Hairspray

Background:

“I feel like I'm kind of watching myself do it from across the street. It's a very surreal experience, but it's wonderful. I'm just honored that I'm getting to make movies and that I'm a working actress. That's all that is important to me. The fame is fun, but at the end of the day the fact that I'm working and supporting myself and hopefully my family someday, that's all that matters to me.” Nikki Blonsky (on fame)

American actress Nikki Blonsky was shot to prominence at age 19 thanks to her Golden Globe-nominated portrayal of Tracy Turnblad, a cheery, plump teenager growing up in 1962 Baltimore, on “Hairspray” (2007), a wide screen version of the stage musical adaptation of the 1988 John Waters movie of the same name. The role also brought the young aspiring performer a Critics Choice Award, an Online Film Critics Society Award, a Young Hollywood Award, a Palm Springs International Film Festival Award and a Hollywood Film Award, as well as MTV Movie, Chicago Film Critics Association and SAG nominations. A lover of the Broadway show since she was 15, the New York native won the coveted role in a nationwide search after beating out 1,000 other aspirants.

Since her auspicious debut, Blonsky has appeared in the TV film “Queen Sized” (2008), the feature “Harold” (2008) and the hit TV show “Ugly Betty” (2009). She will play Dolores in the upcoming film “Waiting for Forever” (2009), opposite Jaime King.

Blonsky, who worked as an ice cream scooper at Cold Stone Creamery prior to her appearance in “Hairspray,” is also a singer. She has performed for a lot of organizations and at events across the United States. On June 22, 2008, she sang the National Anthem at the pre-race ceremony at the 2008 ToyotaSave Mart 350. She is working on her debut album, whose first single is Duncan Sheik's cover “On a High,” which was featured in commercials for the TV film “Queen Sized.”

In August 2008, Blonsky made headlines when she and her father were arrested in the departure lounge of Providenciales International Airport. She was later released on bail before being cleared of all charges in January 2009. Her father, however, is still facing charges.

Courageously Fat Nikki Bonsklia

Childhood and Family:

Nicole Margaret Blonsky, who would later be popular as Nikki Blonsky, was born on November 9, 1988, in Great Neck, New York, to Karen and Carl Blonsky. Her mother is an elementary school teacher’s aide and her father works in water pollution control. Although her father is Jewish, Nikki was raised in her mom's faith, Catholic. She has a younger brother named Joey.

Nikki was educated at the Great Neck North High School before transferring to the Great Neck Village School, an alternative art school, during her sophomore year. She graduated in June 2006. While in school, she was frequently teased by her peers about her weight. Recalling, she said, “They didn't like that somebody was different and okay with being different. I would just smile in their faces. If that made them feel better about themselves, then I'll be the brunt of their jokes because I'm totally okay with who I am.”

Nicknamed Nikki “B,” Nikki later received the nickname Courageously Fat Nikki Bonsklia from Adam Shankman, the director/choreographer of “Hairspray.”

Waiting for Forever

Career:

Singing by age 3, Nikki was hired to perform at wedding ceremonies around Great Neck and sometimes sang the National Anthem at local baseball games. When she was 15 years old, Blonsky attended the Broadway production of “Hairspray” with her mother and fell in love with the production. With support from her mother, she later auditioned for the role of Tracy Turnblad in “Hairspray” on Broadway, but did not receive the role because she was too young. After the rejection, the determined teen appeared in high school productions like “The Laramie Project” (as Rebecca Hillicker), “Sweeny Todd” (as Mrs. Lovette), “Kiss Me Kate” (as Lilli Venessi/Katerine), “Les Miserables” (as Madame Thernardier) and “Carmen” (as Carmen).

When Blonsky heard about the making of a film version of “Hairspray,” she sent an audition tape to New Line and went to the open casting call. It was while working her after-school job at a Cold Stone Creamery that she was informed by the producers via the Internet that she won her dream role of the dancing Baltimore teen Tracy Turnblad. The announcement was made public on the June 8, 2008, episode of “Entertainment Tonight,” for which the show's crew attended her workplace to shoot the surprise announcement.

“This has been a dream come true. I saw 'Hairspray' on Broadway when I was fifteen years old and fell in love with it. You know, unfortunately, Broadway is just in New York, so unless you come to New York or live in New York, you (won't) get the experience of 'Hairspray' on Broadway. But this is a movie that is going everywhere, so I'm so excited to bring Tracy to life and bring her views to little kids and show them different is okay and uniqueness is beautiful.” Nikki Blonsky

Directed by Adam Shankman, the big screen remake of the musical “Hairspray” premiered on July 13, 2007, in the United States and soon became a hit. It was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy, and to date has grossed more than 100 million dollars. Costarring with big names like John Travolta, Queen Latifah, Michelle Pfeiffer, Christopher Walken and Amanda Bynes, Blonsky was able to hold her own thanks to her never-say-die liveliness. She was handed such awards as a Critics Choice for Best Young Actress, an Online Film Critics Society for Breakthrough Performer, a Young Hollywood for One to Watch, a Hollywood Film Festival for Ensemble of the Year, and the Palm Springs International Film Festival's Rising Star Award for her performance in the film. She also picked up a Golden Globe nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy, a Chicago Film Critics Association nomination for Most Promising Performer, an MTV Movie nomination for Breakthrough Performance, and a Screen Actors Guild nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. Along with acting, Blonsky performed seven songs for the soundtrack, including “Good Morning Baltimore,” “I Can Hear the Bells,” “Welcome to the 60s,” “Without Love,” “You Can't Stop the Beat,” “Come So Far (Got So Far to Go)” and “Mama, I'm a Big Girl Now.” The song “Come So Far” earned a Critics Choice nomination in the category of Best Song, an honor she shared with Queen Latifah, Zac Efron and Elijah Kelley.

After her star-making role in “Hairspray,” Blonsky starred as Maggie Baker, an overweight girl who is voted Homecoming Queen by the mean girls in her high school, in the Lifetime Original Movie “Queen Sized” (2008), which was directed by Peter Levin. She then received the small, but notable, part of Rhonda in director T. Sean Shannon's comedy “Harold” (2008). The film also featured Oscar winning Cuba Gooding Jr.

Recently, Blonsky made a guest appearance in an episode of “Ugly Betty” called “Dress for Success,” which aired on January 8, 2009. She is scheduled to costar opposite Jaime King, Rachel Bilson, Scott Mechlowicz, Matthew Davis and Blythe Danner in the upcoming romance film “Waiting for Forever” (2009), which will be directed by James Keach. It has also been confirmed that Blonsky collaborated with alternative rock musician Duncan Sheik on many tracks of her debut album, which has been in production since September 2007. Her first single, “On a High,” a cover of one of Sheik's tracks, was introduced to her fans through the 2008 television movie “Queen Sized.”

Awards:

• Critics Choice: Best Young Actress, “Hairspray,” 2008

• Online Film Critics Society (OFCS): Breakthrough Performer, “Hairspray,” 2008

• Hollywood Film Festival: Hollywood Film Award, Ensemble of the Year, “Hairspray,” 2007

• Young Hollywood: One to Watch, “Hairspray,” 2007

• Palm Springs International Film Festival: Rising Star Award, 2007