Kathryn Greenwood (born March 21, 1962) is a Canadian actress and comedian. 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''.

Life and career

Greenwood was born in

Scarborough Scarborough or Scarboro may refer to: People * Scarborough (surname) * Earl of Scarbrough Places Australia * Scarborough, Western Australia, suburb of Perth * Scarborough, New South Wales, suburb of Wollongong * Scarborough, Queensland, sub ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

. From an early age she wanted to be a performer and went to school at Agincourt Collegiate Institute. There she performed in school plays and concerts. After graduation in 1980, Greenwood spent the next two years studying acting at the

American Academy of Dramatic Arts The American Academy of Dramatic Arts (AADA) is a Private college, private drama school with two locations, one in New York City and one in Los Angeles. The academy offers an associate degree in occupational studies and teaches drama and related ...

. In 1987, she returned to

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

, and worked in a small night club act called ''A Wedge of Night''. She spent five years with the Toronto branch of

The Second City The Second City is an improvisational comedy enterprise. It is the oldest improvisational theater troupe to be continuously based in Chicago, with training programs and live theaters in Toronto and New York. Since its debut in 1959, it has b ...

comedy troupe as a writer and a performer. Two of her shows won

Dora Mavor Moore awards The Dora Mavor Moore Awards (also known as the Dora Awards or the Doras) are awards presented annually by the Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts (TAPA), honouring theatre, dance and opera productions in Toronto. Named after Dora Mavor Moor ...

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 improvised an entire situation comedy in front of a live audience, based solely on ideas and suggestions from the audience. She also appeared with Shirley Douglas and

Kiefer Sutherland Kiefer William Frederick Dempsey George Rufus Sutherland (born 21 December 1966) is a Canadian actor. He is best known for his starring role as Jack Bauer in the Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox drama series ''24 (TV series), 24'' (2001–2010, 20 ...

in '' The Glass Menagerie'' at the Royal Alexandra Theatre in spring 1997. Other notable appearances in Canada include '' This Hour Has 22 Minutes'' and '' Royal Canadian Air Farce''. In 1996, Greenwood began regular work on Canadian television on the family drama series '' Wind at My Back''. She worked for five years, full-time, playing Grace Bailey, a junior radio M.C. in the small town of New Bedford, Ontario, during the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

. Her portrayal of Grace Bailey was nominated for a

Gemini Award The Gemini Awards were awards given by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television between 1986–2011 to recognize the achievements of Canada's English-language television industry. The Gemini Awards are analogous to the Emmy Awards given in t ...

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 Ashley Fuller Olsen (born June 13, 1986) is an American businesswoman, fashion designer and former actress. She began her acting career at the age of nine months, sharing the role of Michelle Tanner with her twin sister Mary-Kate Olsen in the ...

. Later that same year, Greenwood commuted to

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

to appear on such shows as ''

The Drew Carey Show ''The Drew Carey Show'' is an American television sitcom that aired on ABC from September 13, 1995, to September 8, 2004. Set in Cleveland, Ohio, the series revolved around the retail office and home life of "everyman" Drew Carey, a fictionaliz ...

'', the updated version of ''

Hollywood Squares ''Hollywood Squares'' (originally ''The Hollywood Squares'', later stylized as ''H2: Hollywood Squares'') is an American game show in which two contestants compete in a game of tic-tac-toe to win cash and prizes. The show originally aired as a ...

'', and the American version of the improvisation game show ''

Whose Line Is It Anyway? ''Whose Line Is It Anyway?'' is a short-form improvisational comedy show created by Dan Patterson and Mark Leveson. The three major versions of the show are the original 1988 British radio programme (from which all subsequent versions are ada ...

''.

Marriage and family

Greenwood is married to television writer John Dolin; they have two daughters: Phoebe and Josephine. Phoebe was born in 2000, while Josephine was born in 2001.

Current projects

Greenwood is part of the sketch comedy troupe Women Fully Clothed,"The comedy of everyday life"
by Robert Crew at www.thestar.com featuring what

Eugene Levy Eugene Levy (born December 17, 1946) is a Canadian actor and comedian. Known for portraying flustered and unconventional figures, Levy has won multiple accolades throughout his career including four Primetime Emmy Awards, a Grammy Award, and ...

calls "the five funniest women in Canada." The group saw success in Canada and appeared in

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

, Scotland.

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards/Nominations

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Greenwood, Kathy 1962 births Living people Actresses from Toronto Canadian stage actresses Canadian television actresses Canadian women comedians Canadian women television personalities Canadian voice actresses Canadian television personalities Canadian sketch comedians Comedians from Toronto People from Scarborough, Ontario 20th-century Canadian actresses 21st-century Canadian actresses 20th-century Canadian comedians 21st-century Canadian comedians Canadian Comedy Award winners