Ruby Wax

Ruby Wax
At the 2007 BAFTA awards
Birth name	Ruby Wachs
Born	(1953-04-19) 19 April 1953 Evanston, Illinois, US
Nationality	British
Years active	1970s to present
Genres	Alternative comedy
Spouse	Ed Bye
Children	Max Bye Madeleine Bye Marina Bye

Ruby Wax OBE (born Ruby Wachs, 19 April 1953) is an American born, naturalised British actress, mental health campaigner, lecturer and author. She also has pursued a distinguished academic career graduating in psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, and having a master's degree in mindfulness based cognitive therapy from Oxford University. She is currently Visiting Professor in Mental Health Nursing at the University of Surrey.

A classically trained actress, she came to prominence as a comic interviewer, playing up to British perceptions of the strident American style, which she replicated in the TV sitcom Girls on Top. She also appeared in Absolutely Fabulous, where she doubled as script editor. Her memoirs, How Do You Want Me?, reached the Sunday Times best-seller list.

Early life

Wax is 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. Wax was brought up in Evanston, Illinois, in the 1950s and 60s. Wax majored in psychology at the University of California, Berkeley.

Career

Early career

Wax moved to the UK and studied at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. She started her acting career as a straight actress at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield, where she began a long-standing writing and directing partnership with Alan Rickman, who later was to direct most of her stage comedy shows. In 1978, she joined the Royal Shakespeare Company, working alongside Juliet Stevenson in Measure for Measure, as Jaquenetta opposite Michael Hordern in Love's Labours Lost, replacing Zoë Wanamaker as Jane in The Way of the World and appearing in the Howard Brenton three-hander Sore Throats. While at the RSC, Wax also met and befriended Ian Charleson, and later contributed a chapter to the 1990 book, For Ian Charleson: A Tribute.

Wax made a one-off appearance in a 1980 episode of The Professionals, Bloodsports, playing Lonnie, an American student. In 1981, she appeared in the follow up to The Rocky Horror Picture Show, called Shock Treatment. In the film, Wax portrays Betty Hapschatt, who got married to Ralph Hapschatt in the first film. Wax also appeared briefly as a secretary in Omen III: The Final Conflict.

Comedy work

In 1985, 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 Wax's role as backstage interviewer at Amnesty International's 1987 benefit show The Secret Policeman's Third Ball that eventually boosted her career to a higher level.

In 1987, Wax was given her own comedy chat show Don't Miss Wax, on Channel 4. She was also hired as a radio presenter by the Superstation, an overnight sustaining service for commercial radio in the UK.

In December 1989, she appeared in the Red Dwarf episode "Timeslides" as an American reporter.

Wax began work with the BBC in 1991. In, 1996 she appeared in the series Ruby Wax Meets, for the BBC in which she interviewed public figures such as Imelda Marcos and Pamela Anderson. Wax was nominated in 1996 for a BAFTA award for her interview with Sarah, Duchess of York, an interview which attracted an audience of over 14 million viewers.

She also made several guest appearances in Absolutely Fabulous, a programme on which she served as script editor throughout the run of the series.

From November 2001 to June 2002 Wax presented a TV quiz show broadcast on BBC1 called The Waiting Game. Her final BBC interview series aired in 2003.

In 2005 Wax appeared as a cleaner in the music video to McFly's Comic Relief song All About You.

Writing, academia, corporate training and returns to television and stage

In 2002 Wax wrote her memoir, How Do You Want Me?, which became a best-seller according to the Sunday Times best-seller list.

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. Although not a good singer, Wax made it to the final, taking runner-up position to Will Mellor.

Wax appeared in a supporting role opposite Olivia Williams and Andie MacDowell in the 2005 film Tara Road. 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 presented Cirque de Celebrité on Sky One in 2006. Wax also appeared in an episode of Jackass where she participated in the Gumball 3000. While the race was stopped at the Latvian border she was wrestled by Jackass Personality Chris Pontius.

In March 2009, Wax returned to Comic Relief to take part in Comic Relief Does The Apprentice. Wax appeared in the 2011 Comic Relief in Comic Relief Does Master Chef in which Wax prepared an appetiser for the Prime Minister, David Cameron.

On 1 April 2009, Ruby Wax Goes Dutch premiered on Dutch television network NET 5.

Wax's 2010 stand-up show Losing It deals with her experience of clinical depression. The show played in London at the Duchess Theatre in 2011. Wax founded the mental health website (which is now part of the SANE mental health charity) (http://www.sane.org.uk) in 2011 in response to the audience reaction from her theatre show.

In June 2015, Ruby Wax was appointed Visiting Professor in Mental Health Nursing at the University of Surrey.

Other work

Wax teaches business communication in both the public and private sector. Clients include Deutsche Bank, the UK Home Office and Skype.

In September 2013, Wax graduated from Kellogg College at Oxford University with a master's degree in mindfulness based cognitive therapy. She previously earned a postgraduate certificate in psychotherapy and counselling from Regents College in London.

In 2013, Ruby Wax published a book called "Sane New World", which became a number 1 best-seller followed by "A Mindfulness Guide for the Frazzled" published in January 2016. In 2015 it was announced that she would be awarded an Officer of the Order of the British Empire for her services to mental health.

Controversies

Popetown

In 2004, the BBC planned to show a cartoon series called Popetown, which poked fun at the Roman Catholic Church. In it, Wax portrayed the Pope as a spoiled child. After protests, the BBC chose not to show the series.

Slander case

In February 2004, Irish broadcaster Patricia Danaher reached an out-of-court settlement with Wax, who had falsely claimed that Danaher had made "racist" and "anti-Semitic" remarks about her in an interview for Ulster Television. Wax's legal team apologised in court, accepted that Danaher had not made any racist or anti-Semitic statements and announced that there had been a financial settlement.

Opposition to disabled-access ramp

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, as did the act "I, Ludicrous" in "The Ruby Wax Song", from their Dirty Washing 2008 EP.

Personal life

Wax is married to television producer and director Ed Bye. Wax and Bye have three children, Max (1988), Madeleine (1990) and Marina (1993).

Wax has also been very open about her own struggle with depression. She made an online series on mental health issues for the BBC and has worked with mental health charities. This was recognised in 2015, when she received an OBE in the Special Honours for Services to Mental Health.

Interview programmes and documentaries

• Don't Miss Wax, Channel 4, 1987–1988
• Miami Memoirs, Channel 4, 1988
• East Meets Wax, Channel 4, 1988
• Class of '69, Channel 4 1989
• Wax on Wheels, Channel 4, 1988–1989
• Ruby Takes a Trip, BBC, 1991
• The Full Wax, BBC, 1991–1993
• Ruby Wax Meets..., BBC, 1994–1998
• Ruby's American Pie, BBC, 1999
• Ruby Gets Streetwise, BBC, 2000
• Ruby, BBC 1997–2002
• The Ruby Wax Show, BBC, 2002
• Ruby Wax With..., BBC, 2003
• Ruby Wax's Mad Confessions, Channel 4, 2012

External links

• Official website
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Ruby Wax at the Internet Movie Database
• Wax in the RSC performance database
• Ruby's Room, Ruby Wax's web show on BBC Headroom, where she regularly interviewed people with different mental health conditions.
• Ruby Wax discussion her choice of a great life on the BBC Radio 4 program Great Lives, first broadcast on 1 May 2009.
• Wax discusses her experiences with mental illness