Tracey Ullman

Tracey Ullman (born Trace Ullman; December 30, 1959) is a British-American actress, comedian, singer, dancer, screenwriter, producer, and director recognized for her multifaceted career spanning sketch comedy, musical performances, and character impressions. Ullman's professional journey commenced in the late 1970s with stage roles in West End productions and early television appearances in the UK, followed by a brief music career featuring the 1983 hit single "They Don't Know," which reached number 8 on the UK Singles Chart. She gained prominence in British television through sketch comedy series such as Three of a Kind (1981–1983) and Girls on Top (1985–1986) before relocating to the United States, where she hosted The Tracey Ullman Show (1987–1990) on Fox, marking the first sketch comedy program led by a British woman in the U.S. and originating the animated shorts that evolved into The Simpsons. Subsequent HBO series like Tracey Takes On... (1996–1999) and Tracey Ullman in the Trailer Tales (2003) showcased her impressionist talents across diverse characters, earning her multiple Primetime Emmy Awards, including for Outstanding Variety Sketch Series in 2017 and 2018, and Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series for her role in Mrs. America (2020).

Tracey Ullman was born Trace Ullman on December 30, 1959, in Slough, Berkshire, England, the younger of two daughters born to Doreen Cleaver, a British woman of Roma descent who worked as a waitress and factory worker, and Antoni John Ullman, a Polish immigrant who had served as a soldier evacuated from Dunkirk during World War II before working variously as a solicitor, furniture salesman, travel agent, and broker within London's Polish émigré community.

Ullman's father died of a heart attack in 1966 while reading her a bedtime story, when she was six years old; her family initially concealed the cause and circumstances of his death from her, contributing to early emotional upheaval. The loss precipitated financial decline for the family, ending prior relative comfort and prompting frequent relocations amid economic insecurity, which Ullman later described as fostering a gritty self-reliance amid adversity rather than privilege.

From an early age, Ullman displayed innate aptitude for mimicry, imitating neighbors, teachers, family members, and celebrities such as Julie Andrews and Édith Piaf, often spending hours studying her expressions in a mirror; she wrote and performed in school plays, earning encouragement from her headmaster to pursue acting, an talent rooted in personal observation amid her unstable circumstances rather than formal training.

Tracey Ullman was born to a Jewish mother of Polish-British descent.