Tracey Ullman (born December 30, 1959) is a British-born, naturalized U.S. citizen, comedian, actress, singer, dancer, screenwriter, and author, who is most famous for being the host of her eponymous variety television show from 1987 until 1990.
Her early appearances were on such British TV sketch comedy shows as A Kick Up the Eighties (with Rik Mayall) and Three of a Kind (with Lenny Henry and David Copperfield ). She also appeared as Candice Valentine in Girls On Top with Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders.
She emigrated to the U.S. and ended up having her own network television series, The Tracey Ullman Show, from which The Simpsons was spun off in 1989.
She later found even greater success producing programs for HBO, including Tracey Takes On..., for which she has won numerous awards. She has also appeared in many feature films.
She is currently about to star in her newest sketch-comedy creation, Tracey Ullman's State of the Union, for Showtime, in 2008.
The Tracey Ullman Show was a weekly American television variety show, hosted by British comedian and onetime pop singer Tracey Ullman. It debuted on April 5, 1987 as the FOX network's second primetime series (after Married... with Children), and ran until May 26, 1990. The show featured sketch comedy along with many musical numbers, featuring Emmy Award-winning choreography by Paula Abdul. It also produced the hugely successful spin-off, The Simpsons. This is the first show Produced By Gracie Films and also produced by 20th Century Fox Television
A typical episode would begin with Ullman giving a brief introduction, ostensibly from her dressing room, leading into the opening titles (the show's theme, "You're Thinking Right", was written by George Clinton). Then two or three comedy sketches would be presented, most designed to showcase Ullman's ability to skillfully mimic various accents. One popular recurring character was timid, slow-talking Kay ("iiit's ... Kaaaaaaaayyy ...").
Typically, the final sketch of the night would include a musical number featuring Ullman and other members of the cast. The final segment saw Ullman, clad in a robe, deliver a closing monologue to the studio audience before ending the show with her catchphrase "Go Home! Go Home!" and dancing as the credits rolled. Ullman often talked about her American husband Allan and their baby Mabel.
The show ultimately won three Emmy Awards: for Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Program in 1989 and 1990, for Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program in 1990.
