Like so many great Hollywood success stories, Marissa Jaret Winokur’s ascent to fame started with a chance discover by a top talent, which lead to the role of a lifetime. In Winokur’s case, it was a bit part as a fast food restaurant employee in “American Beauty” (1999) that caught the eye of film and stage director Rob Marshall. The “Chicago” (2002) director recommended her for the role of Tracy Turnblad – the plus-sized heroine of the Broadway musical version of “Hairspray” – and the rest, as they say, was history. For her performance in “Hairspray,” Winokur brought home the biggest prizes
