Tracey Birdsall
Tracey Birdsall | |
|---|---|
 Birdsall in 2015 | |
| Born | Tracey Lee Birdsall July 6, c. 1963 |
| Other name |
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| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1978–present |
| Height | 5 ft 5 in (165 cm) |
| Spouse |
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| Children | 3 |
| Website | http://www.traceybirdsall.com |
Tracey Birdsall (born Tracey Lee Birdsall; July 6, c. 1963), also known as Tracey Birdsall-Smith, is an American actress and producer.
Birdsall is best known for her longstanding collaboration with sci-fi movie director, Neil Johnson for more than three decades, with Birdsall first starring as Joni in Johnson's 1992 short film, Invasion Force.
Early career
Birdsall was born on July 6, in Van Nuys, California. and grew up in Burbank, California.[1]
She started performing as a young girl both on stage and on camera.[1] She recalls
"My mother drove me to the Gary Dance Studio for lessons constantly as far back as I can remember. She would sew my costumes, drive me to rehearsals, and support me in my shows. It was in my blood, and my fondest childhood memories were on stage."[1]
As a teenager, she sang in choirs at local churches while maintaining an interest in computer science and robotics. After getting her first commercial for a Sunkist Soda commercial in high school, Birdsall appeared in several other TV commercials while she attended acting classes and went to auditions.[1] She appeared in the soap opera Loving, hosted Million Dollar Showcase of Homes and was a special news reporter for CNBC.[1]
Career
In 2010, Birdsall co-wrote, produced and starred in the TV movie short, Tick Tock. The same year, Tick Tock had appeared in several film festivals in the United States, Mexico and New Zealand, winning several awards including from Kent Film Festival, The Accolade Film Awards, The Mexico City International Film Festival and was a Top 10 finalist in The 2010 USA Film Festival.
In 2011, Birdsall, at age 48, was one of 10 finalists nationwide to make it into the Wilhelmina Models "40+" contest.[2]
In June 10, 2015, Birdsall was invited as the Guest of Honor to The Temecula Independent Film Festival and presented the Trailblazer Award. The same night, Birdsall attended the world premiere of action/sci-fi film, Doomsday (2015), which Birdsall also co-starred in.[3][4]
In 2017, for her performance as Sienna in the 2016 science fiction film Rogue Warrior: Robot Fighter, Birdsall earned several awards; including the Female Action Performer of the Year Award at the Action On Film Festival, the Best Actress Jury Award from the West Coast Film Festival, and the Best Actress Jury Award from the Los Angeles Theatrical Release Awards Competition. She was also nominated for Best Actress at the 50th Annual WorldFest-Houston in 2017.
Birdsall has also appeared in the title character of the 2018 comedy feature Who's Jenna...?, and in Season 2 of the Netflix comedy series, I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson.
In March 14, 2019, The Women In Film Forum was invited by The United Nations as to participate and speak at the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women's 63rd Session in New York City. Birdsall was invited and spoke as a member of the organization. Birdsall spoke on the topics of her upbringing, gender identity, Women in Film, the challenges of acting and producing as a single mother, her acting studies under acting coach Margie Haber, and gender equality.[5]
The same week, The WeLink International Film Festival was also held at the United Nations. Zoe Chang, Mulitmedia Guild President and speaking member of the Women In Film Forum, presented Birdsall with the Actress of the Year of Women in Film in the Delegates Room Dining Hall and Birdsall was later invited to participate in the filmmaker's panel.[6][7]
Birdsall was involved in several projects by director, writer, and longtime collaborator, Neil Johnson. She took a lead role as Dijanne in the time travel series The Time War (2023) and reprised her role of Sienna in the television series Age of Darkness (2023) that same year.
Personal life
Birdsall lives in Malibu, California. She flew relief missions to less accessible airports in Haitifollowing the 2010 Haiti earthquake. She has two daughters and one son[2]. Birdall's oldest daughter, Nicky Birdsall (née Pierson), is also an actor and co-starred with her mother on a number of projects such as I Might Even Love You (1998), Tick Tock (2010), Rogue Warrior: Robot Fighter (2016) and an upcoming independent sci-fi/time-travel film, At the Edge of Time (TBA) as Occulus.
Nicky Birdsall was also briefly engaged once to a Greek sea captain while on a family holiday cruise in the Panama Canal and frequented the Falkland Islands to photograph penguins.[8][9]
Tracey Birdsall was formerly married to actor and her Tick Tock co-star Stuart McClay Smith in 2008 and divorced in 2013.
Birdsall describes herself as an "avid vegetarian". Birdsall maintains active interest in the ocean, Power boats, and building houses.
Steamboat Willie composer and Walt Disney musician, Bert Lewis, is Birdall's great-grandfather.[10]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Casino | Short Film | |
| 1992 | Invasion Force | Joni | Short Film |
| 1995 | Horripulations | Carol | Short Film |
| 1997 | The Plague | Mother | Short Film |
| 1998 | I Might Even Love You | Allie Parker | |
| 2000 | The Prophet's Game | Reporter Carol Stone | |
| 2010 | Tick Tock | Kitty | Short Film |
| 2013 | The Grounded | Cathy-Lee Peterson | |
| 2014 | Dawn of the Crescent Moon | Tracey | |
| Courting Chaos | Hairdresser | ||
| Going Very Badly | Francesca | Short Film | |
| Dawn of Destruction | |||
| Starship: Apocalypse | Deliverance Computer (voice) | ||
| 2015 | Doomsday | Spaceship Computer (voice) | |
| 2016 | Rogue Warrior: Robot Fighter | Sienna | |
| 2018 | Who's Jenna...? | Jenna Casey | |
| 2024 | Hotel Underground | Cindy Majik | |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985–1988 | Loving | Amy Sanders | 4 episodes |
| 1986 | Family Ties | Cammie | Episode: "Beauty and the Bank", uncredited |
| 1992 | Hearts Are Wild | Monica | 5 episodes |
| Casino | Sarah | TV movie | |
| 2011 | Church People | Andrea Dominico | 5 episodes |
| 2012 | The Young and the Restless | Hot Girl with Tucker McCall | Episode: "Episode #1.9905" |
| 2012–2013 | Etiquette: A Surprisingly Relevant Guide to Good Manners | Lucille | 15 episodes |
| 2020 | Isolation the Series | 5 episodes[11] | |
| 2021 | I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson | Janeane | Episode: "Didn't You Say There Was Gonna Be Five People at This Table?"[12] |
| 2023 | The Time War | Dijanne | 8 episodes |
| 2023 | Age of Darkness | Sienna | 8 episodes |
Writer/Producer
- I Might Even Love You – producer (1998)
- Tick Tock (short) – co-writer, producer, actor (2010)
Awards and honors
- Kent Film Festival, 2010, Best Short Cinematography
- Accolade Film Awards, 2010, Award of Merit for Best Leading Actress in Tick Tock
- Accolade Film Awards, 2010, Award of Merit for Best Short Film
- Mexico City International Film Festival, 2010, Recipient of The Golden Palm Award
- Action On Film Festival, August 2010, Won for Best Actress in Tick Tock
- Action on Film Festival, August 2014, Received Honorary Maverick Award
- Action on Film Festival, August 2014, Won Best Ensemble Cast in Dawn of the Crescent Moon
- Action on Film Festival, August 2014, Won for Best Comedy Scene in Do You Like Your Balls?
- Temecula Independent Film Festival, June 2015, Opening Night Guest of Honor and Recipient of the Trailblazer Award
- Action on Film Festival , August 2016, Female Action Performer of the Year[13]
- West Coast Film Festival, 2016, Best Actress Jury Award
- Los Angeles Theatrical Release Awards Competition, 2016, Best Actress Jury Award
- WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival, 2017, Nominated for Best Actress
- WeLink International Film Festival, 2019, Won the Actress of the Year of Women in Film [14]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 An Exclusive Interview with Actress-Producer Tracey Birdsall-Smith Archived July 2, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, Its Just Movies, by Sean Gerski
- 1 2 "Malibu mom makes finals of national model search", The Malibu Times, August 3, 2011
- ↑ Temecula Independent Film Festival. "2015 Temecula Independent Film Festival". THE TEMECULA INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL OF THE HOLLYWOOD AND LOS ANGELES CALIFORNIA WINE COUNTRY. Temecula Independent Film Festival. Archived from the original on August 12, 2026. Retrieved August 12, 2026.
{{cite web}}:|archive-date=/|archive-url=timestamp mismatch; June 8, 2026 suggested (help) - ↑ The Temecula Independent Film Festival (2015). 2015 Temecula Independent Film Festival 2015 Festival Program (PDF) (2015 ed.). Temecula, California, USA: The Temecula Independent Film Festival. pp. 4–5. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 12, 2026. Retrieved August 12, 2026.
{{cite book}}:|archive-date=/|archive-url=timestamp mismatch; November 16, 2025 suggested (help) - ↑ Birdsall, Tracey (July 7, 2020). "Tracey Birdsall - Women in Film Forum - United Nations - March 14, 2019". YouTube. New York City: YouTube. Archived from the original (YouTube Video) on August 12, 2026. Retrieved August 12, 2026.
- ↑ "Birdsall wins Actress of the Year at UN's WIFF". The Movie Elite. The Movie Elite. Archived from the original on August 12, 2026. Retrieved August 12, 2026.
- ↑ "Tracey Birdsall wins actress of the year at the United Nation's women in film forum". 5D-Blog. 5D-Blog. March 23, 2019. Archived from the original on August 12, 2026. Retrieved August 12, 2026.
{{cite web}}:|archive-date=/|archive-url=timestamp mismatch; April 14, 2026 suggested (help) - ↑ "Nicky Birdsall - IMDb". IMDb. IMDb. Retrieved August 12, 2026.
- ↑ Trunk, Russell A. "Tracey Birdsall ('Do You Like Your Balls?')". Anne Carlini - Exclusive Magazine. Exclusive Magazine. Retrieved August 12, 2026.
- ↑ Trunk, Russell A. "Tracey Birdsall ('Do You Like Your Balls?')". Anne Carlini - Exclusive Magazine. Exclusive Magazine. Retrieved August 12, 2026.
- ↑ "Matt Lucas stars in Leigh actor's hit web series 'Isolation The Series'". Echo. June 8, 2020. Retrieved July 21, 2021.
- ↑ "I Think You Should Leave Season 2: Ranking Every Sketch". Den of Geek. July 7, 2021. Archived from the original on July 8, 2021. Retrieved July 21, 2021.
- ↑ Griffiths, Dave (September 28, 2016). "[FILM NEWS] Tracey Birdsall Wins Female Action Performer Of The Year". heavymag.com.au. Retrieved July 21, 2021.
- ↑ "Tracey Birdsall wins actress of the year at the United Nation's women in film forum". 5D. March 23, 2019. Retrieved July 21, 2021.