Gina Riley | |
|---|---|
 Riley in character as Kim Craig at the Kath & Kimderella film premiere in August 2012 | |
| Born | 6 May 1961 Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
| Occupation(s) | Actress Writer Comedian Singer |
| Years active | 1983–2022 |
| Spouse | Rick McKenna |
| Children | 1 |
Gina Riley (born 6 May 1961) is a retired Australian actress, writer, singer and comedian, known for portraying Kim Craig in the television series Kath & Kim , and for her work in musical theatre.
Riley became a popular television performer in the sketch shows Fast Forward , its successor Full Frontal , Big Girl's Blouse and Something Stupid . [1] In the latter she was also a producer and writer. On Fast Forward, Gina Riley sent-up such singers as Tina Arena, Paula Abdul, Bette Midler, Sinéad O'Connor and Dannii Minogue as well as Australian personalities Kerri-Anne Kennerley and Jacki MacDonald. She later appeared in The Games , a spoof behind-the-scenes look at the organising committee of the Sydney Olympics. [2]
She has enjoyed great success as Kim Craig in Kath & Kim , written and created by Riley and her long-time writing partner and friend Jane Turner. Riley also works frequently with Magda Szubanski. [3]
Riley starred as Kim in the Kath and Kim feature film Kath & Kimderella . The film opened in Australia on 6 September 2012 and despite negative reviews from critics it was a box office success having grossed $6,150,771.
In 2015, Riley appeared in an episode of Please Like Me .
In 1987, she played the part of 'Chrissie' (loosely based on rock singer Chrissy Amphlett) in Phil Motherwell's musical play Fitzroy Crossing which enjoyed successful seasons and rave reviews at LaMama Theatre, in Carlton, Victoria. The music for the play was composed by Joe Dolce.[ citation needed ]
Riley also had roles in musical theatre. [4] In 1992 and 1993, she appeared on stage as Janet in The New Rocky Horror Show ; she is included on the cast album. In 1994, she played Trina in Sydney Theatre Company's production of Falsettos , winning a Green Room Award for its Melbourne season. In 1998, she played The Baker's Wife in a Melbourne Theatre Company production of Into the Woods . In 2009, she played Matron "Mama" Morton in a production of Chicago . [5]
In 2019, Riley starred as Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street opposite Anthony Warlow. [6]
Riley is married to Rick McKenna. They are parents to Max McKenna (born 1996) a singer and actor who portrayed Muriel in the original Sydney production of Muriel's Wedding in 2017 and starred as Zoe Murphy in the Dear Evan Hansen US National Tour in 2018. [7] Max identifies as trans non-binary. [8]
In March 2013 Riley revealed she was being treated for breast cancer. It was later reported that she has since made a full recovery. [9] [10]
Riley makes relatively few public appearances as herself. One notable exception was on Enough Rope with Andrew Denton, where she and Turner both appeared as themselves. [11]
(as performer)
| Title | Year | Role |
|---|---|---|
| The Sullivans (TV series) | 1983 | Elsie |
| Six of the Best (TV series) | 1984 | Sal |
| While You're Down There (TV series) | 1986 | Various |
| Just Us | 1986 | Cathy |
| 100% Wool | 1986 | Therese |
| Acropolis Now (TV series) | 1990 | Demi Cashimedes |
| Fast Forward | 1990-1992 | Various |
| Bligh (TV series) | 1992 | Elizabeth Macarthur |
| A Royal Commission into the Australian Economy (TV movie) | 1992 | Peter Harvey |
| Full Frontal (TV series) | 1993 | Guest performer |
| The Making of Nothing (TV movie) | 1993 | Lyndall Roberts |
| Big Girl's Blouse (TV series) | 1994 | Various |
| Something Stupid (TV series) | 1998 | Various |
| The Games (TV series) | 1998-2000 | Gina |
| The Bob Downe Show | 2000-2003 | Coralee Hollow |
| Kath & Kim (TV series) | 2002-2007 | Kimberly "Kim" Day Craig/Trude/Robyn Nevinish |
| Bad Eggs | 2003 | AMW Host |
| Da Kath & Kim Code (TV movie) | 2005 | Kim Craig/Trude |
| Little Britain: Down Under (TV movie documentary) | 2007 | Kim Day Craig |
| Kath & Kimderella (feature film) | 2012 | Kim Craig (nee Day)/Trude |
| Kath & Kim Kountdown | 2013 | Kim Craig |
| Holding the Man | 2015 | Popcorn seller (uncredited) |
| Open Slather (TV series) | 2015 | Various |
| The Beautiful Lie (TV miniseries) | 2015 | Catherine Ballantyne |
| Please Like Me (TV series) | 2015-2016 | Donna |
| How to Life (TV series) | 2017 | Charlotte Shelton |
| Our Effluent Life: Kath and Kim (TV miniseries) | 2022 | Kim Craig |
Kath & Kim is an Australian sitcom originally airing in the prime-time slot on ABC Television from 2002 and 2005 and subsequently on the Seven Network in 2007 and 2022. The show was produced by Riley and Turner Productions, the firm of Jane Turner and Gina Riley, who star as the titular characters of Kath Day-Knight, a cheery, middle-aged suburban mother, and Kim, her narcissistic daughter. Additional cast members include Glenn Robbins as Kel Knight, Kath's metrosexual boyfriend ; Kim's henpecked husband Brett Craig, and her lonely "second-best friend" Magda Szubanski as Sharon Strzelecki. The series is set in Fountain Lakes, a fictional suburb of Melbourne, Victoria. The series received highly positive reviews from critics, who praised the humor and cast performances, particularly of Turner and Riley.
Magdalene Mary Therese Szubanski, known as Magda Szubanski, is an Australian comedy actress, author, singer and LGBT rights advocate. She performed in Fast Forward, Kath & Kim as Sharon Strzelecki and in the films Babe (1995) and Babe: Pig in the City (1998), Happy Feet (2006) and Happy Feet Two (2011). In 2003 and 2004 surveys, she polled as the most recognised and well-liked Australian television personality.
Anthony Warlow is an Australian musical theatre performer, noted for his character acting and considerable vocal range. He is a classically trained lyric baritone and made his debut with the Australian Opera in 1980.
The D-Generation was a popular and influential Australian TV sketch comedy show, produced and broadcast by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) for two series, between 1986 and 1987. A further four specials were broadcast on the Seven Network between 1988 and 1989. The show would also serve as a stepping stone for many early incarnations of iconic characters, including Lynne Postlethwaite, Gina Hard-Faced B***h, Eileen Maverick and Kelvin Cunnington.
Jane Turner is an Australian actress, comedian and Logie Award-winning comedy series creator and screenwriter.
Something Stupid was a short-lived Australian sketch comedy series which aired in 1998 on the Seven Network. The program was produced, written and performed by much the same team that was behind the Fast Forward series. The series had the working title The Lazy Susan Show.
Marina Prior is an Australian soprano and actress with a career mainly in musical theatre. From 1990 to 1993, she starred as the original Christine Daaé in the Australian premiere of The Phantom of the Opera, opposite Anthony Warlow and later Rob Guest.
Big Girl's Blouse was an Australian skit program that aired in the mid-1990s on the Seven Network. The show was created by Gina Riley, Jane Turner and Magda Szubanski who all went on to star in Kath & Kim and the characters Kath, Kim and Sharon all feature together in several sketches on the show. There were four one-hour episodes, plus the pilot, which are usually shown as eight half-hour episodes. The phrase "Big Girl's Blouse" is a British English idiom meaning "ineffectual or weak, someone failing to show masculine strength or determination." Many of the sketches from it are still available on YouTube. This was the third sketch show created by Riley, Turner and Szubanski following Fast Forward and Something Stupid.
Kathleen "Kath" Darleen Day-Knight is a fictional character featured in the Australian television series Kath & Kim and is portrayed by Jane Turner. Her character has appeared on multiple Australian comedy series including Fast Forward, Big Girl's Blouse and Something Stupid before appearing on Kath & Kim. Kath is revealed to be a Leo.
Kimberly Diane "Kim" Craig is the moody, immature and accident-prone daughter in the Australian sitcom Kath & Kim, portrayed by Gina Riley. Along with co-star Jane Turner who plays Kim's onscreen mother Kath Day-Knight, Riley is the creator and writer of the series. Turner invented the character of Kim Craig during the nineties while performing on Australian sketch comedy shows such as Big Girl's Blouse.
Kath & Kim, commonly written as Kath and Kim and uncommonly abbreviated as K&K is an American television sitcom adapted from the Australian television series of the same name created by Jane Turner and Gina Riley and well-supported by Magda Szubanski, with their titular roles being portrayed in this series by Molly Shannon and Selma Blair. The series premiered on NBC on October 9, 2008. Turner and Riley served as executive producers and consultants on this version, which was co-produced through Reveille Productions and Universal Media Studios.
St Martins Youth Arts Centre is a youth-focused performing arts centre in South Yarra in inner Melbourne. It is a non-profit organisation that makes contemporary theatre works for adult audiences and runs weekly drama workshops for young people.
Kath & Kimderella is a 2012 Australian film. It is a spin-off of the television series Kath & Kim, created by Gina Riley and Jane Turner. It was written by and stars Riley, Turner and Magda Szubanski.
Robyn Kershaw is an Australian independent film and television producer, best known for her work on feature drama, Looking for Alibrandi (2000), musical-comedy, Bran Nue Dae (2009), the hit TV series Kath & Kim and working with the YouTube sensation Mychonny on Sucker (2015), Mychonny Moves In (2015) and The China Boy Show (2017).
Lucy Maunder is an Australian cabaret and theatre performer. She originated the role of Lara in the Australian premiere of Doctor Zhivago in 2011 opposite Anthony Warlow, and toured with her own cabaret Songs in the Key of Black in 2013, releasing an album with the same name. Also in 2013, Maunder toured with the national touring company of Grease playing the role of Rizzo. In 2021-22, she starred as the adult Alison Bechdel in the Sydney Theatre Company and Melbourne Theatre Company's co-production of Fun Home.
Da Kath & Kim Code is a 2005 Australian comedy telemovie of the television series Kath & Kim.
Geraldine Gail Turner is an Australian actress and singer. She has been a leading performer in Australian musical theatre since the 1970s, and has also been active in plays, recordings, film and television.
Muriel's Wedding the Musical is an Australian stage musical, based on the 1994 film of the same name. It has a book by P.J. Hogan, and music and lyrics by Kate Miller-Heidke and Keir Nuttall, with additional songs originally written for ABBA by Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus and Stig Anderson.
Alex Rathgeber is an Australian actor and singer, perhaps best known for his Helpmann Award-winning performance as Billy Crocker in Anything Goes. More recently he appeared as the Tin Man in Andrew Lloyd Webber's revival of The Wizard of Oz.
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