tracey Takes On... 2000
• Satellite Awards – Best Performance in a Comedy Series, Tracey Ullman 2008

Bibliography

• Girls on Top by Ruby Wax, Jennifer Saunders and Dawn French 1986 (ISBN 0586068929)
• Tracey Takes On... by Tracey Ullman 1998 (ISBN 9780786863402)
• Knit 2 Together: Patterns and Stories for Serious Knitting Fun by Tracey Ullman and Mel Clark 2006 (ISBN 9781584795346)

Further reading

• Guinness Book of British Hit Singles 7th Edition
• Archive of an Entertainment Weekly story by Frank Spotnitz on 1992 lawsuit
• Tracey Ullman "Awards"
• Emmy Awards for The Tracey Ullman Show
• Emmy Awards for Tracey Takes On...
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External links

• Tracey Ullman at IMDb
• Tracey Ullman at the Internet Broadway Database
• Tracey Ullman discography at Discogs
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• Tracey Ullman – Stiff Records
• Tracey Ullman Facebook page
• Tracey Ullman on Charlie Rose
• Interview Magazine cover story, January 1989: Tracking Tracey