Marissa Jaret Winokur Biography

Fast Facts

• Made her Broadway debut in 1995 as a replacement for Jan in the revival of Grease
• Featured in small but memorable roles in films including Never Been Kissed, American Beauty and Fever Pitch
• Created the role of Tracy Turnblad, a plump teen who shakes things up on a TV dance show in 1962 Baltimore, in the 2002 Broadway musical Hairspray
• Was diagnosed with cervical cancer and had to undergo a hysterectomy months before appearing in Hairspray
• She initially kept her illness a secret out of fear that she would be replaced in the musical
• Appeared on the short-lived TV comedy Stacked, which starred Pamela Anderson
• Winokur's husband, Judah Miller, was a writer for the series
• Competed in Season 6 of ABC's Dancing With the Stars, with partner Tony Dovolani
• Was one of the original six co-hosts of CBS's The Talk (2010), but left the show in 2011
• In 2012, she dieted and dropped more than 60 pounds