Nikki Blonsky

Nicole Blonsky, born on November 9, 1988, is an American actress. She is best known for her screen debut playing Tracy Turnblad in the 2007 musical film Hairspray, a role that brought her critical acclaim, two Critics' Choice Awards, and nominations for both a Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award.

Blonsky was raised in Great Neck, New York, with her brother Joey. She is the daughter of Karen, a school aide, and Carl Blonsky, a municipal worker for the village water pollution control district. Her father is Jewish and her mother is Roman Catholic. She attended Great Neck North Middle School and John L. Miller Great Neck North High School before transferring to Village School after a year. She also participated daily in an after-school theatre program at William A. Shine Great Neck South High School, appearing in productions of Les Misérables, Sweeney Todd, Kiss Me, Kate, and the title role of the opera Carmen.

Blonsky launched her career by auditioning for Hairspray as a high school student with no previous professional acting or singing experience. She was selected from among 1,100 candidates for the film adaptation of the musical. Hairspray became a critical and commercial success, earning Blonsky praise from critics such as Roger Ebert. Her portrayal of Tracy Turnblad won her Critics' Choice Awards for Best Young Actress and Best Acting Ensemble, alongside a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress and a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination.

Following her breakthrough, Blonsky performed the national anthem at the 2008 Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Infineon Raceway. She appeared in the 2009 MTV mystery series Valemont and starred as Willamena Rader in the 2010 ABC Family series Huge, earning a Teen Choice Award nomination. In 2013, she had a recurring role as Margot in the NBC series Smash and played Therese in the film Geography Club, earning a nomination with the cast at the 2014 ShoWest Convention.

In 2011, Blonsky obtained a cosmetology license and worked part-time as a hairstylist and make-up artist in Great Neck between acting auditions. She later played Faith in the 2017 film The Last Movie Star and performed Off-Broadway in Lisa Lampanelli's play Stuffed at the Westside Theatre from October to November 2017. In 2025, she experienced a resurgence following a TikTok trend focused on her Cameo appearances.

In her personal life, Blonsky's first boyfriend was her Hairspray co-star Anthony Carr. In June 2020, she came out as a lesbian in a TikTok video set to Diana Ross's song "I'm Coming Out." She announced her engagement to Hailey Jo Jenson in 2022, and they married on October 21, 2023.