Katherine Lucy Bridget Burke (born 13 June 1964)^[2] is an English actress and comedian. She appeared insketch shows such asFrench and Saunders (1988–1999), played a recurring role as Magda on theBBC sitcomAbsolutely Fabulous (1992–2012), and performed frequent collaborations with fellow comedianHarry Enfield. From 1999 to 2001, she starred asLinda La Hughes on theBBC sitcomGimme Gimme Gimme, for which she received aBritish Comedy Award and twoBAFTA nominations.

Burke made her film debut in the 1982 dramaScrubbers. For her portrayal of Valerie in the 1997 filmNil by Mouth, she wonBest Actress at theCannes Film Festival and was nominated for aBAFTA forBest Actress in a Leading Role. Her other film appearances includeSid and Nancy (1986),Dancing at Lughnasa (1998),Elizabeth (1998),This Year's Love (1999),Kevin & Perry Go Large (2000),The Martins (2001),Anita and Me (2002) andOnce Upon a Time in the Midlands (2002). Having spent most of the 2000s concentrating on her work as atheatre director, she returned to film roles in the 2010s withTinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011),Pan (2015) andAbsolutely Fabulous: The Movie (2016). Starting from 2019, Burke fronted a series of documentaries forChannel 4:Kathy Burke's All Woman (2019),Kathy Burke: Money Talks (2021) andKathy Burke: Growing Up (2023).

Burke was born at theRoyal Free Hospital, London, on 13 June 1964,^[3] and was brought up inIslington,North London, by her Irish Catholic parents Paddy and Bridget.^[4] She has two elder brothers.^[5] Her mother, known as Bridie, died of cancer when Burke was two years old. She lived with her father, a builder who was an alcoholic, and attended theMaria Fidelis Convent School, a secondary school inEuston, until she was 16 years old.^[4] She then studied at theAnna Scher Theatre School inIslington.^[3][6]

Burke's first role was in the 1982 filmScrubbers, directed bySwedish actressMai Zetterling and featuringPam St. Clement,Robbie Coltrane,Miriam Margolyes,Honey Bane,Debby Bishop andEva Mottley.^[7] The film was set in ayoung offenders' institute for girls and was seen as a female version of the filmScum.

Burke appeared in a non-speaking role in a 1985public information film aboutheroin addiction.^[8] The following year she appeared in a non-speaking role as 'witness in doorway' in an award-winning advert forThe Guardian's 'Points of View'.^[9]

Burke first became familiar to television audiences as a player of minor roles in sketches by better-known performers such asHarry Enfield,Dawn French andJennifer Saunders. Early TV work included regular appearances on the chat showThe Last Resort hosted byJonathan Ross on UK Channel 4 in the mid-1980s, playing the characters 'Tina Bishop' and 'Perry the Pre-pubescent Schoolboy". Bishop was a continually pregnant "expert" offering advice on household chores, always with disastrous results. Both Perry and Tina (renamed "Waynetta Slob") later re-appeared as recurring sketch characters in Harry Enfield programmes. Along withFrench and Saunders, she has contributed to twoComic Relief charity singles. She first appeared as a member ofBananarama parody bandLananeeneenoonoo in 1989, and then as a member ofSpice Girls look-alike band the Sugar Lumps in 1997.

In real life Burke was a big fan ofMorrissey and appeared in the video for his 1989 single "Ouija Board, Ouija Board" and later in the 2002Channel 4 documentaryThe Importance of Being Morrissey.^{[citation needed]} On the 7 November 2023 episode of herWhere There's a Will There's a Wake podcast, withDolly Alderton as her guest, Burke admitted "We don't like Morrissey anymore...because he's a racist wanker". Alderton shared Burke's disappointment with Morrissey's views with Burke adding "We idolise these people...but then people are three-dimensional and you get to know what they really think about life and it's just always a disappointment."^[10]

She became successful in her own right and although mainly associated with comedy, she has played several serious roles including that ofQueen Mary Tudor in the filmElizabeth, which was released in 1998.^[11]

In 1994 Burke was awarded theRoyal Television Society Award for Best Actress, for her performance as the mute Martha in the 1993 BBC TV seriesMr. Wroe's Virgins.^[12] The series was directed byDanny Boyle and is based onJane Rogers' book aboutJohn Wroe.^[13]

Burke won theBest Actress award at the1997 Cannes Film Festival for her role in the gritty dramaNil by Mouth. Burke was so convinced she would not win that she made no plans to attend the ceremony; when told shortly beforehand she had won, she found her passport was out of date. The film also earned her aBAFTA nomination forBest Actress in a Leading Role.^[14] From 1999 to 2001 she appeared asLinda La Hughes in the BBC TV seriesGimme Gimme Gimme (which she developed with writerJonathan Harvey) where she was nominated for threeBritish Comedy Awards (winning one), two BAFTA TV Awards and aNational Television Award for her performance.^[15] In 2000, she appeared in the cult filmLove Honour and Obey withRay Burdis,^[16] and as Perry in the comedy filmKevin & Perry Go Large.^[17]

In 2003, she was listed inThe Observer as one of the 50 funniest acts in British comedy.^[18]

Beginning in 2001, she refrained from acting and began theatre directing; something she considers to be one of her true passions.^[19] She said in an interview with Dawn French inDawn French's Girls Who Do Comedy that she no longer felt the same creative energy associated with acting that she used to have (she described it as a "feeling in my belly") and that this was the reason she had stopped acting. However, since then, she has done some voiceover work, including UK TV adverts for Ski yoghurt (2005)^[20] and the voice of Rita's mum in the animated filmFlushed Away (2006).^[21] She also appeared in the 2007 Christmas Special ofThe Catherine Tate Show as Nan's daughter Diane.^[22]

In February 1990, she wrote and directedMr Thomas at theOld Red Lion Theatre. It was filmed and shown onChannel 4 the next year.

In 2007, Burke contractedClostridioides difficile while in hospital for an operation, resulting in her having to pass directing duties onDying for It at theAlmeida Theatre (which starredCharlie Condou andSophie Stanton who she worked with onGimme Gimme Gimme).^{[citation needed]}

In 2009, Burke made her television directorial debut with theBBC Three sketch show seriesHorne & Corden, starringMathew Horne andJames Corden.^[23]

Burke wrote and appeared as a nun in the short autobiographical film "Better Than Christmas" forSky 1'sLittle Crackers, a collection of comic shorts that aired in December 2010. On 19 January 2012, it was announced that Burke had written her first TV series; her short forLittle Crackers had led to the four-part series "Walking and Talking", based on her teenage years. Burke appeared as a nun in each episode of the series, which aired in the summer of 2012 onSky Atlantic.^[24]

In 2011, Burke playedConnie Sachs in thefilm adaptation of the novelTinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. She was long-listed for aBAFTA nomination for her performance as Supporting Actress in 2012.^[25]

Burke appeared in the 2015Peter Pan prequel filmPan,as Mother Barnabas.^[26] In November 2015, Burke presented the BBC topical news panel showHave I Got News for You.^[27]

In 2019, Burke starred in her own self-titled three-part documentaryKathy Burke's All Woman. The programme aired on Channel 4 and focused on the stereotypes and expectations of modern women. Burke touched on subjects such as marriage, pregnancy and cosmetic surgery.^[28]

In 2021, Burke appeared as a guest judge in series 3 ofRuPaul's Drag Race UK.^[29]

Burke directed ITV's four-part murder mystery seriesHolding, which premiered on 14 March 2022 and is based onGraham Norton's novel of the same name.^[30]

in 2022 Burke started a podcast calledWhere There's a Will, There's a Wake. In the podcast Burke talks a guest through how the guest believes (or hopes) they will die and what they want to be done for their funeral. Notable guests have beenJennifer Saunders,Dawn French,Emerald Fennell andSteve McQueen. The podcast is produced bySony Music Entertainment.^[31]

• KathyBurke.co.uk
• Kathy Burke atIMDb

• 1964 births
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• English people of Irish descent
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