Kathy Greenwood

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Kathy Greenwood

Born Kathryn Greenwood
March 21, 1962 (1962-03-21) (age 46)
Flag of Canada Scarborough, Ontario, Canada
Occupation Actress, Comedienne
Years active 1987 - present
Spouse(s) John Dolan (?-)

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.

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[edit] 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 the 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 portrail as 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.

[edit] Selected filmography

[edit] Acting

[edit] Writing

[edit] 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

[edit] External links

Kathryn Greenwood at Northern Stars - Canadians in the Movies: http://www.northernstars.ca/actorsghi/greenwood_kathryn.html

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