Tracy (also spelled Tracey or Traci or Trasci) is originally a British personal name, that refers to the family de Tracy or de Trasci from Tracy-Bocage in Normandy, France. There are several places called Tracy in Northern France and there are themselves a combination of the Gaulish male 's name Draccios or Latin Thracius and the well identified Celtic suffix -āko (place, property).^[1]

While the name is unisex within the United Kingdom it is more generally considered to be a female name. This may, in part, be due to its association with the' Essex Girl'. Particularly during the 1980s, alongside the name Sharon, it was a name considered to be archetypal of the 'Essex Girl'. Its popularity peaked during the 1960s, when Tracey was the sixth most popular female name and the alternate spelling Tracy was the 12th most popular.^[2]

It could refer to:

Places[link]

United States

• Tracy, California
  • Tracy Hills AVA, California wine region
  • Tracy Municipal Airport
  • Deuel Vocational Institution, a California state prison sometimes referred to as "Tracy"
• Tracy, a neighborhood in Wallingford, Connecticut
• Tracy, Indiana
• Tracy, Iowa
• Tracy, Minnesota
  • 1968 Tracy tornado
• Tracy, Missouri
• Tracy City, Tennessee
• Tracyton, Washington

Canada

• Tracy, New Brunswick
• Tracy, Quebec
• Sorel-Tracy, Quebec

France

• Tracy-Bocage, in the Calvados département, Basse-Normandy
• Tracy-le-Mont, in the Oise département, Picardy
• Tracy-le-Val, in the Oise département, Picardy
• Tracy-sur-Loire, in the Nièvre département, Centre
• Tracy-sur-Mer, in the Calvados département, Basse-Normandy

Weather[link]

• Cyclone Tracy, 25 December 1974, Northern Australia

People[link]

Surname[link]

See also Treacy

• Albert H. Tracy (1793-1859), US representative from New York
• Andrew Tracey, ethnomusicologist
• Benjamin F. Tracy (1830-1915), United States soldier and politician
• Chad Tracy, professional baseball pitcher
• Destutt de Tracy, French Enlightenment philosopher
• Hugh Tracey, ethnomusicologist
• Merlin Hanbury-Tracy, 7th Baron Sudeley
• Paul Tracy, professional automobile racer
• Phineas L. Tracy (1786-1876), US representative from New York
• Spencer Tracy, American actor
• William Tracy, American character actor
• William de Tracy (or Williame or Guillaume de Tracy), Anglo-Norman knight that took part in the assassination of Thomas Becket

First name[link]

Look up Tracy in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• Trace Adkins
• Tracy Austin
• Trace Beaulieu, puppeteer, writer, and actor
• Traci Bingham, Actress
• Tracy Bonham
• Tracey E. Bregman
• Tracy Brookshaw
• Tracy W. Bush, Composer and voice actor
• Tracy Byrd, a country music singer
• Tracy Byrd (boxer)
• Tracy Chapman
• Tracy Lynn Cruz
• Tracey Curro
• Tracey Edmonds, President and CEO of Edmonds Entertainment Group, Inc.
• Tracey Emin
• Tracy Ferrie
• Tracey Gold
• Tracy Grandstaff
• Tracy Grimshaw
• Tracii Guns
• Tracy Harris
• Tracy Hickman
• Tracy Higgs
• Tracy Hines
• Tracy Kidder
• Tracy Lawrence
• Tracy Letts
• Traci Lords
• Tracy Marrow (Ice-T), rapper
• Tracy McGrady, NBA All-Star
• Tracy Middendorf
• Tracy Morgan, actor/comedian
• Tracy Nelson (disambiguation)
• Tracy Pollan
• Tracey Ross
• Tracy Scoggins
• Tracy D. Terrell
• Tracey Thorn
• Tracy Tormé
• Tracey Ullman
• Tracy Voorhees
• R. Tracy Walker
• Tracey Walter
• Tracey Wigginton
• Tracey John, musician 10:04s

Middle name[link]

• Patrick Tracy Burris (1967–2009), American spree killer

Fictional characters[link]

• Dick Tracy, a comic-book detective
• Tracey (EastEnders)
• Tracy, a character in the Battle Arena Toshinden fighting game series
• Tracy, a character in the video game EarthBound
• Tracy, a character from the 2010 comedy film Tooth Fairy
• Traci 13, a DC Comics heroine
• Tracy Barlow, a character from the English Soap Opera Coronation Street
• Tracy Beaker, a character in the book and TV series The Story of Tracy Beaker
• Tracy Bond, a character in the James Bond series
• Tracy Jordan, a character of the TV series 30 Rock
• Tracy Quartermaine Spencer, a character in the ABC soap opera General Hospital
• Tracey Sketchit (Kenji), a character in the Pokémon anime and the Pokémon manga series
• Tracy Strauss, a character in the TV series Heroes
• Tracey Stubbs, a character in the British sitcom Birds of a Feather
• Tracy Turnblad, a character in the Hairspray musical, 1988 film and 2007 film

Songs[link]

• "Tracy Jacks", by English group Blur from their 1994 album Parklife
• Tracy (song), by Scottish group Mogwai from their 1997 debut, Mogwai Young Team
• Tracy (song), by The Cuff Links on their first album Tracy in 1970
• Tracy (song), by DJ Ironik
• Tracy Hide (song), by The Wondermints from their self-titled album
• Tracie (song) by the British band Level 42
• Traci Brown (song) by Hanson

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

Notes and references[link]

1. ^ Albert Dauzat et Charles Rostaing, Dictionnaire étymologique des noms de lieux en France, Librairie Guénégaud 1979. p. 682.
2. ^ [1]

Me One (born Eric Martin on August 19, 1970) is a multi-instrumentalist singer, song-writer and music producer born in Cardiff, Wales.

Educated in London and New York, he is the son of an English teacher (mother) from Kingston and a Pentecostal Church minister (father) from Port Antonio. He holds dual citizenship of both Jamaica and the UK.

His debut album as Me One was released in May 2000 on Universal-Island U.K.^[1] The 12 track release was titled As Far as I'm Concerned^[1] and featured Guru (from Gang Starr) on Do You Know and Michelle Gayle on a cover version of The Beach Boys track In My Room. The latter was released as a single, along with Game Plan and Old Fashioned. ^[2]

Aside from his solo work, Martin has written with (or for) Jeff Beck, Maxi Priest, The Roots, Capleton, Lynden David Hall and The Sugababes.^{[citation needed]}

He formed his own record label, Frenemy Records in 2005.^[3]

In 2011 he signed a recording deal with Glasgow based record label Innovation Music ^[4].

In addition to the Me One project, Eric Martin is known as an original member of Technotronic.

References[link]

This biographical article about a British singer is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (December 2009)

"Can I Get a Witness" is a 1963 hit song by Marvin Gaye on the Tamla (Motown) label. Written and produced by Motown songwriting and producing team Holland–Dozier–Holland, the song was built among gospel-styled music and heralded Gaye's beginnings in the church with a rhythm and blues/rock and roll setting. The song featured Gaye on piano, playing a boogie pattern, The Funk Brothers, and members of The Supremes in the background accompanying Gaye. The song became a hit in both the U.S. and the United Kingdom, and British musicians Lulu, Dusty Springfield, The Rolling Stones, Sam Brown and Steampacket (which featured a very young Rod Stewart) recorded cover versions of the song. Gaye's version peaked at #22 on the Hot 100 chart and its title soon became a catchphrase. Lee Michaels' 1971 version reached #39 on the Hot 100; both his and Gaye's versions peaked during Christmas week.

In popular culture[link]

• Gaye's recording is featured in the 1999 biographical film The Hurricane.

Personnel[link]

• Lead vocals by Marvin Gaye
• Background vocals by The Supremes: Diana Ross, Florence Ballard, and Mary Wilson
• Instrumentation by The Funk Brothers

Tracy Morgan
Morgan discussing his book I Am the New Black, New York City 2009
Birth name	Tracy Jamal Morgan
Born	(1968-11-10) November 10, 1968 (age 43)[1][2] Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Medium	Stand up, Television, Film
Nationality	American
Years active	1989–present
Genres	Black comedy, Musical comedy, Cringe comedy, Character comedy
Subject(s)	African-American culture, Race relations, Racism, Marriage, Family, Self-deprecation, Recreational drug use, Sex, Current events
Spouse	Sabrina Morgan (1985–2009; 3 children) (Divorced)
Notable works and roles	Saturday Night Live Tracy Mitchell in The Tracy Morgan Show Tracy Jordan in 30 Rock Host of Scare Tactics

Tracy Jamal Morgan (born November 10, 1968)^[1][2] is an American actor and comedian who is best known for his eight seasons as a cast member on Saturday Night Live as well as the role of Tracy Jordan on the NBC series 30 Rock.

Early life[link]

Morgan was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, the second of five children of Alicia (née Warden), a homemaker, and James Morgan, Jr., a musician. Morgan says his father returned after multiple tours of duty in Vietnam addicted to heroin,^[3] causing him to leave the family when Morgan was six.^[4][5][6] He was the target of bullies as a child.^[7] His older brother had cerebral palsy and could not protect him so he used comedy to make bullies laugh rather than being beat up^[8]. Before Morgan began his career, he worked in New York City as a painter, for L&L Painting and Rose Company.

Early career[link]

Morgan began his career on Martin, where he played Hustle Man. The character sold various items he had from the "hood," always greeting people with his trademark "What's happ'n, chief?" and had a pet dog that he dressed as a rapper. In the 2003 Chris Rock film Head of State, Morgan appeared as a man watching television, often questioning why they are not watching Martin.

Morgan was also a regular cast member on Uptown Comedy Club,^[9] a sketch comedy show filmed in Harlem which aired for two seasons between 1992 to 1994. He was also on the HBO show Snaps.

[edit] Saturday Night Live

Morgan joined the cast of comedy show Saturday Night Live in 1996, where he performed as a regular until 2003. In December 2011, he made a guest appearance on Saturday Night Live's Christmas show, hosted by Jimmy Fallon.

Recurring characters[link]

He performed a variety of characters on the program, including:

• Brian Fellow
• Uncle Jemima
• Dominican Lou
• Bishop Don "Mack" Donald
• Astronaut Jones
• African Andy
• Benny the Bengal
• Woodrow

Notable impressions[link]

Morgan is also credited with impressions of:

On March 14, 2009, Morgan returned to SNL as host and reprised his roles of Brian Fellow and Astronaut Jones.

[edit] 30 Rock

Since 2006, Morgan has been a cast member of the NBC television show 30 Rock, playing the character Tracy Jordan, a caricature of himself. His work on 30 Rock has been well-received, being nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series at the 2009 Emmy Awards.^[10]

Other work[link]

Morgan performing stand-up in 2008.

Morgan had his own show, The Tracy Morgan Show, in 2003, which was canceled after one season.

Morgan also had a stand-up special entitled "One Mic" that was shown on Comedy Central. He also was the host of the first Spike Guys' Choice Awards, which aired on June 13, 2007. In 2003, he was on an episode of Punk'd in which his car was towed from the valet parking. He can be heard as "Spoonie Luv" on the Comedy Central program Crank Yankers and as Woof in the MTV2 Animated Series Where My Dogs At?.

Morgan acted in commercials for ESPN NFL 2K, ESPN NBA 2K, and ESPN NHL 2K, where he co-starred with Warren Sapp, Ben Wallace and Jeremy Roenick. He appeared in the movie The Longest Yard, starring Adam Sandler, as a transvestite inmate.^[11]

Morgan has hosted the VH1 Hip Hop Honors for 2 consecutive years and hosted the third season of Scare Tactics, the Sci Fi Channel's hidden camera show that pranks people by using their worst fears against them.

Morgan voiced Agent Blaster in Disney's G-Force and a Bulldog named luiz in the Blue Sky Animation Studios film Rio.

Autobiography[link]

On October 20, 2009, Morgan's autobiography I Am the New Black was released. The book includes stories from his life living in Tompkins Projects in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, to becoming a cast member on Saturday Night Live. Tracy appeared on National Public Radio's Fresh Air hosted by Terry Gross, at times tearing up about his former life in a New York ghetto.^[3]

Personal life[link]

Morgan claims to have a number of tattoos, including: a peace sign; a happy and sad face; a cross bearing the names of his wife and three sons; the name of a friend he played football with in high school who was murdered; the words ME, MYSELF, & I on his back; and the phrase Stove Top.^[12]

Family[link]

Morgan married his high school sweetheart Sabrina in 1985. They have three sons together. Their sons' names are Bobby Morgan, Tracy Jr., and Chris Morgan.^[13] Morgan filed for divorce at Bronx Supreme Court on August 7, 2009 after 23 years of marriage, although he and his wife had been already separated for eight years. A friend told the New York Daily News, "Basically they were divorced without the paperwork."^[14] Morgan credits one of his sons with having saved him from his alcoholism.^[15] Morgan is estranged from his mother and most of his family.^[16]

On September 18, 2011, it was announced that Morgan is engaged to model Megan Wollover. Morgan proposed to Wollover while the couple were in San Francisco.^[17]

Health problems[link]

In 1996, he was diagnosed with diabetes, but says he never took it seriously, refusing to take medication or change his diet. After running a 104-degree Fahrenheit fever on the set of 30 Rock, Morgan decided to finally comply with his doctor's orders. He is now very cautious when it comes to the condition. With his consent, many of Morgan's own troubles have been incorporated within episodes of 30 Rock.^[18]

In early December 2010, Tracy Morgan received a kidney transplant. It was announced on December 22, 2010 that he was resting and would miss "at least two episodes" of 30 Rock in 2011.^[19]

On January 22, 2012, Morgan collapsed at an awards ceremony for the Sundance Film Festival. He appeared disoriented while giving a speech, and he was escorted out of the building before collapsing outside. Hospital officials stated that no drugs or alcohol were found in his system. His publicist attributed the incident to a combination of exhaustion and altitude sickness.^[20]

Legal troubles[link]

On December 2, 2005, Morgan was arrested in Los Angeles on impaired driving charges after police stopped him for speeding. On February 17, 2006, he pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge of drunken driving and was sentenced to 36 months' probation, fined $390 and ordered to attend an alcohol education program.^[21]

In November 2006, Morgan was arrested for DUI after police spotted him driving erratically and was also charged with probation violation. In April 2007, Morgan entered a guilty plea where he had to wear an alcohol monitoring bracelet and perform five days of community service.^[22]

Controversies[link]

On January 27, 2011, Morgan appeared on the NBA on TNT pregame coverage of the Miami Heat and the New York Knicks nationally televised live basketball game. During the appearance, commentators Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith asked Morgan to choose between Sarah Palin and Tina Fey on who was better looking (Fey portrays Palin on Saturday Night Live and is a coworker of Morgan). Morgan said Palin was "good masturbation material". The comment led TNT to apologize for his remarks on live camera.^[23]

On June 3, 2011, during a performance in Nashville, Tennessee, Morgan made offensive remarks against gay people, reportedly including that, if his son was gay, he'd better speak to him like a man or he would "pull out a knife and stab" him. Morgan apologized, saying that he had "gone too far".^[24] NBC Entertainment head Bob Greenblatt stated, "I speak for NBC and myself personally when I say we do not condone hate or violence of any kind, and I am pleased to see Tracy Morgan apologizing for recent homophobic remarks in his standup appearance... Unfortunately, Tracy's comments reflect negatively on both 30 Rock and NBC — two very all-inclusive and diverse organizations — and we have made it clear to him that this kind of behavior will not be tolerated." Tina Fey, Morgan's boss both in fiction and in real life, said, "I'm glad to hear that Tracy apologized .... but the violent imagery of Tracy's rant was disturbing to me at a time when homophobic hate crimes continue to be a life-threatening issue for the LGBT community...the Tracy Morgan I know, ...is not a hateful man and [would never] hurt another person. I hope for his sake that Tracy's apology will be accepted as sincere by his gay and lesbian co-workers at 30 Rock, without whom Tracy would not have lines to say, clothes to wear, sets to stand on, scene partners to act with or a printed-out paycheck from accounting to put in his pocket."^[25]

On June 25, 2011, during a show at Caroline's in New York City, Morgan made derogatory comments about disabled children, saying things such as, "Don't ever mess with women who have retarded kids,"^[26] and referring to a woman as "a cripple". Peter Bernes, CEO of The Arc, an organization supporting people with disabilities, stated, "Tracy Morgan should apologize immediately. This quote is far too offensive to be excused as comedy, and it is very hurtful to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families. Mr. Morgan has an incredibly powerful platform from which to fix this, and if he's learned anything in the last few weeks, he can't bomb this apology."^[27]

Awards/nominations[link]

• Emmy Awards
  • 2009, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series: 30 Rock, nominated
• Image Awards
  • 2008, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series: 30 Rock, nominated
  • 2007, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series: 30 Rock, nominated

Filmography[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Tracy Morgan

• Tracy Morgan on Twitter
• Works by or about Tracy Morgan in libraries (WorldCat catalog)
• Tracy Morgan at the Internet Movie Database
• Tracy Morgan collected news and commentary at The New York Times
• Interview with Tracy Morgan
• Tracy Morgan at Emmys.com

Tracey Ullman
Tracey Ullman at 1990 Emmy Awards
Birth name	Trace Ullman
Born	(1959-12-30) 30 December 1959 (age 52) Slough, Buckinghamshire, England, United Kingdom
Nationality	British
Years active	1980–present
Genres	Comedy, sketch-comedy, social commentary, satire, character comedy
Spouse	Allan McKeown (m. 1983–present; 2 children)
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
Emmy Awards
Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Program 1988 The Tracey Ullman Show Outstanding Writing in a Variety or Music Program 1990 The Tracey Ullman Show Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program 1990 Best of The Tracey Ullman Show 1994 Tracey Takes On New York Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series 1992 Love & War 1999 Ally McBeal Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series 1997 Tracey Takes On...
Music sample
"They Don't Know" noicon
BAFTA Awards
Best Light Entertainment Performance 1984 Three of a Kind Lifetime Achievement Award 2009 Tracey Ullman

Tracey Ullman (born 30 December 1959) is a British stage and television actress, comedienne, singer, dancer, director, screenwriter and author.

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 UK to the US and created her own network television series, The Tracey Ullman Show, from 1987 until 1990, from which The Simpsons was spun off in 1989. She later produced programmes for HBO, including Tracey Takes On... (1996–1999), for which she has won 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[link]

Ullman was born Trace Ullman in Slough, Buckinghamshire (now in Berkshire), the daughter of Dorin, a Briton of both British and Roma ancestry, and Antony Ullman, a Polish Roman Catholic, who worked as a solicitor.^[1] 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."^[2] Ullman's father had been a Polish soldier evacuated from Dunkirk in 1940. He subsequently worked as a furniture salesman and travel agent. When she was six, Ullman's father died of a heart attack while reading her a bedtime story.^[3] He was 50 years old. In an effort to cheer up her family, Tracey recounts putting on shows in her mother's bedroom, performing alongside her older sister, Patti. That first show was entitled The Patti Ullman Show.^[3] "I was a spin-off!" recalled Ullman. In her nightly performances she would mimic neighbours, family members, friends, and celebrities.^[3] Soon after, Ullman's mother remarried.

At the age of 12, a headmaster saw Ullman's future potential, and recommended her to the Italia Conti Academy stage school. Although the school gave Ullman her first taste of the stage, she does not look back on it fondly.

At the age of 16, Ullman began finding jobs as a dancer, and soon landed a role in Gigi in Berlin.^[4] Upon returning to England, she joined the "Second Generation" dance troupe.^[5] She also began appearing in variety shows.

The exposure led to her casting in numerous West End musicals, including Grease, and The Rocky Horror Show.^[6] During this time Ullman was cast in a play at London's Royal Court Theatre^[7] for an improvised play about club acts. Entering the competition, Ullman created the character Beverly, a born-again Christian chanteuse. The performance was a big hit and she won the "Best Newcomer Award".^[8] 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[link]

In 1983, Ullman succeeded as a singer on the punk label Stiff Records,^[9] although her style was more comic romantic than punk.^[10] She had six songs in the UK Top 100 in less than two years. Her 1983 debut 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" went to No.2 in the UK, and No.8 in the U.S. MacColl sang backing vocals on Ullman's version. It would later become the theme song to Ullman's later television series, Tracey Takes On....

Follow-up singles, a cover of Doris Day's "Move Over Darling", which reached No.8 in the UK, and the cover of Madness' "My Girl", which Ullman changed to "My Guy's Mad at Me", were released.^[11] (The "My Guy" video featured the British Labour Party politician Neil Kinnock, at the time the Leader of the Opposition)^[12]

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 retrospective 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.^[13] Ullman released her second and last album, You Caught Me Out, in 1984.

Her 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.^[14]

In her HBO stand-up special, Tracey Ullman: Live and Exposed, Ullman recreated her music career, recounting how she entered the business, and why she left it. Performances of many of her hit singles were also performed in front of an audience for the performance. In October 2006, Ullman took part in the BBC Four documentary series, If It Ain't Stiff, a mini-series dedicated to the history of the label.^[15] A new "remastered" version of ...17 Places was released in 2007.

Television career[link]

Early years[link]

Along with her stint in the music world, Ullman began working in television. Between 1981 and 1984 she starred in sketch comedies A Kick Up the Eighties and Three of a Kind for the BBC. In 1985, she donned a blond wig and took the role of a promiscuous gold digger named "Candice Valentine" on the ITV sitcom Girls On Top. She left after one season, due to being pregnant and giving birth to her first child in 1986.^{[citation needed]}

At this point, US television beckoned, and renowned television producer James L. Brooks came calling. 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 makeup, prosthetics and padding. The show was the first commercial hit for then unknown Fox channel. 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).^[16] 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 favor of the network.^[17][18]

HBO[link]

Ullman returned to television in 1993, but this time in cable television. Two specials were created allowing Ullman to bring life to a host of new characters. The first, Tracey Ullman: A Class Act, took a humorous jab at the British class system, and co-starred Monty Python alumnus Michael Palin.^[19] For the second, Tracey Ullman Takes On New York, Ullman decided to take on a more American subject, New York City.^[20] 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... premiered 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.^[21] 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.^[22] The series went on to win eight Emmys, numerous CableACE Awards and a host of other media awards, and was critically acclaimed. In 1997, it won the Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series Emmy Award category for the episode Vegas.^[23] 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[link]

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[link]

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 the summer of 2005, with her autobiographical one-woman stage show, Tracey Ullman: Live and Exposed.^[24] The show garnered another Emmy nomination.^[25]

Showtime[link]

Upon her naturalization 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.^[26] Ullman was to create a brand new series for the network, that would be inspired in part by her recently gained naturalisation.^[27] The series would focus on America, "the good, the bad, and the absolutely ridiculous", which also 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 budding roster of hit shows.^[28] Greenblatt was a young development director during her Tracey Ullman Show days, and was enthusiastic to get her over to Showtime.^[29] Five episodes were ordered for the first season.

For the first time since the early years of her career at the BBC, Ullman was not only creating a new lineup of original characters, but rather, also impersonating famous ones.^[30] Tracey Ullman's State of the Union debuted on 30 March 2008.

The critical response to "State of the Union" was overwhelmingly positive.^[31][32][33] 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, signaling 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.^[34]

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's an official citizen, Ullman joked that she, "won't end up in Guantánamo Bay,"^[35] for speaking her mind.

Ullman hoped to continue the series after season one.^[36] Showtime announced that it had greenlighted a second season for 2009.^[37] It was commissioned for a third run for 2010.

Other notable work[link]

Ullman was the modern-day cartoon voice of Little Lulu.^[38] She also had a recurring role as an unconventional psychotherapist in Ally McBeal, a role that won her an American Comedy Award.^[39]

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 evil Queen.^[40]

Film career[link]

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 which gained Ullman international acclaim for her comic and dramatic performance.

After the cancellation of The Tracey Ullman Show in 1990, she made her starring debut 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 in a Comedy or Musical 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 such actors as Dustin Hoffman, Kevin Kline, William H. Macy, Stanley Tucci, Christopher Lloyd, Sigourney Weaver and Emma Watson in the computer-animated The Tale of Despereaux.^[41]

Stock footage of Ullman was used in the film The Queen with Helen Mirren. The footage was used without her permission.^{[citation needed]}

Personal life[link]

Ullman married producer Allan McKeown on 27 December 1983; they have two children, Mabel Ellen McKeown (born 1986) and John Albert Victor McKeown (born 1991). Mabel McKeown works for Harriet Harman in a job funded by the Labour Party. She unsuccessfully ran as Labour's candidate in the by-election in Cremorne in Kensington and Chelsea Council in 2010. She once contributed to the Huffington Post.^[42] She has also campaigned for Labour in her native country.

Ullman became an American citizen in December 2006 and now holds dual citizenship of the United States and the United Kingdom.^[43][44] In 2006, Ullman topped the list for the "Wealthiest British Comedians", with an estimated wealth of £75 million.^[45]

Filmography[link]

• Mackenzie (1980) TV series – Lisa MacKenzie
• Three of a Kind (1981) TV series
• Happy Since I Met You (1981) (TV) – Karen
• A Kick Up the Eighties (1981) TV series – Various Roles
• Give My Regards to Broad Street (1984) – Sandra
• Plenty (1985) – Alice Park
• "Girls On Top" (1985) TV series – Candice Valentine
• Jumpin' Jack Flash (1986) – Fiona
• The Tracey Ullman Show (1987–1990) – TV series
• I, Martin Short, Goes Hollywood (1989) (TV) – Tina Wise
• I Love You to Death (1990) – Rosalie Boca
• Tracey Ullman: A Class Act (1992) (TV) – Various
• Death Becomes Her (1992) – Toni (scenes deleted)
• Happily Ever After (1993) (voice) – Thunderella and Moonbeam
• Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993) – Latrine
• Household Saints (1993) – Catherine Falconetti
• Tracey Ullman Takes On New York (1993) (TV) – Various characters
• I'll Do Anything (1994) – Beth Hobbs
• Bullets Over Broadway (1994) – Eden Brent
• Prêt-à-Porter (1994) – Nina Scant
• The Little Lulu Show (1995) TV series – Lulu (First few episodes)
• Tracey Takes On... (1996–1999) – TV series
• Ally McBeal (1997–2000) – Dr Tracey Clark
• C-Scam (2000)
• Panic (2000) – Martha
• Small Time Crooks (2000) – Frenchy
• Visible Panty Lines (2001–2002) TV series
• Tracey Ullman in the Trailer Tales (2003) (TV) – Ruby Romaine/Svetlana/Pepper Kane
• A Dirty Shame (2004) – Sylvia Stickles
• Tracey Ullman: Live and Exposed (2005)
• The Cat That Looked at a King (2004) (V) (voice) – The Cat
• Corpse Bride (2005) (voice) – Nell Van Dort/Hildegarde
• Kronk's New Groove (2005) (V) (voice) – Ms. Birdwell
• Once Upon a Mattress (2005) (TV) – Princess Winnifred
• I Could Never Be Your Woman (2007) – Mother Nature
• Dawn French's Girls Who Do Comedy Three-part TV series (2006)
• The Tale of Despereaux (2008) (voice) – Mig
• Tracey Ullman's State of the Union (2008–2010) TV series – various characters

Stage[link]

• 1982: Rita, Sue and Bob Too
• 1990: The Taming of the Shrew – Kate
• 1991: The Big Love – Florence Aadland
• 2005: Tracey Ullman: Live and Exposed
• 2011: My City – Elizabeth Lambert^[46]
• 2012: What About Dick? – Aunt Maggie^[47]

Discography[link]

• 1983: You Broke My Heart in 17 Places #12 UK, #34 US
• 1984: You Caught Me Out – #92 UK
• 1984: Forever – The Best of Tracey Ullman

Charting singles[link]

• 1983: "Breakaway" – #4 UK
• 1983: "They Don't Know" – #2 UK
• 1983: "Move Over, Darling" – #8 UK
• 1984: "My Guy" – #23 UK
• 1984: "Sunglasses" – #18 UK
• 1984: "Helpless" - #61 UK
• 1985: "Terry" - #81 UK

Awards and Honors[link]

To date, Ullman is a seven-time Emmy Award-winning, and American Comedy Award-winning actress.

On 5 December 2006, Tracey was honored 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 LA Award, the following May. She became the first recipient of the Charlie Chaplin award for comedy on 9 May 2009.^[48]

Awarded[link]

• 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^[49]
• 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[link]

• 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[link]

• Guinness Book of British Hit Singles 7th Edition
• Archive of an Entertainment Weekly story by Frank Spotnitz on 1992 lawsuit
• Tracey Ullman TV.com "Awards"

References[link]