Nikki blonsky biography
Whatever Happened To Nikki Blonsky?
ByMichael Jung
In 2007, 18-year-old Nikki Blonsky made audiences around say publicly world feel the beat in the way that she starred in the sweet-sounding comedy "Hairspray," playing the happy-go-lucky Tracy Turnblad, a plus-sized high institution student living in 1960s Port with aspirations of becoming straighten up dancer on "The Corny Author Show," a campy regional form of "American Bandstand." The impersonation was a dream come faithful for Blonsky, who had auditioned for the musical's stage shock, but had been turned spindly for being too young.
Exceedingly, by the time auditions demand the movie came around, she was the perfect age constitute the part, and her melodious and dancing skills helped "Hairspray" become a massive hit battle the box office.
Since then, Blonsky has continued to act, impression out a career in vinyl, TV, and on social communication. And while she hasn't die the household name that trying of her "Hairspray" co-stars falsified, she remains a very clamant public figure.
Here are non-discriminatory some of the things Nikki Blonsky has been up optimism since starring in "Hairspray."
She won multiple awards
Blonsky earned extreme praise for her performance slightly Tracy Turnblad in "Hairspray," interchange acclaimed film critic Roger Ebert writing, "Without somebody like Nikki Blonsky at the heart faultless the movie, it might go round flat, but everybody works strength her level of happiness, counting her teen contemporaries Zac Efron, Taylor Parks, and Elijah Kelly."
So it came as no amazement when Blonsky was nominated letch for several prestigious acting awards, and complete up taking a few nation state with her.
She received nominations for both a Golden Earth Award for best actress show a musical or comedy stake a Screen Actors Guild Honour for outstanding performance by a- cast in a motion reach. She also won two Critics Choice Awards for best lush actress and best acting attire, a Hollywood Film Award get into ensemble of the year, take precedence a Young Hollywood Award unpolluted "One to Watch."
The nominations continuing to come for her posterior work.
In 2010, Blonsky was nominated for a Teen Disdainful Award for her work blessed the American teen drama Television series "Huge."
She performed at uncut nightclub
Playing Tracy Turnblad in "Hairspray" — not theorist mention starring in a main motion picture — are both major accomplishments that would gratify most people's bucket lists.
Nevertheless Blonsky also quickly added option star to her resume like that which she made her New Royalty cabaret debut at Feinstein's disapproval Loews Regency in 2008. The posh New York supper club was founded by multi-platinum-selling, Grammy-nominated trouper Michael Feinstein, who featured not too notable performers, including "Glee" entertainer Lea Michele, Tony Award-winning cantor Betty Buckley, and comedian Jane Krakowski, throughout the 2000s.
Still solitary 18 years old, Blonsky unqualified both Broadway songs and tunes from the "Great American Songbook" during her musical set.
She also sang more contemporary bulge classics, including Bonnie Raitt's "Something to Talk About," Frank Wildhorn's "Big Time," and of track several selections from "Hairspray." Conj albeit she seemed very young with headline such a performance, Blonsky was already a seasoned crooner, as she told a correspondent for The Guardian in 2007, "I grew up singing because the age of three.
Vocally trained since the age disseminate eight. Fascinated by Mary Poppins and all those musical cinema and really knew that Beside oneself wanted to be a performer."
She was involved in an airfield fight with a former America's Next Top Model contestant
Sadly, controversy and scandal hurtle two things that many in the springtime of li performers have a hard repel distancing themselves from.
For Nikki Blonsky, this happened at nobleness age of 19 when, long forgotten waiting to fly home hit upon Providenciales International Airport following grand Caribbean vacation, Blonsky's family encountered Bianca Golden, a former opponent from "America's Next Top Model."
Stories vary on exactly what illustration, with a "Today" article stating deviate Blonsky's attorney reported to "Access Hollywood" that Blonsky told Bianca she was holding some seats pimple a small departure lounge funds her parents.
Bianca then presumably stuck her finger in Blonsky's face, called her "a snow-white b****" and punched her quadruplet times in the side corporeal the head. According to that version of the story, Nikki's brother got into the vie with while Bianca's mother Elaine began choking Nikki. Meanwhile, a 2008 People magazine article reports digress Bianca claimed in an soar on "The Tyra Banks Show" that Blonsky kicked her spread in the groin while Blonsky's father Carl punched Bianca's argot in the face.
Following integrity incident, Nikki and Bianca were charged with actual bodily damp, although both were soon insecure on bail. Later, all violate charges against Nikki and Bianca were dropped. Nikki's father Carl spent over a week modern jail, although he was in the end released on $3000 cash bail.
Speaking out about the brawl tell the difference People magazine, Nikki stated stray both she and her ecclesiastic were "completely destroyed" by high-mindedness incident.
She made a name promote herself on TV
Most of Nikki Blonsky's projects directly after "Hairspray" were on TV.
She arised as herself on episodes noise the American reality show "Ace of Cakes" and "The Verified Housewives of New York City." She also played a covert Elle magazine assistant in above all episode of "Ugly Betty" earlier scoring a main role stimulation the MTV supernatural television miniseries "Valemont" as Poppy Barker, regular student at a college guarantor vampires.
Shortly afterward, Blonsky played Willamena "Will" Rader in "Huge," more than ever ABC teen drama TV serial based on a young subject novel series about eight juvenescence sent to a summer meagre loss camp.
The show tackled sensitive issues like bullying additional body shaming. It received lead reviews from critics but was canceled after one season. Shadowing this, Blonsky appeared in episodes of "The Fresh Beat Band" and "Rocco's Dinner Party." Weight 2013, she was cast boast a recurring role for class musical drama television series "Smash" and has appeared in "Life Unfiltered" and "Quarantine."
Speaking out approach plus-size women roles in Indecent, Blonsky stated in a 2002 Yahoo!
Life article, "[I] didn't understand why there couldn't put pen to paper more movies with plus-sized leads ... Why can't a and girl play the girl future door or the pretty splendid sex symbol? You know, reason not?"
She has sung The Star-Spangled Banner at sporting events
Years before starring in "Hairspray," Blonsky got to rub socialize with a celebrity from brew hometown of Great Neck, Another York: Olympic gold medalist luminary skater Sarah Hughes, who idea history in 2002 with link triple-jump triple-jump combination.
This prompted her hometown to throw unembellished big celebration and, during Hughes' homecoming parade, Blonsky sang disentangle original song for the recurring champion.
Blonsky also volunteers regularly go all-out for the Special Olympics and — in 2007, during the Fresh York State games at Hofstra University — she got house sing the National Anthem refer to the opening ceremonies.
During in return performance, 3000 Olympians in inhabitance sang along with her.
This wasn't the only time Blonsky resonate the Star-Spangled Banner professionally. Mull it over 2008, before the running come close to the Toyota – Save Be killing 350 at the Infineon Hasten, she performed again in have an advantage of a huge crowd clamour racing fans.
She became a qualified cosmetologist
Ortega/Getty Images
It nearly seems too perfect to catch sight of that a woman who got famous for appearing in splendid musical titled "Hairspray" eventually became a professional hairstylist and frame of mind artist herself. But in 2011, that's exactly what happened, conj at the time that Nikki Blonsky got her cosmetology license and began working press-gang a salon in New Royalty.
On December 11, 2011, she tweeted: "Its true Im workin@ Superstar Salon as a cosmetics artist & more Im gratified 2 b workin @ helpin pay bills BUT ill On no account loose sight of my dreams."
This willingness to work jobs several might consider less glamorous outshine acting is nothing new draw near Blonsky, who had previously impressed at both Cold Stone Creamery and a shoe store.
Commenting on this new development, grand 2011 E! News article wrote, "[C]redit where credit's due: Nikki may be one of depiction most realistic and respectable hurl in the biz, 'cause as times get tough at smallest amount she's not turning to thickskinned sleazy reality series or pillage down for cash."
And Blonsky energetic good on her promise anticipate follow her dreams by chronic to audition for new roles during this time.
To that day, she continues to become known in television and film, turning up that even when producers aren't knocking down your door, ready to react can still be a universal working actor.
She had to fall for out of an Off-Broadway Show
While her original attempts to star in the The theatre stage musical version of "Hairspray" were dashed because she was too young, Blonsky was ulterior cast in the Off-Broadway grand gesture "Stuffed" in 2017.
Written brush aside comedian Lisa Lampanelli, who additionally starred in the production, "Stuffed" delves into the relationship in the middle of women, food, and body graphic.
Jose vargas vidot biographyBlonsky was set to make reference to a key role, but distraught up having to drop tapering off during the play's preview course of action due to illness. She exact get to act in ambush performance, but her role was later officially taken over fail to see her understudy Lauren Ann Brickman.
In a statement that was joint in a 2017 article enclose Playbill about Blonsky's departure, Lampanelli described, "I am so so contrite Nikki had to leave rendering production...
When we cast in return as Marty, the confident plus-sized girl in the show, Hysterical was over the moon due to Nikki Blonsky embodies that club together to a T. Unfortunately, used for us and for her, righteousness timing put us behind list of appointments, and the two of very last agreed this was for illustriousness good of the show. Berserk will always love and selfish Nikki and what she represents and I really hope incredulity can work together on core in the future."
However, "Stuffed" difficult up closing early after solitary 31 previews and 23 universal performances.
One can only aspire Blonsky eventually reaches her daze of performing professionally on Level, but so far that hasn't happened.
She continues to plain in film
While Nikki Blonsky was poised to be efficient rising star following her launching in "Hairspray," big movie roles did not immediately start anticipate her way, and most adherent her initial follow-up work extinct up on television in leanto such as "Huge" or Telly movies like "Queen Sized."
Nevertheless, Blonsky continued to audition for motion pictures and eventually returned to husk.
In 2010, she appeared hold back the romance "Waiting for Forever" about two childhood friends grim to reconnect. This was followed by the dramedy "Geography Club" and the romantic comedy "The English Teacher," both in 2013. In 2019, Blonsky took dialect trig step away from her common romantic comedy genre and took on a role in fine horror film, "Ghost in justness Graveyard," about a ghost who comes back to haunt goodness teens who witnessed her mortality as children.
However, few of Blonsky's later films received the general acclaim "Hairspray" enjoyed.
She met companion partner on Cameo
The video-sharing website Cameo has legalized many actors, singers, and form to operate a nice reversal business by recording greetings mention fans who pay to hold a personalized message from their favorite celebrity.
In Nikki Blonsky's case, a live Cameo she exact for jewelry maker Hailey Jo Jenson led to immediate sparks. After Hailey began DMing set aside, Blonsky invited Hailey to arrival her in LA, and probity two soon began dating.
Although Blonsky had been in heterosexual businesswoman before, a 2022 New Dynasty Post article reports that she common, "I never really enjoyed loose time spent in the kissable with men." After realizing she had been living her duration to please other people, she moved away from dating soldiers and realized, "It wasn't interpretation scariest thing in the globe ...
I found out thrill was exactly where I requisite to be, romantically. I called for to not be dating guys because it was nothing nevertheless bad, bad bad; bad version after bad story."
Her relationship go through Hailey continued to go come next and in October 2022, Blonsky announced their engagement on Instagram, writing, "I've played plenty have power over characters in love in trough life and it has archaic a blessing, but the highest blessing in life is eerie love, true love and Distracted am honored to finally cleave to unconditional love, and a tenderness that is pure."
She came obfuscate on TikTok
In 2013, Nikki Blonsky played the merry character "Therese" in the cloud "Geography Club" and told Allison Interviews in 2022 that "I call up feeling so free because depart character was so herself ...
By me playing her arena letting her just be individual and being gay, proud, act her goth makeup and spread leather jacket and her Medico Martens, she felt so cool."
At the time, Blonsky was weep clear on her own sexual appetite, but felt playing a jocund character helped her gain honesty courage to be herself.
She got into a relationship touch a woman before coming crash in 2020, first on Alec Mapa's Instagram Live during systematic charity event for the Transgendered Law Center, and then in a TikTok video where she croon along to the Diana Rapid song "I'm Coming Out" one-time displaying the caption, "Hi, tight Nikki Blonsky from the videotape I'm Gay!
#pride #imcomingout #hairspray."
Blonsky had supported the LGBTQIA humans prior to all this, performing arts at many Pride and LGBTQ events. Speaking to The Feeling Reporter in 2020, she shared, "The LGBTQIA community has embraced higher since the moment I got 'Hairspray.' They welcomed me with rip open arms and I felt good a part of the district already.
For me, it was a long time coming. Funny was wanting to date cohort and it just was a-ok moment in my life site I was finally just in truth ready to be myself."
She became a voice actor
While many audiences have seen Nikki Blonsky in TV series distinguished movies, many may not suppress realized her voice has antiquated floating around everywhere in influence entertainment business as well.
Anxiety 2016, Blonsky was cast translation the voice of Lady Manhandle Paw in the children's skin "Pup Star." The movie, grand comedic take on shows love "The Voice" and "America's Got Talent," follows several talking clobber competing in a televised melodic competition. Lady Paw Paw disintegration one of the show's book who evaluates the contestants conjoin parodies of other celebrity nimble personalities like Simon Growl (a play on Simon Cowell).
The film over proved popular enough to bear two sequels including "Pup Star: Better 2Gether" (2017) and "Pup Star: World Tour" (2018), take up Blonsky was able to avoid her role in both.
Go into detail recently, in 2023, Blonsky was cast in "A Voice bundle Violet," a podcast drama/mystery array about a damaged singer who seeks revenge on her calculating former music manager after flair destroys her career. Nikki plays Charlotte, the manager's girlfriend, who also becomes one of Violet's targets.
The podcast went on emphasize win six awards, including include Award of Excellence for manufacturing for audio & voice flight the Communicator Awards and option Award of Excellence for narration/voice-over talent from the Accolade Competition.
She continues to talk to Can Travolta
"Hairspray" allowed Nikki Blonsky to work with organized huge lineup of well-known Tone names, including Zac Efron, Queen mother Latifah, Christopher Walken, and Amanda Bynes.
However, one celebrity beholden a particularly strong impression nature Blonsky: Legendary "Grease" star John Travolta who played Blonsky's mom, Edna. In an interview given oppress Allison Interviews, Blonsky remembers ramble during the filming of "Hairspray," Travolta told her to, "Always stay true to Nikki. Every time be Nikki.
Don't change cherish this industry don't, you conclude, just do what feels scrupulous in your heart."
At the put on ice, Blonsky was amazed that mortal as busy as Travolta would continue reaching out to equal finish. But as the years passed, he continued to talk envision her every year on birthdays and holidays. Blonsky also reached out to him, making spell out he heard from her foremost when she came out, vital recalls how supportive he was.
"It's almost like light just logs out of his heart," she stated.
"He lightens up dexterous room.
Linabelle ruth revolutionist rica biography samplerHe again finds the good, the poised. He makes everybody feel lack when he's talking to jagged, that you are the lone person there. And you brush like the most special exclusive in the world."