Everything about Ruby Wax totally explained
Ruby Wax (born
Ruby Wachs;
April 19,
1953) is an
American comedienne who made a
career in the
United Kingdom as part of the
alternative comedy scene in the
1980s.
Biography
Personal life
Wax was born in
Evanston, Illinois, the daughter of
Jewish parents who left
Austria in 1939 because of the
Nazi threat. Her father became wealthy as a sausage manufacturer and her mother qualified as an accountant. She is married to television producer and director
Ed Bye, who produces some of the series of Wax's long time friends and working partners,
Dawn French and
Jennifer Saunders.
Career
After majoring in Psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, she came to the UK and studied at the
Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. She began her acting career as a straight
actress, working at the
Royal Shakespeare Company alongside
Juliet Stevenson. Wax made a one-off appearance in a 1980 episode of
The Professionals, "Bloodsports", playing Lonnie, an American student. Another acting newcomer,
Pierce Brosnan also appeared in the same episode in an unrelated scene. In 1981, she appeared in the sequel to
The Rocky Horror Picture Show, called
Shock Treatment. Wax also appeared briefly as a secretary in .
Her popularity in terms of
comedy came from her interviewing skills in which she was always forthright, brash and loud, conforming to the British
stereotype of an
American. Her physical appearance matched this image, with red hair and blood-red
lipstick. She cemented this trademark image in
1985 when she starred as loud-mouthed American actress Shelley DuPont on the British sitcom
Girls On Top. According to a
BBC Arena documentary narrated by
Dawn French it was Ruby's role as backstage interviewer at the annual charity event "
The Secret Policeman's Ball"
1987 that finally launched her
career.
Many of her early
television shows involved her being put into a situation where she simply met and
interviewed people, mostly extraordinary members of the
public (including a memorable visit to pre-
breakup Soviet Russia in which she first hated and then touchingly made friends with her female
translator, explaining, in ways that words can't, the grim situation in the country at the time).
More recently she's made a career from interviewing
celebrities such as
Imelda Marcos and
Pamela Anderson, where she again applies her interviewing style, often to jaw-dropping effect. Critics have called her 'abrasive' or 'vulgar'. She also made several guest appearances in
Absolutely Fabulous (a programme on which she was script editor).
In March 2003 Wax was one of the celebrity contestants on
Comic Relief does Fame Academy, which was a spin-off from the
BBC's
Fame Academy with all proceeds donated to
Comic Relief. Regardless of the fact that she can't really sing, Wax impressed viewers with her lively songs and successfully made it to the final, taking runner-up position to
Will Mellor.
In September and October 2005 she appeared as a celebrity contestant in
Ant & Dec's Gameshow Marathon, progressing through to
Sale of the Century before getting knocked out. In summer 2006, she was a celebrity
showjumper in the BBC's
Sport Relief event
Only Fools on Horses. She has presented
Cirque de Celebrité on Sky One in 2006, however, in 2007
Sky One confirmed that Ruby won't be returning for the second series.
Wax also appeared in an episode of
Jackass where she was particapting in the Gum Ball 3000, While the race was stopped at the Latvia border she was wrestled by
Jackass Personality Chris Pontius.
She also appeared in the
Red Dwarf episode "
Timeslides" as an American reporter, in December 1989.
Controversies
In 2004, the
BBC planned to show a cartoon series called
Popetown. The series poked fun at the
Roman Catholic Church. In it, Wax was to portray the Pope as a spoilt child. After protests, the BBC chose not to show the series. In February 2004,
Irish broadcaster Patricia Danaher reached an out-of-court settlement with Wax, who apologised after allegedly making slanderous comments.
In November 2005, Wax was criticised by the
Daily Mail columnist Richard Kay for opposing a proposed disabled access ramp for the nearby
Couper Collection charitable art gallery. The UK Sunday newspaper
The Observer also reported the controversy.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Ruby Wax'.
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