Kathy Greenwood

Infobox actor


name = Kathy Greenwood
caption =
birthdate = birth date and age|1962|3|21
location = flagicon|Canada Scarborough, Ontario, Canada
deathdate =
birthname = Kathryn Greenwood
occupation = Actress, Comedienne
yearsactive = 1987 - present
height = 5 ft 7 in
spouse = John Dolan (?-)
children = Josephine (b. 2000), Phoebe (b. 2001)
notable role = "Whose Line Is It Anyway?"
awards = Canadian Comedy Award for Best Female Improviser

Kathryn Greenwood (born March 21, 1962 in Scarborough, Ontario) is a Canadian actress and comedienne. She appeared on the American version of "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" numerous times, and played Grace Bailey on the Canadian television drama series "Wind at My Back".

Biography

Kathy Greenwood was born in Scarborough, Ontario, Canada on March 21, 1962, and it was clear from an early age she wanted to be a performer; by the time she was in high school at Agincourt Collegiate Institute, she was usually the star of the school plays and concerts. When it came time to graduate in 1980, she feared that she would never get to act again, until a concerned friend gave her a brochure for the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, where Greenwood spent the next two years studying acting.

In 1987, when she returned to Canada in Toronto, she managed to find work for a small night club act called "A Wedge of Night", which led to her five year stint with the Toronto branch of the famous Second City comedy troupe; where she served as both a writer and a performer - two of her shows won Dora Mavor Moore awards in 1988, and 1992. Shortly afterwards, she and her friends Jonathan Wilson, and Ed Sahely developed what she called their "Second City" spin-off, "Not to Be Repeated", in which the three would improvise an entire situation comedy in front of a live audience, based solely on ideas and suggestions that are thrown at them from the audience. Other notable appearances in Canada include the popular sketch shows "This Hour Has 22 Minutes" and "Royal Canadian Air Farce".

In 1996, Kathy found regular work on Canadian television on the family drama series "Wind at My Back", where she spent five years, full time, playing Grace Bailey, a junior journalist in a small town in Ontario during The Great Depression; Kathy's portrayal of Grace Bailey was nominated for a Gemini Award for Best Performance By an Actress in a Continuing Leading Role. In 1999, Kathy was cast as Denise Stanton in the TV movie "Switching Goals", starring Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen. Later that same year, Greenwood crossed the border and commuted to Los Angeles, California to appear on such shows as "The Drew Carey Show", the update version of "The Hollywood Squares", and the American version of the improvisation game show "Whose Line Is It Anyway?".

As of the 2000 decade, Kathy had begun to ramp up her career with her marriage to television writer, John Dolan, and the birth of their two daughters, Josephine and Phoebe, becoming a part of the widely popular live sketch troupe Women Fully Clothed, featuring what Eugene Levy calls "the five funniest women in Canada", which has also found international success with their recent appearance in Edinburgh, Scotland, and there was also talks about the troupe touring in the U.S., however, the troupe's commitment is said to expire in April of 2008, and so far, their tour has only expanded to other provinces of Canada outside on Ontario.

Selected filmography

Acting

* "Flip Phone" - 2003 - Kate
* "Lucky Peach"
* "" - 1996 - Ginny Hurdicure
* "House" - 1996 - Kathy
* "This is My Life" - 1992 - Young Matron
* "This Hour Has 22 Minutes" - 1992 - Various Characters
* "Listen Missy" - 2003 - Various Characters
* "X.P.M." - 2003 - Laura Macdonald
* "I Was a Rat" - 2001 - Lucasta Utensil
* "Royal Canadian Air Farce" - 1993 - Various Characters
* "Made in Canada" - 1998 - Sydney
* "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" - 1998 - Herself
* "The Drew Carey Show" - 1995 - Kathryn
* "Hollywood Squares" - 1998 - Herself
* "Wind at My Back" - 1996 - Grace Bailey
* "Switching Goals" - 1999 - Denise Stanton
* "The Broad Side" - 2001 - Various Characters
* "The Pooch and the Pauper" - 1999 - Kim Corbett
* "Not to Be Repeated" - 2001 - Herself/Various Characters
* "Once a Thief" - 1997 - Margot
* "The High Life" - 1996 - Judy
* "Goosebumps" - 1995 - Mrs. Walker
* "RoboCop" - 1994
* "Squawk Box" - 1994
* "Hostage for a Day" - 1994 - SWAT One
* "" - 1993 - Sylvia Bonner
* "Kids in the Hall" - 1988 - Various Characters
* "Maniac Mansion" - 1990 - Allanuh
* "Street Legal" - 1987 - Jacky Kepler
* "The Second City"
* "Born Talking

Writing

* "The Second City"
* "This Hour Has 22 Minutes" - 1992

Awards and nominations

* 1998 - Won - Dora Mavor Moore Award - Outstanding New Revue or Musical - "The Second City"
* 1992 - Won - Dora Mavor Moore Award - Outstanding New Revue or Musical - "The Second City"
* 1996 - Nominated - Gemini Award - Best Performance by an Actress in a Continuing Leading Role - "Wind at My Back"
* 2000 - Won - Canadian Comedy Award - Best Female Improviser
* 2005 - Nominated - Canadian Comedy Award - Best Sketch Troupe - "Women Fully Clothed"

External links

*imdb name|id=0339353|name=Kathryn Greenwood
* [http://newbedford.tripod.com/kathryn the UNofficial kathryn greenwood] Kathryn Greenwood at Northern Stars - Canadians in the Movies: http://www.northernstars.ca/actorsghi/greenwood_kathryn.html
* [http://www.nowtoronto.com/issues/17/29/Ent/cover.html NOW Toronto Interview, circa 1998]