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Ricki Pamela Lake (born September 21, 1968 in
Hastings-on-Hudson, New York) is an United
States|American actress and talk show host, most
known for her long-running Ricki Lake (talk
show)|Ricki Lake talk show.

Lake became known to audiences when she played the
hefty Tracy Turnblad, the main character of the
John Waters (filmmaker)|John Waters film Hairspray
(film)|Hairspray.  Her role as the overweight Red
Cross recreation worker "Holly the Donut Dolly" in
the television series China Beach gave her a
larger audience, and she was eventually chosen to
host the eponymous talk show.  At the same time,
she publically went on a weight loss regimen, and
wound up losing about 125 pounds (57 kg).

She has also appeared in Serial Mom, 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.

Ricki Lake debuted on 13 September 1993.  While it
avoided the worst excesses of The Jerry Springer
Show, it was not especially serious in tone
either.  A typical show might present several
lower middle class women, each claiming to be "All
that" (the show's catchphrase for someone with
high fashion and personal appeal) with others
debating the assertion.  Other shows would present
someone in an obviously bad relationship and have
Lake recommend, "Dump that zero and get yoself a
hero."  Once Lake became a mother, feel-good
mother-and-child shows became common.

The talk show was 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. The show was also
parodied fleetingly on Family Guy (the guest on
the show was quoted to have said, "Yo, Ricki,
that's my girlfriend. She ain't supposed to be
havin' no penis!"). It was also mentioned in the
chorus of the song "Pretty Fly (For a White Guy)"
by The Offspring: "So if you don't rate, just
overcompensate, at least you know you can always
go on Ricki Lake."

Faced with declining ratings, Lake decided after
11 seasons she would end her show.
She was in talks to star in an untitled CBS
comedy, but after the pilot was shot it wasn't
picked up.

Lake married husband Rob Sussman on 26 March 1994.
She filed for separation in August 2003. Lake won
the first legal round when the judge ruled that
the prenuptial agreement signed by the two was
valid.