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Ricki Lake (born September 21, 1968) is an American actress and talk show host. She was born in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York. Her talk show Ricki Lake debuted in 1993 and in May of 2004 the show was cancelled.
Lake became known to audiences when she played the hefty Tracy Turnblad, the main character of the John Waters film Hairspray. Her role as the overweight USO volunteer Holly the Donut Dolly in the television series China Beach gave her a larger audience, and she was eventually chosen to host the talk show which bears her name. At the same time, she went on a public weight loss regimen, and wound up losing about 125 pounds (57 kg).
She has also appeared in The King of Queens, Mrs. Winterbourne, Inside Monkey Zetterland, and she often pops up in small roles in John Waters films such as Cecil B. Demented.
Her talk show has often been the butt of satire, and it was repeatedly parodied during the 1990s on Saturday Night Live, with male cast member Jay Mohr impersonating Lake in drag.
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