Tracey Bell

Tracey Bell is a Canadian comedian, impersonator, and impressionist. She is the creator of the one-woman show, "8 Divas in 44 Minutes" and known for her live impersonations of celebrities like Cher, Marilyn Monroe, Madonna, Liza Minnelli, Tina Turner, Janis Joplin, Celine Dion, and Dolly Parton.[1][2][3]

Tracey Bell
Tracey Bell in 2009
NationalityCanadian
Occupation(s)Celebrity impersonator, comedian
Years active1985–present
Websitewww.traceybell.com

Early life

Tracey Bell was raised in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.[4] As a child, she drew pictures of herself as a future movie star.[1] She started performing as a young age in her basement and did a regular Sonny Bono and Cher skit with a friend, alternating roles each time.[2][5] She also did early impersonations of Judy Garland's Dorothy Gale from The Wizard of Oz when she was in high school.[5] Her first job was at 14 at Woolco where she made product announcements.[1]

Career
Tracy Bell as Madonna.

In 1985, Bell was studying sociology in university and working as a coat check girl at Goose Loonies, a night club in Edmonton.[2][5] At Goose Loonies, she began doing Tina Turner and Marilyn Monroe impersonations and became a nightly performer, later impersonating popular musical acts like Doctor and the Medics, Amazulu, and Katrina and the Waves.[2][5] She began working independently three years later.[2]

After performing at clubs for a number of years, Bell created a one-woman show called, "8 Divas in 44 Minutes" for her public and corporate events, built around her impersonations of famous "divas" including Cher, Marilyn Monroe, Celine Dion, Janis Joplin, Tina Turner, Dolly Parton, Liza Minnelli, and Madonna to go along with interactive audience participation.[2]

Bell has impersonated other celebrities such as Lady Gaga, Shania Twain, Judy Garland's Dorothy Gale in The Wizard of Oz, Julie Andrews' Maria von Trapp from The Sound of Music, and Nicole Kidman's Satine from Moulin Rouge.[4][5] She has also impersonated characters like Jem from Jem and the Holograms and created her own original characters like Lucy Potatoe.[1][4]

Bell has also sung "Happy Birthday" as Marilyn Monroe to former Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau.[4]

Bell is also an ally of the LGBT community, having performed at events like the 2016 Edmonton Pride Festival.[6]

Film and television

Bell appeared as Cher on The Post-Modern Prometheus, an Emmy Award-winning episode of The X-Files.[7] The show's creator, Chris Carter, had originally written the episode with Cher in mind, but Bell was cast to play her when Cher was unavailable.[8][9] After the episode aired on television, viewers questioned whether or not Cher had in fact guest-starred on the show.[10]

Awards

Bell was the 2005 Winner for Entertainer of the Year by the Canadian Special Event Industry Awards.[1][2] She has also won Entertainer of the Year at the BC Event Industry Awards.[1][2] In 2015, she was again nominated by the Canadian Special Event Industry Awards for Entertainer of the Year.[11]

References
  1. "20 Questions with Tracey Bell - Vancouver Presents!". Vancouver Presents!. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
  2. "VAN Tastemaker: Tracey Bell". Vv Magazine. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
  3. "Tracey Bell brings some of showbiz' biggest divas to The Morning Show | Globalnews.ca".
  4. Silver, Eric. "Tracey Bell's Celebrity Impressions". Avenue Edmonton Magazine. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
  5. Anderson, Brenda (October 14, 2014). "Playing Dress Up". The Langley Times. Black Press, Inc. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
  6. Nicholls, Liz (June 3, 2016). "Cher and Janis come to Pride, and Tracey Bell comes home to Edmonton". Edmonton Journal. Postmedia Network Inc. Retrieved 18 November 2022.
  7. Meisler, written [and compiled] by Andy (1999). Resist or serve. New York, N.Y.: HarperEntertainment. pp. 282. ISBN 9780061073090.
  8. Carter, Chris (2005). "Audio Commentary for "The Post-Modern Prometheus"". The X-Files: The Complete Fifth Season (DVD). 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment.
  9. Carter, Chris et al. (1999). "The Truth Behind Season 5". The X-Files: The Complete Fifth Season (DVD). 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment.
  10. Negra, Diane (2001). Off-white Hollywood : American culture and ethnic female stardom (1. publ. ed.). London: Routledge. p. 177. ISBN 9780415216784.
  11. Seeland, Ehren. "Featured Vancouverite: Tracey Bell". Inside Vancouver. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
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