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 ''Wind at My Back'' is a television series which aired in Canada on CBC Television between 1996 and 2001. It was created and produced by Kevin Sullivan, best known for his adaptation of ''Anne of Green Gables'' and ''Road to Avonlea''. The ser ...

''.

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, su ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, and from an early age wanted to be a performer. She attended high school at

Agincourt Collegiate Institute Agincourt Collegiate Institute (known locally as ACI or Agincourt), formerly known as Agincourt High School and Agincourt Continuation School is a secondary school in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located in Agincourt, a neighbourhood in the ...

, where 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 performing arts conservatory with two locations, one in Manhattan and one in Los Angeles. The academy offers an associate degree in occupational studies and teaches drama and related art ...

. In 1987, she returned to Toronto, Canada, and worked in a small night club act called ''A Wedge of Night''. She then spent five years with the Toronto branch 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 ...

comedy troupe as a writer and a performer - two of her shows won

Dora Mavor Moore awards The Dora Mavor Moore Award (also known as the Dora Award) is an award presented annually by the Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts which honours theatre, Dance in Canada, dance and opera productions in Toronto. Named after Dora Mavor Moore, ...

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 in "The Glass Menagerie" at the Royal Alexandra Theatre in the spring of 1997. Other notable appearances in Canada include ''

This Hour Has 22 Minutes ''This Hour Has 22 Minutes'' (commonly shortened to ''22 Minutes'' since 2009) is a weekly Canadian television comedy that airs on CBC Television. Launched in 1993 during Canada's 35th general election, the show focuses on Canadian politics wi ...

'' and ''

Royal Canadian Air Farce The Royal Canadian Air Farce was a comedy troupe that was active from 1973 to 2019. It is best known for their various Canadian Broadcasting Corporation series, first on CBC Radio and later on CBC Television. Although their weekly radio series ...

''. In 1996, Kathy began regular work on Canadian television on the family drama series ''

'', where she spent five years, full-time, playing Grace Bailey, a junior radio M.C. in the small town of New Bedford in Ontario during the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

; 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 television industry. The Gemini Awards are analogous to the Emmy Awards given in the United States ...

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 ''Switching Goals'' is a 1999 television film directed by David Steinberg and starring Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen. Plot Thirteen-year-old twin sisters Sam and Emma Stanton are opposites growing up in Evansville. Sam is a star soccer player and a ...

'', starring Mary-Kate and

Ashley Olsen Ashley Fuller Olsen (born June 13, 1986) is an American businesswoman 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 television sitcom ...

. Later that same year, Greenwood commuted to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

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 fictionalized ...

'', the updated version of ''

Hollywood Squares ''Hollywood Squares'' (originally ''The 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 piloted on NBC in 1965 and the regular series debuted in 1966 on the ...

'', 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 originating as a British radio programme, before moving to British television in 1988. Following the conclusion of the British run in 1999, ABC began airing an American ...

''. 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. Greenwood is part of the sketch comedy troupe

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'', '' S ...

, featuring what

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 ...

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

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

, Scotland.

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards/Nominations

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, Toronto 20th-century Canadian actresses 21st-century Canadian actresses 20th-century Canadian comedians 21st-century Canadian comedians Canadian Comedy Award winners