Ricki Lake Biography

Ricki Lake made her acting debut in the 1988 John Waters movie Hairspray. She also appeared in his movie Crybaby, and was a series regular on TV’s China Beach. In her early screen roles, Lake was consistently typecast as the fat girl. She lost over 125 pounds and launched a television talk show in 1993, an Oprah-style show geared toward a youthful audience and highlighting dysfunctional relationships and social issues. In addition to her TV host role, Lake still appears occasionally in feature films.