Ricki Lake (born September 21, 1968) is an American actress and talk show host. She was born in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York. Her talk show Ricki Lake debuted on September 13th, 1993 and Lake decided at the end of her 11th season she would end her show. She was in talks to star in an untitled CBS comedy, but after the pilot was shot it wasn't picked up.

Lake became known to audiences when she played the hefty Tracy Turnblad, the main character of the John Waters film Hairspray. Her role as the overweight USO volunteer Holly the Donut Dolly in the television series China Beach gave her a larger audience, and she was eventually chosen to host the talk show which bears her name. At the same time, she went on a public weight loss regimen, and wound up losing about 125 pounds (57 kg).

She has also appeared in Serial Mom, The King of Queens, Mrs. Winterbourne , Inside Monkey Zetterland, and she often pops up in small roles in John Waters films such as Cecil B. Demented.

Her talk show has often been the butt of satire, and it was repeatedly parodied during the 1990s on Saturday Night Live, with male cast member Jay Mohr impersonating Lake in drag.

Lake married husband Rub Sussman on March 26th, 1994. Formely file for separation in August, 2003. Lake wins 1st court settlement when the judge ruled the pre-nup agreement signed between the two was valid.