Golden Globe nominee Nikki Blonsky captured the hearts of audiences around the world when she was handpicked by director Adam Shankman to play the lead role in John Water’s 2007 Hairspray revival. Starring alongside Christopher Walken, Queen Latifah, John Travolta, Zac Efron and Michelle Pfeiffer, the former Coldstone Creamery scooper with a bone-chilling set of pipes beat out thousands of girls during an international casting call to find herself living out her life-long dream of bringing back to life the legendary Tracy Turnblad.

In addition to her individual nod from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, Blonsky’s debut silver screen performance earned her the Young Hollywood Rising Star award and garnered praise from the Critic’s Choice Awards, where she took home Best Young Actress and Best Ensemble. Hairspray also earned The Teen Choice Award for Best Summer Movie.

On the big screen, Nikki can currently be seen as a struggling mother, Dolores, in the critically acclaimed Waiting For Forever opposite Blythe Danner, Richard Jenkins and Rachel Bilson. Additionally, the triple threat’s small screen credits include a leading part in MTVs Valemont, guest starring on ABC’s Ugly Betty, and scoring a headlining role in Lifetime’s Queen Sized.

Nikki was born and raised in Great Neck, Long Island, New York and graduated from the Great Neck Village School, a five-time Grammy Foundation Signature School where she was trained in music and theater. Nikki’s other performing credits include Madame Tanardeau in Les Miserables, Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd, Kate in Kiss Me, Kate, Rebecca Hillicker in The Laramie Project and the title role in Bizet’s Carmen, which was performed entirely in French. Also a published poet, Nikki wrote an original piece in honor of Jonathan Lee Ielpi, a member of the Fire Department of New York and a volunteer firefighter in Great Neck’s Vigilant Fire Department who was killed in the September 11th World Trade Center tragedy.

Nikki recently relocated from New York to Los Angeles, where she currently resides.