| Karen Dunbar | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1 April 1971 Ayr, Scotland |
| Occupation | Actress, comedienne |
Karen Dunbar (born 1 April 1971 in Ayr, Scotland) is a Scottish comedienne and entertainer.
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She first came to the attention of mainstream audiences in the BBC Scotland comedy series Chewin' the Fat and subsequently was given her own show by the channel, The Karen Dunbar Show.
Prior to mainstream success, Karen, an out lesbian,[1] was well known on the Scottish gay scene, including regularly hosting karaoke nights in both Glasgow and in Edinburgh.
Over Christmas 2007 Karen made her first appearance in pantomime, at the King's Theatre in Glasgow, playing Nanny Begood in Sleeping Beauty. Further pantomime roles include the Good Fairy and the Wicked Stepmother in Cinderella (2008–09) and Widow Twankey in Aladdin (2009–10). She appeared as a critic on "Britain's Got More Talent" on 27 May 2008.
In 2008, Dunbar was scheduled to star in Ecstasy, the film adaptation of Irvine Welsh's best-selling novel, Ecstasy: Three Tales of Chemical Romance, as well as performing a series of shows at the Edinburgh Fringe.
Also known as a comedy actress, she has tackled serious roles, most notably to date her performance in the poetic monologue A Drunk Woman Looks at the Thistle adapted by Denise Mina from Hugh MacDiarmid's poem, A Drunk Man Looks at the Thistle.
In 2009, she starred in a 6 part series of new Scottish comedy Happy Hollidays.
According to the Pink Paper (15 September 2005, page 9), Dunbar and her partner Jennifer were married in a ceremony in Toronto. They separated in July 2009.
Dunbar attended Ayr Academy, a secondary school in Ayr.