Debra McGrath (born July 5, 1954) is a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

actress An actor or actress is a person who portrays a Character (arts), character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek ...

and

comedian A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing Amusement is the state of experiencing humorous and entertaining events or situations while the person or a ...

Education

Debra McGrath was born in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

in 1954. She studied theatre at

Ryerson Polytechnical Institute Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU or Toronto Met) is a public university, public research university located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The university's core campus is situated within the Garden District, Toronto, Garden District, although i ...

(now Toronto Metropolitan University).

Career

McGrath first started her career with three years as a member of ''

The Second City The Second City is an improvisational comedy enterprise and is the oldest ongoing improvisational theater troupe to be continually based in Chicago, with training programs and live theatres in Toronto and Los Angeles. The Second City Theatre op ...

Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

, from 1983-1985, where she was a writer and actress, and eventually a director. She was best known for a take-off of

Marilyn Monroe Marilyn Monroe (; born Norma Jeane Mortenson; 1 June 1926 4 August 1962) was an American actress. Famous for playing comedic " blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1950s and early 1960s, as wel ...

, and the song ''Condoms are a Girl's Best Friend''. During the late 1980s, she appeared with ''Second City'' at anniversary, comedy festival and

Club Soda Club soda is a manufactured form of carbonated water, commonly used as a drink mixer. Sodium bicarbonate, potassium sulfate, potassium bicarbonate, potassium citrate, or sodium citrate is artificially added to replicate constituents commonly fo ...

performances. In 1987, McGrath starred in ''Spoof'', a comedy pilot written by

Brian Cooke Brian Cooke (born 1937) is a British comedy writer who, along with co-writer Johnnie Mortimer, wrote scripts for and devised many of the top television sitcoms during the 1970s, including ''Man About the House'', ''George and Mildred'', and '' ...

and

Perry Rosemond Perry Rosemond, CM (born 15 November 1936) is a Canadian television writer, producer and director. Life and career Born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, Rosemond has created, produced, written and directed international television for over fort ...

. In 1989, she had a major role in

Allan King Allan Winton King, (February 6, 1930 – June 15, 2009), was a Canadian film director. Life Born in Vancouver, British Columbia, during the Great Depression, King attended Henry Hudson Elementary School, in Kitsilano.Termini Station''. She also appeared in

Eugene Levy Eugene Levy (born December 17, 1946) is a Canadian actor and comedian. From 1976 until 1984, he appeared in the Canadian television sketch comedy series '' SCTV''. He has also appeared in the '' American Pie'' series of films and the Canadian ...

's 1992 TV film ''Partners 'N Love'', in which she played a lawyer whose client's divorce was found to be invalid. In 1990, with

Linda Kash Linda Kash (born 17 January 1961) is a Canadian actress. Career An alumna of Second City, she played Trudy Weissman in the 1998 Jean Smart sitcom ''Style & Substance''. She has also played various roles in popular television series, such as '' ...

, McGrath co-created ''

My Talk Show ''My Talk Show'' is a daily comedic parody talk/variety television program that ran in first-run syndication from September 1990 to March 1991 in the United States and Canada. The series was produced by Second City Entertainment, Imagine Entertai ...

'', a sitcom featuring a talk show broadcast from the host's basement. The series ran for one year, with fifty-nine episodes. Producer

Bob Tischler Robert Tischler is an American television writer, audio engineer and television producer. Tischler engineered the National Lampoon's first comedy album and with Michael O'Donoghue co-created and produced the National Lampoon Radio Hour. A frien ...

cast

Cynthia Stevenson Cynthia Stevenson (born August 2, 1962) is an American actress. She first played a leading role in the syndicated parody comedy series ''My Talk Show'' (1990–91), before starring in a number of sitcoms, including ''Bob'' (CBS, 1992–93), ''H ...

as the host, while McGrath played a local dinner theatre owner, actress and head of the Chamber of Commerce. Initial reviews were very positive, predicting that McGrath would become the

Carl Reiner Carl Reiner (March 20, 1922 – June 29, 2020) was an American actor, stand-up comedian, director, screenwriter, and author whose career spanned seven decades. He was the recipient of many awards and honors, including 11 Primetime Emmy Awards, ...

of the 1990s. However, ratings were low, the host character left the show and McGrath's character became the host. Ratings did not improve (one reviewer considered that McGrath's character was "a grating, overbearing bimbo whose I-have-no-idea-who-my-guests-are routine gets boring fast") and the show folded after one season. McGrath was also a co-writer of the Canadian

Women's Television Network W Network (often shortened to W) is a Canadian English language specialty channel owned by Corus Entertainment. The channel primarily broadcasts general entertainment programming oriented towards a female audience. W Network was established in ...

's ''Go Girl!'', a send-up of a cable TV talk show that debuted in 1997. In 2002, McGrath appeared in the film ''Expecting'', directed by

Deborah Day Deborah Day is a Canadian film director and writer. She directed and co-wrote the film ''Expecting'' (2002), starring Valerie Buhagiar, Colin Mochrie and Debra McGrath which won Most Popular Canadian Film at the 2002 Vancouver International Film ...

, which won Most Popular Canadian Film at the 2002

Vancouver International Film Festival The Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF) is an annual film festival held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, for two weeks in late September and early October. The festival is operated by the Greater Vancouver International Film Fest ...

. McGrath played a dermatologist, the childless older sister of the pregnant star, and her performance was noted by several reviewers as "show ngthe wounded heart beneath the careerist's brittle exterior"; "McGrath is the other standout as Anita, by far the richest character in the film. Neurotic and condescending to everyone around her, Anita is quick to deliver zingers, then filled with regret for what she's said. McGrath is sharp and touching, surprisingly substantial in a film that's ultimately fluff." For this role, McGrath won the award for Best Performance in a Feature (Female) at the 2004

Canadian Comedy Awards The Canadian Comedy Awards (CCA) is an annual ceremony that awards the Beaver for achievements in Canadian comedy in live performance, radio, film, television, and Internet media. The awards were founded and produced by Tim Progosh in 2000. The ...

. Alongside Paul O'Sullivan,

Rebecca Northan Rebecca Northan is a Canadian actor, improviser, theatre director, and creative artist. She is known for playing the hippie mother Diane Macleod on the CTV & The Comedy Network sitcom '' Alice, I Think''. She is a graduate of the University of Ca ...

Lisa Merchant Lisa Merchant is a Canadian comic improviser and actress. She played Brenda Murphy on ''Train 48'', and appeared on '' Improv Heaven and Hell''. She has won three Canadian Comedy Awards for Best Female Improviser (in 2001, 2003 & 2005). Alongside ...

and

Peter Oldring Peter James Edward Oldring (born August 25, 1971) is a Canadian actor and comedian. Early life Oldring was born on August 25, 1971, in Drayton Valley, Alberta. He graduated from Sir Winston Churchill High School in 1989 in Calgary, Alberta, a ...

, she received 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 television industry. The Gemini Awards are analogous to the Emmy Awards given in the United States ...

nomination for Ensemble Performance in a Comedy Program or Series at the

19th Gemini Awards The Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television's 19th Gemini Awards were held on December 13, 2004, to honour achievements in Canadian television. The awards show, which was co-hosted by several celebrities, took place at the John Bassett Theatre an ...

in 2004 for ''

The Joe Blow Show ''The Joe Blow Show'' is a Canadian television comedy special, which aired on The Comedy Network in July 2003.Vinay Menon, "Joe Blow gets 7 laughs out loud". ''Toronto Star'', July 10, 2003. It starred Rebecca Northan, Paul O'Sullivan, Debra McGrat ...

''. With her husband,

Colin Mochrie Colin Andrew Mochrie (; born November 30, 1957) is a Scottish-born Canadian actor, writer, producer and improvisational comedian, best known for his appearances on the British and US versions of the improvisational TV show ''Whose Line Is It A ...

, and Deborah Day, McGrath co-created and starred in the CBC television series ''

Getting Along Famously ''Getting Along Famously'' is a Canadian sitcom which aired on CBC Television in 2006. Set in the early 1960s, ''Getting Along Famously'' starred real-life couple Colin Mochrie and Debra McGrath as the hosts of a television variety show. Support ...

'' (2006), about a fictional couple who star in a 1960s TV variety show. The 2005 pilot show of ''Getting Along Famously'' was nominated for two

Gemini Awards The Gemini Awards were awards given by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television between 1986–2011 to recognize the achievements of Canada's television industry. The Gemini Awards are analogous to the Emmy Awards given in the United States a ...

, including Best Writing in a Comedy or Variety Program or Series. She also starred in the children's series ''

Seven Little Monsters ''Seven Little Monsters'' is a children's picture book by American author and illustrator Maurice Sendak. Published by Harper & Row in 1977, it was originally created as an animated short for Sesame Street in 1971 and served as the basis for the C ...

'' (2000-2003), and in ''

Little Mosque on the Prairie ''Little Mosque on the Prairie'' is a Television in Canada, Canadian television sitcom created by Zarqa Nawaz and produced by WestWind Pictures, originally broadcast from 2007 to 2012 on CBC Television, CBC. Filmed in Toronto, Ontario, and Indian ...

'' (2007-2012) in which she played Mayor Popowitcz. She co-starred with Spencer Rice in ''

Single White Spenny ''Single White Spenny'' was a Canadian mockumentary television series that aired briefly on Showcase in 2011. The series chronicles the misadventures of a fictionalized version of Spencer Rice, played by himself, as he dates various women after ...

'' in 2011. In 2003, she formed a comedy troupe called ''

Women Fully Clothed Women Fully Clothed is a Canadian live sketch comedy troupe, with a cast of four women, touring throughout the world. Cast *Kathy Greenwood (''Whose Line Is It Anyway?'', ''This Hour Has 22 Minutes'') *Robin Duke (''Saturday Night Live'', '' SCT ...

'' with four other Canadian comedy artists. Fellow cast members

Kathy Greenwood 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 ...

Robin Duke Robin Duke (born March 13, 1954) is a Canadian actress, comedian, and voice actress. Duke may be best known for her work on the television comedy series '' SCTV'' and, later, ''Saturday Night Live''. She co-founded ''Women Fully Clothed'', a ske ...

Jayne Eastwood Jayne Eastwood (born December 17, 1946), also credited as Jane Easton or Jane Eastwood, is a Canadian actress and comedian. She is best known for her film roles as Anna-Marie Biddlecoff in the comedy film ''Finders Keepers'' (1984), Judy the Wai ...

Teresa Pavlinek Teresa Pavlinek (born August 11, 1970) is a Canadian actress, writer, and television producer best known as the creator and star of ''The Jane Show''. Career Pavlinek studied at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, and became part of Secon ...

and McGrath perform sketches about situations ordinary women face every day. One reviewer considered that "Although all five comedians have performance skills in spades, Kathryn Greenwood and Debra McGrath are standouts, ... the latter for her dancing skills. ... McGrath cuts a mean rug in her tap shoes, and her monologue in the routine about being on the phone with her mum and granny hit very close to the bone." McGrath left the troupe in the first half of 2009. McGrath played Cornelia in the 2003 live-action films ''

Eloise at the Plaza ''Eloise at the Plaza'' is a 2003 American made-for-television comedy film based on the Eloise series of children's books drawn and written by Kay Thompson and Hilary Knight. It stars young Sofia Vassilieva as Eloise, an irrepressible six-year-ol ...

'' and ''

Eloise at Christmastime ''Eloise at Christmastime'' is a 2003 American-Canadian made-for-television live-action film based on the 1958 book of the same name written by Kay Thompson and illustrated by Hilary Knight. The film was released on November 22, 2003 and was prod ...

''. She has made numerous guest appearances on a variety of Canadian TV series and had a regular role in seasons one (2001) and two (2004) of ''

Paradise Falls ''Paradise Falls'' is a weekly soap opera television series which aired nationally on the Showcase channel in Canada, starting in 2001. It was filmed in the summer cottage community of Muskoka, Ontario. Like many major soap operas, sex is a dom ...

''. She has also voiced characters in many other animated shows, including ''

The Raccoons ''The Raccoons'' is a Canadian animated television series that ran on CBC from November 11, 1985 to March 19, 1991 in Canada and on Disney Channel from July 4, 1985 to August 28, 1992 in the U.S., with three preceding television specials from ...

'' (1991), ''

The Busy World of Richard Scarry ''The Busy World of Richard Scarry'' is an animated children's television series, produced by CINAR Animation and France Animation in association with Paramount Television, which aired from 1994 to 1997, first on Showtime (TV network), Showtime ...

'' (1993-1997), ''Stories From My Childhood'' (1998), ''

George and Martha ''George and Martha'' is a series of children's books written and illustrated by James Marshall between 1972 and 1988. Each book in the series contains five short stories describing interactions between two hippos, George and Martha. The books i ...

'' (Valerie Chuckles, 1999-2000), ''

Babar Babar ( ur, ), also variously spelled as Baber, Babur, and Babor is a male given name of Pashto, and Persian language, Persian origin, and a popular male given name in Pakistan. It is generally taken in reference to the Persian language, Persian ...

'' (2000), ''

George Shrinks ''George Shrinks'' is a children's animated television series. It is based on the children's book by the well-known author William Joyce, produced in China by Jade Animation and Canadian studio Nelvana, in association with PBS. The show premie ...

'' (Mrs Lopez, 2000-2001), ''

Peep and the Big Wide World ''Peep and the Big Wide World'' (''PATBWW'') is an animated children's television series created by Danish-Canadian animator Kaj Pindal. It revolves around the lives of Peep, Chirp, and Quack, as viewers discover, investigate, and explore the w ...

'' and ''

Franklin and the Green Knight ''Franklin and the Green Knight'' (also known as ''Franklin and the Green Knight: The Movie'') is a 2000 Canadian animated adventure film. The first ''Franklin'' film, ''Franklin and the Green Knight'' was released direct to video and DVD. The movi ...

'' (2000).

Personal life

McGrath was formerly married to

Dana Andersen Dana Andersen is a Canadian actor, improvisor, filmmaker, writer and director. He has served as director of the live improvised soap opera Die-Nasty, and has been a core member of the troupe since its founding in 1991. From 1995-1999, he co-hoste ...

. She married fellow comedian and ''Second City'' alumnus

in 1989. They live in

Leaside Leaside (/'liːˌsaɪd/) is a neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located northeast of Downtown Toronto, in the vicinity of Eglinton Avenue East and Bayview Avenue. The area takes its name from William Lea and the Lea family, who se ...

, Toronto. They have one child, a daughter, Kinley. McGrath collects 1950s Italian Murano glass. McGrath and her husband Mochrie are both related to Canadian actor

Munro Chambers Munro Chambers (born July 29, 1990) is a Canadian actor who is best known for his roles as Wilder on ''The Latest Buzz'' (2007–2010), Elijah "Eli" Goldsworthy on ''Degrassi'' (2010–2015), Frankie Chandler on ''Lockwood'' (2016–present) and ...

. In a 2010 interview, Chambers stated:

"I could say many things... my uncle, for one thing, is Colin Mochrie. He's been my inspiration getting into the industry. He's my uncle-in-law; his wife is my dad's cousin. My dad and his cousin, they were kind of like brother and sister growing up, so he’s my uncle by law. We have a good relationship."

Filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:McGrath, Debra 1954 births Living people Actresses from Toronto Canadian film actresses Canadian people of Irish descent Canadian television actresses Canadian voice actresses 20th-century Canadian actresses 21st-century Canadian actresses Canadian Comedy Award winners