Nikki Blonsky
Nikki Blonsky | |
|---|---|
 Blonsky at the Slim-Fast fashion show, January 8, 2008 | |
| Born | Nicole Margaret Blonsky November 9, 1988 Great Neck, New York, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, singer, dancer |
| Years active | 2007–present |
| Height | 4 ft 10 in (147 cm) |
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.
Personal life
Blonsky was raised in Great Neck, New York, in Nassau County on Long Island, the daughter of Karen (née 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. Blonsky was raised in her mother's Catholic religion (her father is Jewish).[4]
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.[4][5] In 2007 she worked at Cold Stone Creamery when she found out she was cast as Tracy Turnblad in Hairspray.[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[citation needed] 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, 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.[6] 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,[7] and was canceled by September.
Blonsky has earned a cosmetology license and as of December 2011 was working as a hairstylist in her hometown of Great Neck, New York. Blonsky stated she has not given up on her acting career.[8]
Filmography
References
- ^ "Movies - News - Zac Efron prepares for 'Hairspray' - Digital Spy". Digitalspy.co.uk. 2008-11-07. 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. Retrieved 2007-07-21.
- ^ a b Fischler, Marcelle S. (2007-07-08). "The Big Time; For 'Hairspray' Star". The New York Times. Retrieved 2007-07-21.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ a b Bloom, Nate (2007-07-10). "She's the Man: A Q&A with Amanda Bynes". Interfaith Family. Retrieved 2010-12-29.
{{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ Fox, Michael (2007-07-19). "ARTS: Welcome To The '60s". The Detroit Jewish News. Archived from the original on 2007-09-28. Retrieved 2007-07-21.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ 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. Retrieved March 23, 2010. [dead link]
- ^ Nikki Blonsky: No beauty school dropout Newsday December 12, 2011
External links
- Nikki Blonsky at IMDb
- Nikki Blonsky at AllMovie
- 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