Biography for
Ricki Lake More at IMDbPro »

Date of Birth

21 September 1968, Hastings-on-Hudson, New York, USA

Birth Name

Ricki Pamela Lake

Height

5' 4" (1.63 m)

Mini Biography

Ricki Lake was born in Hastings-on-Hudson, NY, surprisingly as a blond. She has one sister, who is one year younger than, her named Jennifer. Her father, Barry, is a pharmacist and her mother, Jill, is a homemaker. The two currently reside in Las Vegas, Nevada. Ricki attended Hastings Elementary as a child, then on to Farragut Middle, and then attended Hastings High, for two years. At the end of her sophomore year, she transferred to The Professional Children's School, in NYC, to focus on perfecting her craft as an actress. Also, Ricki began singing professionally at the age of nine, in cabarets and clubs. After finishing high school, she attended Ithaca College for one year. During final exams of her freshman year, she received a call from her agent, telling her to audition for the lead in a John Waters film. Unsurprisingly, she landed the role as "Tracy Turnblad". Thus, Hairspray (1988) marked the movie debut for Ricki Lake. She then went on to act in fifteen more movies and a recurring role in ABC's "China Beach" (1988), for one season. Although, at one point in her life, she hit rock-bottom. Then, she decided to take charge of her life and make a dramatic change. She began eating right and exercising and soon lost over 125 lbs. In 1993, she was chosen, out of a hundred people, to host her own daytime talk show. After only three years, "Ricki Lake" (1993) has successfully been rated second, in its time frame. Also, in 1993, she met the man of her dreams. At a Halloween party, she locked eyes with her current husband, Rob Sussman, a political illustrator. It was love-at-first sight, on both ends. The two married in Las Vegas in March of 1994 and are currently residing in Manhattan.

IMDb Mini Biography By: Lyna Sun

Spouse

Rob Sussman

(26 March 1994 - present) (filed for divorce) 2 children

Trivia

She has a son, Milo Sebastian Sussman [b. March 22, 1997]

Suffers from adult onset asthma.

Childhood friend of Deborah Gibson.

Gave birth to son Owen Tyler Sussman in the bathtub of her New York home. The newborn was delivered by a midwife. Owen weighed in at 8 lbs. 7 oz. [18 June 2001]

Is a vegetarian.

Despite her radical weight loss, Lake was required to lose an additional 20 lbs before filming for Mrs. Winterbourne (1996) could begin.

Sometimes presents her talk show barefooted.

Ricki was in the same elementary and middle-school class in Hastings-on-Hudson as Roger Howarth. They knew each other.

Personal Quotes

"My goal in life was to be loved and adored by everyone."

"I never set out to be a role model for large women, I just do what I feel is right."

Salary

Hairspray (1988)

$50,000

Where Are They Now

(September 2002) Ricki gained a considerable amount of her lost weight back after giving birth to her second baby, but has currently lost 60 pounds, just in time for the tenth season of her talk show.

(2009) Release of her book, "Your Best Birth: Know All Your Options, Discover the Natural Choices and Take Back the Birth Experience" by Ricki with Abby Epstein.

Browse biographies section by name

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z