Mary Walsh | |
|---|---|
 Walsh in 2008 | |
| Born | Mary Cynthia Walsh May 13, 1952 |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, comedian, writer |
| Years active | 1973–present |
| Awards | Canadian Screen Award for Best Supporting Actress (2021) |
Mary Cynthia Walsh CM [1] (born May 13, 1952) is a Canadian actress, comedian, and writer. [2] She is known for her work on CODCO and This Hour Has 22 Minutes.
Walsh was born in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, the daughter of Mary and Leo Walsh. Leo was a merchant marine turned firefighter on commercial vessels. She is the seventh of eight children, and is of Irish ancestry. [3] She is a past member of Girl Guides of Canada. [4]
Walsh studied theatre in Toronto at Ryerson University but dropped out to work with the CODCO comedy troupe on a series of stage shows, which eventually evolved into a sketch comedy series. [5] The CODCO series ran from 1988 to 1993 on CBC Television.
In 1992, she began to work with former co-star Rick Mercer and former CODCO co-stars Cathy Jones and Greg Thomey to create a new television series called This Hour Has 22 Minutes . [5] The show was a parody of the nightly news, and poked fun at Canadian and international politics. 22 Minutes received strong ratings during its earlier seasons and Walsh's character Marg Delahunty became famous for buttonholing politicians and submitting them to satirical interviews. [6] Usually Marg Delahunty would recite a scripted piece intended to humiliate the politician, often by providing criticism and "grandmotherly" advice. Sometimes Marg appeared as "Marg, Princess Warrior", a parody of the title character of Xena: Warrior Princess portrayed by Lucy Lawless. Walsh is also noted for her comical segment chronicling the Canadian Auto Workers Union's tense blockade of the Volvo Halifax Assembly plant in 1998. In 2007, she revived Marg Delahunty for the Royal Canadian Air Farce's 300th episode. On October 24, 2011, Walsh was once again in the spotlight as she reprised the role of Marg Delahunty conducting an ambush interview of Toronto Mayor Rob Ford at his home. Ford's reaction and alleged verbal abuse directed at a 911 operator made national headlines. [7] She also reprised Marg, Princess Warrior for an episode of the 25th season of 22 Minutes in December 2017.
In 2020, Walsh reprised her longtime 22 Minutes character of Miss Eulalia in the CBC Gem web series Broad Appeal: Living with E's , [8] for which she received a Canadian Screen Award nomination for Best Lead Performance in a Web Program or Series at the 10th Canadian Screen Awards in 2022. [9]
Walsh's other television work included the short-run sitcoms Dooley Gardens (1999); Hatching, Matching and Dispatching (2006); [5] [10] and a guest starring role as Miranda Cahill on the CBC television series Republic of Doyle . [11] She currently has a recurring role on CBC's Little Dog. [12] She created the CBC program Mary Walsh: Open Book , a talk show about books and literature, in 2003. [5] Walsh revived the Fury family from Hatching, Matching, and Dispatching by writing and starring in A Christmas Fury [13] in 2017.
Besides TV acting, she has worked on movies such as Mambo Italiano , [5] Geraldine's Fortune , [14] Rain, Drizzle and Fog, [15] Buried on Sunday , The Divine Ryans , Young Triffie,Violet, [16] and The Grand Seduction.[ citation needed ] [17]
2004 saw Walsh host a segment on the CBC documentary series The Greatest Canadian , in which she championed the case for Sir Frederick Banting (the Nobel prize-winning discoverer of insulin) as the greatest Canadian who ever lived. [5]
In June 2007, she hosted the Pride Toronto Gala & Awards ceremony.
On December 15, 2007, Walsh made national news with a story about her upcoming special, Nudity, Sexuality, Violence and Coarse Language, in which a large group of people who went and stripped naked standing next to St. John's Harbour in −11 °C (12 °F) weather to be filmed as a part of the show's closing. Walsh herself did not go nude. [18]
In 2017, Walsh published her debut novel, Crying for the Moon. [19]
Walsh made her feature directorial debut with the 2007 movie Young Triffie . [20] She was the first Newfoundlander in six years to have a film in general release across Canada.
Walsh has battled alcoholism. [21] [22] The Toronto Star reported that the end of CODCO coincided with the end of Walsh's active alcoholism, with Walsh stating "which was a damn good thing because I could have never done This Hour Has 22 Minutes if I'd been drinking." [23]
She won Best Supporting Actress at the Atlantic Film Festival in 1992 for her performance in Mike Jones' Secret Nation . [2]
On November 4, 2006, Walsh and Ed MacDonald picked up a Gemini Award for the best writing in a comedy or variety program for their work in Hatching, Matching and Dispatching. [24]
She has won 18 Gemini Awards. [25] She won the Canadian Screen Award for Best Supporting Actress at the 9th Canadian Screen Awards in 2021, for the film Happy Place . [26]
Walsh received a Governor General's Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement, Canada's highest honour in the performing arts, in 2012. [27]
A sufferer of macular degeneration, [28] she has served from time to time as a spokesperson for the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB).
In 1993, Walsh was chosen to deliver the prestigious Graham Spry lecture which was broadcast nationally on CBC Radio. [2]
In 1994, Walsh addressed the United Nations Global Conference on Development in New York. She has also served as a spokesperson for Oxfam, Canada's human rights campaign, and in 2010 received Oxfam's Spirit of Change Award, in recognition of her years of dedication to eradicating poverty and ensuring public services for all. [29]
On May 29, 1998, Mary Walsh received an Honorary Doctor of Laws from Trent University. [30]
McGill University honoured Walsh with an honorary doctorate during the November 2008 convocation ceremony. [31] Her speech to the class of 2008 focused on political satire. [32]
Mary Walsh was appointed as a Member of the Order of Canada on 27 April 2000. [33] This gave her the Post Nominal Letters "CM" for Life. She was awarded the Canadian Version of the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal in 2002. [34] She was awarded the Canadian Version of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012. [35]
| Film | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1976 | Dolly Cake | N/A | Short film Writer |
| 1983 | Stations | ||
| 1986 | The Adventure of Faustus Bidgood | Heady Nolan | Production manager Casting director |
| 1992 | Buried on Sunday | 2nd Biker | |
| Secret Nation | Oona Vokey | ||
| 1998 | Extraordinary Visitor | Marietta | |
| 1998 | Rain Drizzle and Fog | Herself | Documentary |
| 1999 | New Waterford Girl | Cookie Pottie | |
| The Divine Ryans | Aunt Phil Ryans | ||
| 2000 | Violet | Violet O'Brien | |
| 2001 | The Frank Truth | Herself | Documentary |
| Tommy... A Family Portrait | Herself | Documentary | |
| 2003 | Behind the Red Door | Anna | |
| Mambo Italiano | Lina Paventi | ||
| 2004 | Geraldine's Fortune | Rose Owens | |
| 2005 | Bailey's Billion$ | N/A | Co-writer |
| 2007 | Young Triffie | Aunt Millie Bishop | Also known as:Young Triffie's Been Made Away With Director Producer |
| 2009 | Crackie | Bride | |
| Grown Up Movie Star | Receptionist | ||
| 2010 | Poor No More | Herself/host | |
| 2012 | Imaginary Heroine | Short film Writer | |
| 2013 | The Grand Seduction | Vera | |
| Incident at Elysian Fields | Yvonne | Short film | |
| 2014 | How to Be Deadly | Dot Power | |
| 2015 | Closet Monster | Allison | |
| 2016 | The Inn Of Olde | Sadie | Short Film |
| 2019 | Radical | Short film | |
| Apocalyptic Rant | Marg Delahunty | Short film | |
| 2020 | Happy Place | Mildred | |
| 2021 | Dad and the Fridge Box | N/A | Writer Producer |
| 2023 | Sweetland | Queenie | |
| 2024 | Deaner '89 | May | |
| Television | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1974 | Cod on a Stick | Various | |
| 1975 | Peep Show | Various | Part of CODCO |
| 1978 | The Root Seller | Various | 6 episodes Writer - 6 episodes |
| 1980 | Up at Ours | Verna Ball | Miniseries |
| 1980-1983 | Wonderful Grand Band | Various | |
| 1986–1989 | CODCO | Various | 35 episodes Writer - 35 episodes Producer - 21 episodes |
| 1992 | The Boys of St. Vincent: 15 Years Later | Lenora Pardy | Miniseries |
| 1993–2013 | This Hour Has 22 Minutes | Various | 122 Episodes |
| 1995-1997 | The Adventures of Dudley the Dragon | Willomena / Princess | 3 episodes |
| 1996 | Genie Awards | Herself/host | TV special |
| 1997 | The New Adventures of Robin Hood | Police Guard #1 | Season 2 episode 9: "Outlaw Express" |
| Major Crime | Patty Reckles | TV movie | |
| 1998 | Emily of New Moon | Miss Pick | Season 2 episode 6: "By the Rivers of Babylon" |
| 1998–1999 | The Rosie O'Donnell Show | N/A | Writer - 193 Episodes |
| 1999 | Lexx | Heedia | Season 2 episode 13: "Twilight" |
| Dooley Gardens | Marilyn Benoit | 7 Episodes | |
| Life and Times | Herself | Season 4 episode 1: "Mary Walsh: Princess Warrior | |
| 2000 | Our Daily Bread | Edna Barkhouse | TV movie |
| 2002 | The Joke's on Us: 50 Years of CBC Satire | Herself | Documentary |
| Bleacher Bums | Rose | TV movie | |
| Random Passage | Mrs. Armstrong | Miniseries | |
| 2003 | The Strategic Humour Initiative | Herself/co-host | |
| 2003-2004 | Mary Walsh: Open Book | Host | Writer Producer |
| 2004 | The Greatest Canadian | Herself | Advocate for Sir Frederick Banting |
| 2005–2006 | Hatching, Matching and Dispatching | Mamie Lou Furey | Writer Producer |
| 2006 | The Wind in the Willows | Washerwoman | TV movie |
| 2007 | Who Do you Think You Are? | Herself | Episode 7: "Mary Walsh" |
| 2008 | Sophie | Sarah Sloane | Season 1 episode 12: "Read the Signs" |
| Gossip | Carolyn Johnson Wright | TV movie | |
| The Quality of Life | Katherine Greenborne | TV movie | |
| 2009 | Murdoch Mysteries | Sally Smoot | Season 2 episode 6: "Shades of Grey" |
| 2010 | Great Canadian Books | Herself | 2 episodes |
| 2010–2014 | Republic of Doyle | Miranda Cahill | 2 episodes |
| 2012 | Little Mosque on the Prairie | Mayor Glenda Beckford | Season 6 episode 8: "Finders Weepers" |
| 2014–2016 | Sensitive Skin | Sarah Thorn | 2 episodes |
| 2015 | Rookie Blue | Odelle | Season 6 episode 3: "Uprising" |
| 2016 | Slasher | Verna McBride | Season 1: The Executioner Episode 1: "An Eye for an Eye" |
| 2017 | A Christmas Fury | Mamie Lou Fur | TV movie Writer |
| 2018 | Little Dog | Tucker | 12 episodes |
| 2020 | Hudson & Rex | Vicky Gumble | Season 2 episode 13: "In Pod We Trust" |
| Canada's Drag Race | Herself/Guest Host | Season 1 episode 5: "Snatch Game" | |
| 2020–present | Broad Appeal: Living with E's | Miss Eulalia | |
| 2021–present | The Missus Downstairs | The Missus | Writer Producer Director |
Crying for the Moon: A Novel (April 18, 2017 HarperCollins, ISBN 9781443410380)
This Hour Has 22 Minutes 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 with a combination of news parody, sketch comedy, and satirical editorials. Originally featuring Cathy Jones, Rick Mercer, Greg Thomey, and Mary Walsh, the series featured satirical sketches of the weekly news and Canadian political events. The show's format is a mock news program, intercut with comic sketches, parody commercials, and humorous interviews of public figures.
Richard Vincent "Rick" Mercer is a Canadian comedian, television personality, political satirist, and author. He is best known for his work on the CBC Television comedy shows This Hour Has 22 Minutes and Rick Mercer Report. He is the author of four books based on content from the shows and the two part memoir consisting of Talking to Canadians and The Road Years. Mercer has received more than 25 Gemini Awards for his work on television.
Catherine Frederica "Cathy" Jones is a Canadian actress, comedian and writer. She is known for her work for 28 years on the Canadian television series This Hour Has 22 Minutes. Jones left the show in 2021.
Greg Thomey is a Canadian comedian, actor and playwright and a founding member of the long-running television program This Hour Has 22 Minutes. He has been a recipient of numerous Gemini Awards.
Gavin Crawford is a Canadian comedian and actor, best known for The Gavin Crawford Show and This Hour Has 22 Minutes. He currently hosts the panel show, Because News, on CBC Radio One.
Thomas Sexton was a Canadian comedian. Born in St. John's, Newfoundland, he was the youngest member of the CODCO comedy troupe.
Mary Walsh: Open Book was a weekly book club series on CBC Television, which aired from 2002 to 2005. Similar to Oprah's Book Club, the series was hosted by actress and comedian Mary Walsh, who moderated a discussion about books and literature with a panel of celebrities and other guests. Each episode of the series was structured around discussion of a single book, including both Canadian and international literature, and both fiction and non-fiction titles. The series aired at 11 p.m. on Sunday nights, attracting relatively strong ratings for a late time slot.
This Hour Has 22 Minutes Direct Hits is a videocassette compilation of the best bits from the Canadian television series, This Hour Has 22 Minutes, from the years of 1993–99.
Catherine Anne O'Hara is a Canadian actress, comedian and screenwriter. She is known for her comedy work on Second City Television (1976–1984) and Schitt's Creek (2015–2020) and in films such as After Hours (1985), Beetlejuice (1988), The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), and the first two installments of the Home Alone franchise: Home Alone (1990) and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992). Her other film appearances include the mockumentary films written and directed by Christopher Guest: Waiting for Guffman (1996), Best in Show (2000), A Mighty Wind (2003), and For Your Consideration (2006).
CODCO is a Canadian comedy troupe from Newfoundland, best known for a sketch comedy series which aired on CBC Television from 1988 to 1993.
Alan Thomas Doyle is a Canadian musician and founding member of the Canadian folk rock band Great Big Sea.
Hatching, Matching and Dispatching is a Canadian television sitcom, which aired on CBC Television on 2006. The show starred Mary Walsh as Mamie Lou Furey, the matriarch of a family in Cats Gut Cove, Newfoundland and Labrador who owns a combination ambulance, wedding and funeral business. The show's title — and a basic summary of its premise — had previously appeared as a one-time gag in a "Wake of the Week" sketch on CODCO.
Emily Hampshire is a Canadian-American actress. Her best known roles include Angelina in the 1998 romantic comedy Boy Meets Girl, Vivienne in the 2006 film Snow Cake, Jennifer Goines in the Syfy drama series 12 Monkeys (2015–2018), and Stevie Budd in the CBC comedy series Schitt's Creek (2015–2020), as well as the voice role of Misery in the YTV animated series Ruby Gloom (2006–2008). Hampshire has held leading roles in the series Chapelwaite (2021) and The Rig (2023–present).
Andrew Jordan Jones is a Canadian comedian, actor, writer, and a former member of CODCO.
Jonathan Harris is a Canadian actor and comedian from Newfoundland and Labrador. Harris is best known for his roles in the television series Murdoch Mysteries, Still Standing and Hatching, Matching and Dispatching, as well as the films Young Triffie, Moving Day, and Grown Up Movie Star.
Susan Kent is a Canadian actress. She is best known for her work as a cast member of CBC Television's This Hour Has 22 Minutes since joining in 2012. Kent had previously been a writer for, and an occasional performer on the program. She is also known for her portrayal of Susan in Trailer Park Boys since Season 11 (2017).
Sherry White is a Canadian screenwriter, television producer, director, and actress. She is best known for co-creating and executive producing the CBC Television comedy-drama series Pretty Hard Cases, and for writing the 2016 film Maudie.
Adriana Maggs is a Canadian film and television actress, writer and director, best known for her debut feature film Grown Up Movie Star.
Maudie is a 2016 biographical drama film directed by Aisling Walsh and starring Sally Hawkins and Ethan Hawke. A co-production of Ireland and Canada, it is about the life of folk artist Maud Lewis, who painted in Nova Scotia. In the story, Maud (Hawkins) struggles with rheumatoid arthritis, the memory of a lost child, and a family that doubts her abilities, before moving in with a surly fish peddler (Hawke) as a housekeeper. Despite their differing personalities, they marry as her art gains in popularity. The film was shot in Newfoundland and Labrador, requiring a re-creation of Lewis' famously small house.
Mary Sexton is a Canadian film and television producer, who is partnered with Edward Riche in Rink Rat Productions and with Mary Walsh in 2M Innovative.
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