About this Artist
MARISSA JARET WINOKUR is thrilled to be returning to Hairspray to play “Tracy Turnblad,” a role for which she won a Tony Award, Drama Desk Award and an Outer Critics Circle Award. Winokur danced her way into the hearts of America on the hit ABC series Dancing With the Stars. Winokur’s incredible personality and infectious smile won the fans over and their votes kept her on the show to the semi-finals.
Marissa was regularly seen as the “man on the streets” corespondant of the CBS daytime talker The Talk. She has co-starred with Drew Barrymore and Jimmy Fallon in the Farrelly Brothers film Fever Pitch, and on the comedy Stacked with Pamela Anderson. Marissa was the host of Oxygen Network’s dance and weight loss competition Dance Your Ass Off, which had the most watched original series premiere in Oxygen Networks history.
A native of New York, Marissa started her career on the stage, appearing as “Jan” in the Broadway production of Grease. After moving to Los Angeles, Marissa quickly landed roles in the features Teaching Mrs. Tingle and Never Been Kissed. These were followed by her memorable roles in Scary Movie and American Beauty, where she immortalized the phrase “You are so busted.” In television, she starred alongside Fran Drescher and Mark Consuelos in the romantic comedy Beautiful Girl, which she also Executive Produced. TV appearances include: Curb Your Enthusiasm, Dharma and Greg, Moesha, Jack and Bobby, Just Shoot Me, Felicity, and Get Real. She also has an extensive list of animated voice over credits including Shrek the Halls, Yo Gabba Gabba, King of the Hill and American Dad, to name just a few.
As a cancer survivor, Winokur is proud to work closley with Stand Up 2 Cancer. Marissa and her husband, comedy writer Judah Miller, live in Los Angeles with their son Zev. She dedicates this and every show to her father, who will live forever in cheerful song and in her beautiful son Zev.