Tracey Ullman on screen and stage explained

Tracey Ullman is a British-American actress who has had an extensive career in television, film, and theatre. She has worked in both comedy and drama. Her sketch comedy television programmes have won her numerous awards in both the United States and the United Kingdom. She began her stage career in the mid-1970s starring in various West End musicals and dramas. Her first television appearance came in 1980 playing Lisa Mackenzie in the British drama series Mackenzie. In 1981, the BBC cast her in two ensemble comedy sketch shows; A Kick Up the Eighties, and Three of a Kind (which also featured Lenny Henry and David Copperfield).^[1] In 1983, Ullman launched a brief but successful pop singing career, garnering several chart hits and making several appearances on Top of the Pops. In 1985, she was cast in the ITV sitcom Girls on Top alongside Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders, and Ruby Wax.

She came to the attention of producer James L. Brooks after her critically acclaimed BAFTA nominated performance in the film drama, Plenty (1985). Brooks would go on to create and produce her first American television comedy programme, The Tracey Ullman Show in 1987. The show spun-off the longest-running American scripted primetime television series, The Simpsons in 1989. Her first big screen leading role came in 1990 in I Love You to Death. She would go on to star and appear in such films as (1993),^[2] Nancy Savoca's Household Saints (1993),^[3] Bullets Over Broadway (1994),^[4] and Small Time Crooks (2000).

In 1993, she returned to television with the comedy specials and Tracey Ullman Takes on New York for HBO in the United States. This led to the creation of Tracey Takes On... and a long career producing and starring in programmes created for American cable television. After a thirty-year absence she returned to the BBC creating the sketch comedy programme Tracey Ullman's Show in 2016.^[1] In 2020, she returned in the FX historical drama television miniseries Mrs. America playing Betty Friedan earning herself both critical praise and accolades.

Filmography

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Denotes works that have not yet been released

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1980	scope=row	Mackenzie	Lisa Mackenzie	Television series
1981	scope=row	Screenplay	Karen	Episode: "Happy Since I Met You"
	scope=row	A Kick Up the Eighties	Various	Television series
1981–83	scope=row	Three of a Kind	Various	Television series
1982	scope=row	Four in a Million	Beverly	Television film
	scope=row	A Cut Above	Samantha
1985	scope=row	Girls on Top	Candice Valentine	Series 1, 1 episode in series 2; additional material credit
1987	scope=row	Saturday Night Live	Herself (uncredited)	Episode: "Garry Shandling/Los Lobos" "Hollywood Mom" (sketch)
1987–1990	scope=row	The Tracey Ullman Show	Various	Television series
1989	scope=row	Sesame Street	Herself / Trasha	Episode 2584; Season 20; 6 April 1989
	scope=row	I, Martin Short, Goes Hollywood	Tina Wise	Television film
1991	scope=row	The Full Wax	Herself	Episode: #1.4
	scope=row	The Simpsons	Emily Winthrop / Mrs. Winfield (voice)	Episode: "Bart's Dog Gets an 'F'
	scope=row	Funny Women of Television	Herself
1992	scope=row	Sibs	Beatrice	Episode: "If I Only Had a Dad"
1993	scope=row	Love & War	Dava Levine	Episode: "The Prima Dava"
	scope=row		Various	Additional material credit
	scope=row	Tracey Ullman Takes on New York	Various	Television special
1995	scope=row	The Little Lulu Show	Lulu (voice)	Season 1
	scope=row	Women of the Night IV	Herself
1996–99	scope=row	Tracey Takes On...	Various	Creator, writer, executive producer, second unit director (season 4)
1998–99	scope=row	Ally McBeal	Dr. Tracey Clark	5 episodes
2001–02	scope=row	Tracey Ullman's Visible Panty Lines	Herself	Television series
2003	scope=row	Tracey Ullman in the Trailer Tales	Ruby Romaine / Svetlana / Pepper Kane	Directorial debut; writer, executive producer
2004	scope=row	Will & Grace	Ann	Episode: "Looking for Mr. Good Enough"
2005	scope=row		Herself	Executive producer, writer
	scope=row	Once Upon a Mattress	Princess Winnifred	Television film
2006	scope=row	Dawn French's Girls Who Do Comedy	Herself	3 episodes
2007	scope=row	If It Ain't Stiff	Herself
2008	scope=row	Mumbai Calling	Telephone Voice (voice)	7 episodes
2008–2010	scope=row	Tracey Ullman's State of the Union	Various	Creator, writer, director, executive producer
2011	scope=row	Kennedy Center Honors	Herself	Tribute to Meryl Streep
2014	scope=row	How I Met Your Mother	Genevieve Scherbatsky	3 episodes
	scope=row	Sofia the First	Marla (voice)	Episode: "Mom's the Word"
2015	scope=row	Shakespeare Uncovered	Herself	Episode: "The Taming of the Shrew With Morgan Freeman"
2016, 2018	scope=row	Have I Got News for You	Herself	Guest presenter; 2 episodes
2016–18	scope=row	Tracey Ullman's Show	Various	Devised by credit, executive producer
2017	scope=row	Girls	Ode Montgomery	Episode: "Painful Evacuation"
	scope=row	Tracey Breaks the News	Various	Devised by credit, executive producer
	scope=row	Howards End	Aunt Juley Mund	Miniseries
	scope=row	The President Show	Herself	Episode: "I Came Up with Christmas: A President Show Christmas"
2017–18	scope=row	Tracey Breaks the News	Various	Television series
2018	scope=row	Zog	Madame Dragon / Governess (voice)
2020	scope=row	Mrs. America	Betty Friedan	Miniseries
	scope=row	Death to 2020		Television special
2021–24	scope=row	Curb Your Enthusiasm	Irma Kostroski	9 episodes
2021	scope=row	Death to 2021	Madison Madison	Television special
2024	scope=row style="background:#FFFFCC;"	Black Doves	Alex	Television series

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1984	scope=row	Give My Regards to Broad Street	Sandra
	scope=row	The Young Visiters	Ethel Monticue
1985	scope=row	Plenty	Alice Park	Nominated - BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role
1986	scope=row	Jumpin' Jack Flash	Fiona
1989	scope=row	Happily Ever After	Thunberella / Moonbeam (voice)
1990	scope=row	I Love You to Death	Rosalie Boca
1992	scope=row	Death Becomes Her	Toni	Scenes deleted
1993	scope=row		Latrine
	scope=row	Household Saints	Catherine Falconetti
1994	scope=row	I'll Do Anything	Beth Hobbs
	scope=row	Bullets Over Broadway	Eden Brent
	scope=row	Prêt-à-Porter	Nina Scant
1996	scope=row	Everyone Says I Love You		Scenes deleted
2000	scope=row	Panic	Martha
	scope=row	Small Time Crooks	Frenchy	Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical
	scope=row	C-Scam
2004	scope=row	A Dirty Shame	Sylvia Stickles
	scope=row	The Cat That Looked at a King	The Cat (voice)	Video
2005	scope=row	Corpse Bride	Nell Van Dort / Hildegarde (voice)
	scope=row	Kronk's New Groove	Ms. Birdwell (voice)	Video
2006	scope=row	The Queen	Self (uncredited)	Archive footage
	scope=row	Flushed Away		Creative consultant
2007	scope=row	I Could Never Be Your Woman	Mother Nature
2008	scope=row	The Tale of Despereaux	Mig (voice)
2014	scope=row	Into the Woods	Jack's Mother
2020	scope=row	Onward	Grecklin (voice)
	scope=row	The Prom	Vera Glickman
2021	Highway One		Associate producer
	scope=row style="background:#FFFFCC;"	The Actor	Mrs. Malloy / Helen / Deerville Woman	Post-production^[5]

Directing, producing and writing

Year	Title	Director	Producer	Writer
1985	scope=row	Girls on Top
1987–1990	scope=row	The Tracey Ullman Show
1993	scope=row	Tracey Ullman: A Class Act
1996–99	scope=row	Tracey Takes On...
2001–02	scope=row	Tracey Ullman's Visible Panty Lines
2003	scope=row	Tracey Ullman in the Trailer Tales
2005	scope=row	Tracey Ullman: Live and Exposed
2008–2010	scope=row	Tracey Ullman's State of the Union
2016–18	scope=row	Tracey Ullman's Show
2017–18	scope=row	Tracey Breaks the News
2021	scope=row	Highway One

Theatre

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

Radio

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1981–83	scope=row	Week Ending	Various	Topical sketch series
2021	scope=row	Desert Island Discs	Herself	Interviewee^[6]

See also

• List of awards and nominations received by Tracey Ullman

Notes and References

1. News: Tracey Ullman Returns to BBC with First Television Series in 30 Years. The Guardian. 8 January 2016 . 8 January 2016 . Addley . Esther .
2. Web site: See the Cast of 'Robin Hood: Men in Tights' Then and Now. Screen Crush. 10 May 2014 . Screencrush.com. 16 December 2015.
3. Web site: Household Saints Movie Review (1993). Roger Ebert. Rogerebert.com. 16 December 2015.
4. Web site: Movie Review - Bullets Over Broadway (1994) Film Festival Review – Allen's Ode to Theater and, as Always, New York. The New York Times. 16 December 2015.
5. Web site: Shooting of "The Actor" Moving to Budapest This Quarter . Budapest Reporter . 16 November 2022 . 20 November 2022.
6. Web site: Desert Island Discs: Tracey Ullman, actor and comedian . BBC . 18 January 2023.