Marissa Jaret Winokur is an actress who was born on February 2, 1973, in New York City. She graduated from The American Musical and Dramatic Academy in 1993 and began her career in 1995. She is best-known for playing Tracy Turnblad in the hit Broadway musical ‘Hairspray’. It was for this role that she won a Tony Award. She has also enjoyed a successful career in television and is particularly well-known for her role in the Pamela Anderson sitcom ‘Stacked’. Here are five more things that you might not know about Marissa Jaret Winokur.
1. She is Married to Judah Miller
Marissa Jared Winokur met Judah Miller when she was working on ‘Stacked’ as he was one of the writers. Judah Miller is a writer, producer, and filmmaker who is well-known for his involvement in ‘Committed’, ‘The Tracey Morgan Show’, ‘Clone High’, and ‘Crashing’. His brother is Murray Miller, who is also a writer, a filmmaker, and a producer. Marissa and Judah married in October 2006 and had their first son, via a surrogate mother, in July 2008. Their son weighed eight pounds and seven ounces and they named him Zac Isaac. Both were present at his birth and even assisted with the delivery.
2. She Has Won Four Awards
For her performance in the Broadway musical ‘Hairspray’, Marissa Jaret Winokur won four awards, all of which she received in 2003. She won a Tony Award, a Drama Desk Award, a Theater World Award, and an Outer Critics Circle Award.
3. She Was a Contestant on ‘Dancing with the Stars’
Marissa Jaret Winokur was one of the contestants on Season 6 of ‘Dancing with the Stars’. She was partnered with professional dancer ‘Tony Dovolani. In week seven of the show, she scored her highest score after all three judges gave her performance of the tango a 9. Despite this, she was still in the bottom two and it was only the decision of the judges that saved her. She was eliminated in the semi-finals in week nine despite scoring 26 for both her performance of a quickstep and her delivery of a rumba.
4. She Has Worked as a Voice Actress
In addition to her work on television and stage, Marissa Jaret Winokur has also worked as a voice actress. She has lent her voice to cartoons including ‘King of the Hill’ and ‘American Dad’. She has also performed songs that have been used for soundtracks, including the song ‘Baby Face’ for the film ‘Son of the Mask’ and a rendition of ‘Mama, I’m a Big Girl Now’ for the Hairspray soundtrack along with Nikki Blonsky and Ricki Lake.
5. She Has Suffered from Cervical Cancer
While she was preparing to perform in ‘Hairspray’, Winokur was diagnosed with cervical cancer. She chose to keep this information quiet as she feared she could her role and being replaced with another actress. She told only her family and closest friends about the diagnosis. Fortunately, after receiving treatment, she was given the all-clear. This meant that she could continue to play the role of Tracy Turnblad in the musical.
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