Keara Patricia Murphy is a stand-up comedian, actor and playwright from

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

, Scotland. She has named

Billy Connolly Sir William Connolly (born 24 November 1942) is a Scottish actor, retired comedian, artist, writer, musician, and presenter. He is sometimes known, especially in his homeland, by the Scots nickname the Big Yin ("the Big One"). Known for his ...

as an early influence.

Biography

Her father was an optician from Scotland and her mother came from

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdom ...

. Murphy has worked as a housing officer with Glasgow City Council, caseworker at the Hamish Allan Centre, and drama teacher, and moved to

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...

in 1999. She studied drama, and graduated with distinction from Queen Margaret University College in 2002. She lived and worked in Central and Eastern Europe from 2003 to 2005, and ran a comedy club in

Budapest Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...

. She appeared in the films '' The Best Man'' (2005) and ''

Joy Division Joy Division were an English rock band formed in Salford in 1976. The group consisted of vocalist Ian Curtis, guitarist/keyboardist Bernard Sumner, bassist Peter Hook and drummer Stephen Morris. Sumner and Hook formed the band after atte ...

'' (2006). She has written three plays about

Robert Burns Robert Burns (25 January 175921 July 1796), also known familiarly as Rabbie Burns, was a Scottish poet and lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland and is celebrated worldwide. He is the best known of the poets who hav ...

and presented three programmes about him on

BBC Radio Scotland BBC Radio Scotland is a Scotland, Scottish radio station, radio network owned and operated by BBC Scotland, a division of the BBC. It broadcasts a wide variety of programmes. It replaced the Scottish BBC Radio 4 opt-out service of the same na ...

. In 2012 Murphy's show at the

Glasgow Comedy Festival Glasgow International Comedy Festival is a comedy festival in Glasgow, Scotland. The comedy festival started in 2002 and is held annually in March in venues across the city. The festival is supported financially by Glasgow City Council and since ...

focused on her unsuccessful relationships. It was called ''Flypaper for Freaks''. In 2013 her comedy series, ''The Shark's Mouth'', was broadcast on BBC Radio Scotland. ''Mistress MacKenzie and Friends'', a spin-off series, followed in 2014. Murphy's 2016 play ''The Secret Sex Life of Robert Burns'' discusses some of the national poet's romantic affairs from the points of view of the women affected, and is the first production by Murphy's Blue Eyed Lassie company, which aims to encourage female artists in Scotland.

Plays

*''Mice and Women'' *''The Bard and I'' *''The Secret Sex Life of Robert Burns''

Documentaries

*''The Secret Sex Life of Robert Burns'' *''The Secret Tax Life of Robert Burns'' *''The Secret Rock 'n' Roll Life of Robert Burns''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Murphy, Keara Living people Scottish stand-up comedians Scottish actresses Scottish women dramatists and playwrights 21st-century Scottish women writers 21st-century Scottish dramatists and playwrights 21st-century Scottish actresses 1967 births