Caroline Rhea | |
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 Rhea in April 2023 | |
| Born | Caroline Gilchrist Rhea (1964-04-13)April 13, 1964 (age 61) Westmount, Quebec, Canada |
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| Years active | 1986–present |
| Partner | Costaki Economopoulos (2007–2010) |
| Children | 1 |
Caroline Gilchrist Rhea (/ˈreɪ/; born April 13, 1964) is a Canadian actress andstand-up comedian who is best known for her role asHilda Spellman in theABC seriesSabrina the Teenage Witch and for voicingLinda Flynn-Fletcher in theDisney Channel animated seriesPhineas and Ferb.
She has performed numerous comedy specials, including three one-hour standup specials forHBO,Showtime, andBravo. She is also known as a regular onHollywood Squares with her friendWhoopi Goldberg. Rhea was chosen byRosie O'Donnell as the newhostess of her syndicated talk show (renamedThe Caroline Rhea Show) and hosted thereality television showThe Biggest Loser onNBC for the first three seasons. She appeared regularly on ABC'sMatch Game withAlec Baldwin from 2016 to 2020. She also returned to Disney Channel to portray Judy Reynolds in the comedy seriesSydney to the Max, which aired from 2019 to 2021.
Rhea was born and raised inWestmount, Quebec, the daughter of Margery and David Rhea, anobstetrician andgynecologist.[1] She has two sisters, Cynthia and Celia. She attendedThe Study, an all-girls private school inWestmount, Quebec;Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia;[2] and theUniversity of Arizona.
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Rhea moved to New York in 1986 to pursue a career as a comedian and actress. She began performing at venues likeCatch a Rising Star and TheComic Strip, where she performed along with comedians includingChris Rock,Louis C.K.,Dave Attell,Marc Maron, andJim Gaffigan. She made her first filmed standup appearances onMTV's Half-Hour Comedy Hour,Comic Strip Live, andCaroline's Comedy Hour.
Rhea was given a one-hour special forHBO, calledOne Night Stand. She followed it up withRhea'sAnatomy, her one-hour special forBravo, andGive Me My Remote forShowtime.
Even as recently as New Year's Eve 2024, Rhea continues to perform live comedy shows.[3]
After finding success in New York as a comedian, Caroline moved toLos Angeles to pursue an acting career inHollywood, debuting onNBC's television seriesPride & Joy, where she co-starred withJeremy Piven. She later gained widespread fame for her role as Aunt Hilda on theABC (and later,The WB) seriesSabrina the Teenage Witch and for her recurring role on the latest incarnation ofHollywood Squares.
Rhea is also well known for her voice role asLinda Flynn-Fletcher on the long-runningDisney Channel animated seriesPhineas and Ferb; for hersyndicated daytimetalk show,The Caroline Rhea Show; as the original host ofThe Biggest Loser on NBC; and for playing Noleta Nethercott on the TV seriesSordid Lives: The Series for Logo, and a sequel filmA Very Sordid Wedding.
In 2004, she appeared in theChristmascomedy filmChristmas with the Kranks. In 2005, Rhea appeared inThe Perfect Man, playing a co-worker of Jean (Heather Locklear) and had a recurring role on theDisney Channel Original Series,The Suite Life of Zack & Cody as Ilsa Shickelgubermeiger-Von Helsing der Keppelugerhofer, an inspector turned manager of the rival hotel. In 2007, she starred in the originalLifetime Television movieTo Be Fat Like Me oppositeKaley Cuoco and in theFox animated seriesTwo Dreadful Children.
In 2008, Rhea starred alongsideJustin Guarini andMircea Monroe in theMarVista Entertainment production ofFast Girl. In 2013, Rhea hosted a travelling live stage show version of the game showFamily Feud that toured fairs in the US and Canada, including theCalgary Stampede. In 2017, she began a recurring role on ABC's revival ofMatch Game.[4] She appeared in 21 episodes, her last airing in October 2020.[5]
Rhea has competed on Bravo'sCelebrity Poker Showdown andGSN'sWorld Series of Blackjack, and has also done a live webcast with author Meg Cabot.
In 2018, Rhea began hostingCaroline & Friends on GSN. The series features funny videos of animals and children. The studio audience votes for the best video from ones chosen by Rhea and her two guest comedian co-hosts.[6] The show lasted for one season.
In 2019, Rhea began appearing as Judy, the grandmother, in the Disney Channel sitcomSydney to the Max,[7] which premiered January 25, 2019 and ran for three seasons until November 2021. The role got her a spot amongst a team of contemporary moms on the network for an episode ofCelebrity Family Feud which aired in 2020.[8]
| This section of abiography of a living persondoes notinclude anyreferences or sources. Please help by addingreliable sources. Contentious material about living people that is unsourced or poorly sourcedmust be removed immediately. Find sources: "Caroline Rhea" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(May 2017) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Rhea has appeared atComic Relief as well as theMs. Foundation's "Women of Comedy from Caroline's Comedy Club". She appeared as a contestant in 2001 on a special edition ofWho Wants to Be a Millionaire, winning $125,000 for her charity.
Rhea and her former partner, comedianCostaki Economopoulos, have a daughter, Ava (b. October 2008).[9][10]
Rhea's parents were diagnosed with cancer one week apart. Her mother, Margery, was diagnosed with breast cancer and her father, David, with lung cancer. David died 10 months later; Margery lived another six years.[11]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Meatballs III: Summer Job | Beach girl #4 | Debut role, Uncredited[12] |
| 1996 | The Shot | Casting director | |
| 1999 | Man on the Moon | Fridays'Melanie Chartoff | |
| 2000 | Ready to Rumble | Eugenia King | |
| 2001 | Happy Birthday | Monica | |
| 2004 | Christmas with the Kranks | Candi | |
| 2005 | The Perfect Man | Gloria | |
| 2008 | Fast Girl | Maddie | |
| 2009 | Love N' Dancing | Bonnie | |
| 2015 | Being Canadian | Herself | Documentary |
| 2017 | A Very Sordid Wedding | Noleta Nethercott | |
| 2020 | Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Candace Against the Universe | Linda Flynn-Fletcher | Voice role |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Fools for Love | Herself | Host |
| 1995 | Pride & Joy | Carol Green | Main role |
| 1996–2003 | Sabrina the Teenage Witch | Hilda Spellman | Main role (seasons 1–6); guest role (season 7) |
| 1996 | The Drew Carey Show | Bonnie | 2 episodes |
| 1997 | Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist | Caroline | Voice role; episode: "Big Fat Slug" |
| 1999 | Larry David: Curb Your Enthusiasm | Herself | Television special |
| 2000 | Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child | Spidey | Voice role; episode: "The Steadfast Tin Soldier" |
| 2000 | Mom's Got a Date with a Vampire | Lynette Hansen | Television film |
| 2001 | The Santa Claus Brothers | Mrs. Claus | Television film; voice role |
| 2002 | Fillmore! | Mrs. Konquist | Voice role; episode: "Nappers Never Sleep" |
| 2002–2003 | The Caroline Rhea Show | Herself | Daytime talk show |
| 2004–2006 | The Biggest Loser | Host (seasons 1–3) | |
| 2005–2006 | The Suite Life of Zack & Cody | Ilsa | 3 episodes |
| 2005–2006 | Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List | Herself | 2 episodes, "Out & About" and "Puppy Chaos" |
| 2007 | To Be Fat Like Me | Madelyn | Television film |
| 2007–2015, 2025–present | Phineas and Ferb | Linda Flynn-Fletcher, Betty Jo Flynn, additional voices | Main voice role |
| 2008 | Sordid Lives: The Series | Noleta Nethercott | Main role |
| 2009 | Larry the Cable Guy's Hula-Palooza Christmas Luau | Shopper #1 / Grandma / Mrs. Claus | Television film |
| 2011 | Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Across the 2nd Dimension | Linda Flynn-Fletcher / Linda 2 | Television film; voice role |
| Cake Walk: Wedding Cake Edition | Herself | Host | |
| 2012 | Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town | Mrs. Diston | Television film |
| The Christmas Consultant | Maya Fletcher | ||
| 2013 | Baby Daddy | Jennifer Perrin | Episode: "On the Lamb-y" |
| 2014 | Maron | Herself | Episode: "Nostalgic Sex Buddy" |
| Manhattan Love Story | Coach Reisner | Episode: "The Ex Factor" | |
| 2015 | 2 Broke Girls | Bonnie | Episode: "And the Disappointing Unit" |
| 2016 | The Grinder | Fran | Episode: "Genesis" |
| Bruno & Boots: Go Jump in the Pool | Eugenia Scrimmage | Television film | |
| 2016–2025 | Match Game | Herself (Panelist) | 23 episodes |
| 2017 | Bruno & Boots: The Wizzle War, This Can't Be Happening at Macdonald Hall | Eugenia Scrimmage | Television film |
| 2017–2019 | Funny You Should Ask | Herself (Panelist) | 51 episodes |
| 2018 | Caroline & Friends | Herself | Host |
| A Christmas in Tennessee | Mrs. Claus | Television film | |
| 2019–2021 | Sydney to the Max | Judy Reynolds | Main role[13] |
| 2020 | The Blame Game | Herself (Panelist) | Episode: 27 November 2020 |
| Chilling Adventures of Sabrina | SitcomHilda Spellman (Parallel Cosmos-modified version) | 2 episodes | |
| 2021 | Debbie Macomber's A Mrs. Miracle Christmas | Gloria Merkel (Mrs. Miracle) | Television film |
| 2022 | LOL: Last One Laughing Canada | Herself (Contestant) | 6 episodes |
| 2022 | Lopez vs Lopez | Jana | Recurring Cast |
| 2024 | Extended Family | Lana Telsoup | Episode: "The Consequences of Being Irish" |
| Holiday Mismatch | Kath | Television film Hallmark Channel | |
| 2025 | Sheriff Country | Gina[14] | Recurring Cast |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
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| 2013 | Phineas and Ferb: Quest for Cool Stuff | Linda Flynn-Fletcher |
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