Katherine Lucy Bridget Burke (born 13 June 1964) is an English
actress, comedian, writer, producer, and director. She achieved fame
with her appearances on sketch shows such as French and Saunders
(1988â€"1999) and her recurring role as Magda on the BBC sitcom
Absolutely Fabulous (1992â€"2012), as well as her frequent
collaborations with fellow comedian Harry Enfield. For her portrayal
of Valerie in the 1997 film Nil by Mouth, she won Best Actress at the
Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for a BAFTA for Best Actress in
a Leading Role.Burke made her film debut in the 1982 drama Scrubbers,
and played Queen Mary I in the award-winning biographical film
Elizabeth (1998). Her other film appearances include Sid and Nancy
(1986), Dancing at Lughnasa (1998), This Year's Love (1999), Kevin &
Perry Go Large (2000), The Martins (2001), Anita and Me (2002), and
Once Upon a Time in the Midlands (2002). From 1999 to 2001, she
starred as Linda La Hughes on the BBC sitcom Gimme Gimme Gimme, for
which she received a British Comedy Award and two BAFTA nominations.
Having spent most of the 2000s concentrating on her work as a theatre
director, she returned to film roles in the 2010s with Tinker Tailor
Soldier Spy (2011), Pan (2015), and Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie
(2016).Burke was born into an Irish family in Islington, London. She
has two elder brothers, John and Barry. Her mother, Bridget (Bridie),
died of cancer when she was 18 months old, and she was brought up by
neighbours (the Galvin family) for the following few years.
Subsequently, she returned to live with her Irish father, Patrick
(Paddy), a builder who died of cancer in 1994, a week after Kathy's
mentor and first director Mai Zetterling. Burke attended the Maria
Fidelis RC Convent School. Burke then went on to study at the Anna
Scher Theatre School.
actress, comedian, writer, producer, and director. She achieved fame
with her appearances on sketch shows such as French and Saunders
(1988â€"1999) and her recurring role as Magda on the BBC sitcom
Absolutely Fabulous (1992â€"2012), as well as her frequent
collaborations with fellow comedian Harry Enfield. For her portrayal
of Valerie in the 1997 film Nil by Mouth, she won Best Actress at the
Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for a BAFTA for Best Actress in
a Leading Role.Burke made her film debut in the 1982 drama Scrubbers,
and played Queen Mary I in the award-winning biographical film
Elizabeth (1998). Her other film appearances include Sid and Nancy
(1986), Dancing at Lughnasa (1998), This Year's Love (1999), Kevin &
Perry Go Large (2000), The Martins (2001), Anita and Me (2002), and
Once Upon a Time in the Midlands (2002). From 1999 to 2001, she
starred as Linda La Hughes on the BBC sitcom Gimme Gimme Gimme, for
which she received a British Comedy Award and two BAFTA nominations.
Having spent most of the 2000s concentrating on her work as a theatre
director, she returned to film roles in the 2010s with Tinker Tailor
Soldier Spy (2011), Pan (2015), and Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie
(2016).Burke was born into an Irish family in Islington, London. She
has two elder brothers, John and Barry. Her mother, Bridget (Bridie),
died of cancer when she was 18 months old, and she was brought up by
neighbours (the Galvin family) for the following few years.
Subsequently, she returned to live with her Irish father, Patrick
(Paddy), a builder who died of cancer in 1994, a week after Kathy's
mentor and first director Mai Zetterling. Burke attended the Maria
Fidelis RC Convent School. Burke then went on to study at the Anna
Scher Theatre School.
Share this
SUBSCRIBE OUR NEWSLETTER
SUBSCRIBE OUR NEWSLETTER
Join us for free and get valuable content delivered right through your inbox.