Ruby Wax

Ruby Wax
OBE
Wax at the 2016 Hay Festival
Born
Ruby Wachs

(1953-04-19) 19 April 1953 (age 71)
Evanston, Illinois, U.S.
Citizenship
  • United States
  • United Kingdom
EducationUniversity of California, Berkeley
Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (BA)
Regent's College (PgDip)
Kellogg College, Oxford (MSt)
Occupations
  • Actress
  • comedian
  • writer
  • television personality
  • mental health campaigner
Years active1970–present
Spouses
  • Andrew Porter
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1976; div. 1980)​
  • Trevor Walton
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1981, divorced)​
  • ​
    (m. 1988)​
Children3
Websiterubywax.net

Ruby Wax OBE (née Wachs;[1] born 19 April 1953)[2] is a British-American actress, comedian, writer, television personality, and mental health campaigner. A classically-trained actress, Wax was with the Royal Shakespeare Company for five years and co-starred on the ITV sitcom Girls on Top (1985–1986).[3][4]

Wax came to prominence as a comic interviewer, playing up to British perceptions of the strident American style on television shows including The Full Wax (1991–1994), Ruby Wax Meets... (1994–1998), Ruby (1997–2000), and The Ruby Wax Show (2002). She was a script editor for the BBC sitcom Absolutely Fabulous (1992–2012), also appearing in two episodes.

Wax holds both American and British citizenship and has resided in the United Kingdom since the 1970s.[5] In 2013, she gained a master's degree in mindfulness-based cognitive therapy from Kellogg College, Oxford. Wax was appointed an Honorary Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2015 Special Honours for services to mental health. Her memoirs How Do You Want Me? (2002) and Sane New World (2013) both reached number one on the Sunday Times bestseller list.

  1. ^ Greenstreet, Rosanna (14 December 2002). "Q&A: Comedian Ruby Wax". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 14 June 2010.
  2. ^ Who's Who. Oxford, England: A & C Black. December 2009.
  3. ^ "Ruby Wax OBE - Honorary Graduate - Staffordshire University". www.staffs.ac.uk. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
  4. ^ "Ruby Wax OBE". Speaker Ideas. 26 September 2019. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  5. ^ Fulton, Rick (22 July 2011). "TV star Ruby Wax on why she never wants to return to 'favourite city' Glasgow". Daily Record. Retrieved 13 March 2022.