Kate Walsh (actress)

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Kate Walsh

Born Kathleen Walsh
October 13, 1967 (age 40)
San Jose, California
Spouse(s) Alex Young (2007 - )

Kathleen Erin Walsh (born October 13, 1967) is an American film and television actress, currently known for her role as Dr. Addison Montgomery on the ABC dramas Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice.

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[edit] Early life

Walsh was born in San Jose, California and grew up in Tucson, Arizona. Her father is an Irish immigrant and her maternal grandfather was Italian American.[1] Walsh studied at University of Arizona for a while where she got involved in regional theatre. She now lives in Los Angeles.

[edit] Career

[edit] Early career

Walsh was a model in Japan during the 1980s. When Walsh moved to Chicago, she began working with the Piven Theatre Workshop. She performed on National Public Radio in the production of the radio play Born Guilty. Walsh subsequently moved to New York City and joined the comedy troupe Burn Manhattan on June 27, 1987, performing in a number of Off-Broadway plays.

[edit] Television roles

After playing Cathy Buxton in the "Stakeout" episode of Homicide: Life on the Street in 1996, her first major television appearance was in 1997, when she appeared on The Drew Carey Show as Carey's character's girlfriend Nicki. She wore a fatsuit in some episodes of the show, as the Nicki character was a formerly obese woman who lost weight & slowly started to gain it back. She went on to portray Carol Nelson in HBO's The Mind of the Married Man television series, and played Norm Macdonald's romantic interest in the sitcom "The Norm Show". Walsh also made a notable guest appearance on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation as Mimosa, a transsexual. She sometimes appeared in sketches on Late Night with Conan O'Brien. She had a recurring role on Karen Sisco as Detective Marley Novak in 2003 and 2004.

In 2005, she was cast in the ABC hit, Grey's Anatomy, as Dr. Addison Montgomery, the estranged spouse of Derek Shepherd ("Dr. McDreamy", played by Patrick Dempsey). The role of Addison was originally conceived as a short-term role (five episodes) but audience response the Derek/Meredith/Addison triangle, and to Walsh in particular, convinced series creator Shonda Rhimes to expand the role and make Walsh a series regular. As she noted in an interview she's "The house guest who never leaves" referring to her extended role on both Grey's Anatomy & The Drew Carey Show.

It was announced in February 2007 that Walsh's Grey's Anatomy character Addison would be in a spin-off of Grey's Anatomy that began airing in September 2007. Taye Diggs, Tim Daly, Amy Brenneman, Chris Lowell and Audra McDonald have been cast in the spin-off, which has been given the name Private Practice.[2][3] Kate Walsh returned to Seattle Grace as a guest star for episode thirteen in Season 4 of Grey's Anatomy, she is currently set to shoot the second season of Private Practice.[citation needed]

Her performances as Dr. Addison Montgomery in both Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice have led her to be a firm favorite amongst fans of the two shows.[citation needed] Walsh, like most other celebrities, has a highly dedicated and passionate group of followers; the paparazzi have recently coined the term 'Walshaholics' to describe them.

Beginning in September 2007, Walsh has appeared in television commercials for the 2008 Cadillac CTS. Her memorable quote in the series: "When you turn your car on, does it return the favor?"

[edit] Film roles

The crime drama Normal Life marked her film debut; she played the sister of a bank robber played by Luke Perry. She portrayed a kleptomaniac in the film Peppermills. Walsh also appeared in the cult movie, Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, Part 2. She had her first significant role in a major Hollywood production as Will Ferrell's wife in the family comedy, Kicking & Screaming, alongside Robert Duvall and Mike Ditka. Walsh has also appeared in several other films with Ferrell, including Bewitched and an "alternate film" to Anchorman titled, Wake Up, Ron Burgundy: The Lost Movie.

In 2003, Walsh appeared in Under the Tuscan Sun, with Diane Lane and Sandra Oh. She played the partner of Grey's Anatomy co-star Sandra Oh's character.

Regarding her various lesbian roles, Walsh said: "Do I give off a girl-on-girl vibe, I wonder? Or is it because I’m tall? I guess the chicks just dig me!"[4]

Walsh was also set to star across John Cusack and Samuel L. Jackson in the supernatural thriller 1408, but she had to drop out due to scheduling conflicts.[citation needed]

Walsh is set to be starring alongside Dennis Quaid and Paul Bettany in the biblical horror film Legion, due out 2009.[citation needed]

[edit] Personal life

As a teenager, Walsh’s stepfather, a prison psychologist, paid her $5 a page to type psychological profiles of inmates he treated. Walsh's best friend, Nancy Pimental, based the two main characters in her screenplay for the film The Sweetest Thing in part upon her and Walsh.

An opera fanatic, Walsh overlooked some bizarre antics of a date in the 1990s because he had tickets to the Metropolitan Opera. “I get into the car, and the first thing this guy does is spray me with perfume. I don’t even know where it came from. Maybe it belonged to the last woman he killed?”[citation needed]

Walsh told Women’s Health she went from blonde to red because she never was a blonde at heart. "Being blonde was always other than what I really am. I thought I wanted to be one of those softer, girly girls. Then I grew out of that. I realized I’d never be a sweet girl. Never." She is the current spokeswoman for Caress and their new line of body wash called Exotic Oil Infusions.[5] She appeared on the cover of O at Home (homestyle magazine by Oprah Winfrey) and was credited as being their first covergirl for that magazine.

Walsh is married to Alex Young, a production co-president at 20th Century Fox.[6] On September 1, 2007, Walsh and Young were married in the Ojai Presbyterian Church in Ojai, north of Los Angeles.

[edit] Social and political activism

Since the summer of 2007, Walsh has been the spokesperson for Narcolepsy Network, working to promote national awareness of narcolepsy through infomercials and DVDs.

In January 2008, Walsh participated in a video for Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama called, "Yes We Can", produced by Will.I.Am of the Black Eyed Peas.[1] She also campaigned for Obama in Arizona, Texas, Nevada, and Pennsylvania.[7]

[edit] Awards and recognitions

  • Screen Actors Guild Award: Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble Cast in a TV Series - Drama: Grey's Anatomy (2007)
  • Best Actress 2002 - Short Film (Model Trapper) - New York International Independent Film & Video Festival
  • Voted number 52 of Maxim's Hot 100 of 2007
  • Voted number 71 of FHM's 100 Sexiest Women of 2007

[edit] Filmography

[edit] References

  1. ^ YouTube - Kate Walsh behind the scenes Cadillac ad
  2. ^ "Grey's Anatomy" Spin-Off Planned, Dr. Addison Shepherd to Leave Seattle Grace, WSBTV.com, March 5, 2007
  3. ^ Edward Wyatt. "Well-Known Secret: ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Spinoff for ABC", New York Times, April 28, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-05-05. 
  4. ^ Britney keeping mum on new baby's name - Gossip Archive - MSNBC.com
  5. ^ http://www.caressfairytales.com/
  6. ^ Kate Walsh Engaged -- by Jeffrey Slonim for People Magazine
  7. ^ Walsh discussed this in an appearance on Late Night with David Letterman (February 11, 2008)

[edit] External links

v • d • e
Grey's Anatomy
General
Main characters
Cast
Shonda Rhimes · Private Practice · Official Website
v • d • e
Private Practice
Episodes
Character
Cast
Shonda Rhimes · Grey's Anatomy · Official Site