Kathy Burke

Katherine Lucy Bridget Burke, known professionally as Kathy Burke, was born on 13 June 1964 at the Royal Free Hospital in Islington, London, to Irish‑Catholic parents Paddy and Bridget. She grew up in a working‑class neighbourhood, losing her mother to cancer at the age of two and being raised by an alcoholic builder father alongside two elder brothers. Educated at Maria Fidelis Convent School until she was sixteen, she later honed her craft at the Anna Scher Theatre School, a hotbed for future British talent. Burke’s screen debut arrived in 1982 with the gritty drama Scrubbers, after which she appeared in public‑information films and a series of non‑speaking TV spots, gradually building a reputation for fearless character work. The mid‑1980s saw her emerge in sketch comedy alongside Harry Enfield, Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders, creating unforgettable personas such as the perpetually pregnant advice‑giver Tina Bishop and the mis‑behaving schoolboy Perry. Her collaborations with French & Saunders (1988‑1999) and recurring role as Magda in Absolutely Fabulous cemented her status as a staple of British comedy, while her involvement in parody bands Lananeeneenoonoo and the Sugar Lumps showcased her musical parody chops. Bold, fearless, and endlessly versatile, Burke became one of the most recognizable faces on UK television by the end of the decade.

In 1997 Burke delivered a career‑defining performance as Valerie in Nil by Mouth, earning the Best Actress award at Cannes and a BAFTA nomination, a rare triumph for a performer primarily known for comedy. She followed this with a celebrated turn as Linda La Hughes in Gimme Gimme Gimme (1999‑2001), winning a British Comedy Award and attracting further BAFTA nods. The early 2000s marked a shift toward theatre directing, with acclaimed productions such as Mr Thomas at the Old Red Lion and later the Almeida’s Dying for It. Burke also lent her voice to advertisements and animated features, notably as Rita’s mother in Flushed Away (2006). After a brief acting hiatus, she returned to film with supporting roles in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011), Pan (2015), and the Absolutely Fabulous movie (2016). From 2019 onward she has fronted documentary series—Kathy Burke’s All Woman, Money Talks, and Growing Up—exploring gender, finance, and personal history. In 2022 she launched the poignant podcast Where There’s a Will, There’s a Wake, interviewing cultural icons about mortality. Her forthcoming memoir A Mind of My Own (2025) promises to add another chapter to an already remarkable career that spans acting, comedy, writing, producing, and directing.