Caroline Rhea
Encyclopedia
Caroline Gilchrist Rhea (born April 13, 1964) is a Canadian
stand-up comedian
and actress who was the original host of the reality television
show The Biggest Loser on NBC
until she was replaced by Alison Sweeney
after the end of the third season. She is also known for her role as Hilda Spellman
from Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, and for replacing Rosie O'Donnell
as the hostess
of her syndicated talk show, renamed The Caroline Rhea Show
. Rhea provides the voice for Linda Flynn, mother of Phineas and Candace Flynn, on the Disney Channel
series Phineas and Ferb
.
, Quebec
, Canada
, the daughter of Marjorie, an antiques
dealer, and David Rhea, an obstetrician and gynecologist. On the set of the sitcom Sabrina the Teenage Witch, the cast referred to her as Cathy, a name that has stuck with her in her comedic career. She has two sisters, Cynthia and Celia. She attended The Study
, an all-girls private school in Westmount
, Quebec and Dalhousie University
in Nova Scotia.
, shot on location near Montreal. She moved to New York in 1989 to study stand-up comedy at the New School for Social Research.
Rhea has said that her true training came from her first gigs at the comedy club
, Catch a Rising Star
. Performing around New York City, she quickly gained a reputation in the city's competitive comedy scene. These performances were augmented with appearances on MTV's Half-Hour Comedy Hour, Comic Strip Live and Caroline's Comedy Hour. She decided to move to Los Angeles
for a career in Hollywood, debuting in NBC
television series Pride & Joy
co-starring with Jeremy Piven
. She gained fame for her role as Aunt Hilda on the ABC
and (later) The WB
's Sabrina the Teenage Witch, as well as being a regular on the latest incarnation of Hollywood Squares
.
In 2002, Rhea landed her own syndicated daytime talk show
, The Caroline Rhea Show
. Rosie O'Donnell
hand-picked Rhea as her replacement. In 2004, Rhea became the first host of the series, The Biggest Loser on NBC, a weight loss reality show in which overweight members of two teams try to lose the most weight. After her 3rd season, Rhea was replaced by Alison Sweeney. In 2005, Rhea was in the movie The Perfect Man
, playing a co-worker of Jean (Heather Locklear
).
She has appeared in Comic Relief 8, as well as the Ms. Foundation's "Women of Comedy from Caroline's Comedy Club" (no relation to Rhea). She appeared as a contestant in 2001 on a special edition of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, winning $125,000 for charity. She had her own stand-up special as part of Bravo's three-part Funny Ladies series, along with Joan Rivers
and Paula Poundstone
. Rhea has had a recurring role on the hit Disney Channel Original Series, The Suite Life of Zack and Cody
as Ilsa Shickelgubermeiger-Von Helsing der Keppelugerhofer, an inspector turned manager of the rival hotel. In the series, she is well known for a large mole on her cheek. She has appeared on Disney's Mom's Got a Date with a Vampire
as the mother and also Christmas with the Kranks
in 2004. She has competed on Bravo's Celebrity Poker Showdown
and GSN
's World Series of Blackjack.
She now does the voice of Linda Flynn in Phineas and Ferb
, an animated show with Ashley Tisdale
, Mitchel Musso
, and Alyson Stoner
. Rhea will next appear on the upcoming Fox
animated series Two Dreadful Children. Caroline Rhea also plays Noleta Nethercott on the TV series Sordid Lives: The Series
. She has also been in the original Lifetime Television
movie To Be Fat Like Me
with Kaley Cuoco
. Rhea stars as a down on her luck waitress alongside Justin Guarini
and Mircea Monroe
in the Marvista Entertainment production of Fast Girl. Rhea has also done a live webcast with author, Meg Cabot.
Rhea currently hosts the television series Cake Walk: Wedding Cake Edition, which premiered September 7 2011.
were engaged on December 31, 2010. Their daughter Ava was born in New York
on Thursday, October 23, 2008.
Rhea currently resides in Los Angeles and New York, but vacations in Kennebunk, Maine.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
stand-up comedian
Stand-up comedy
Stand-up comedy is a comedic art form. Usually, a comedian performs in front of a live audience, speaking directly to them. Their performances are sometimes filmed for later release via DVD, the internet, and television...
and actress who was the original host of the reality television
Reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
show The Biggest Loser on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
until she was replaced by Alison Sweeney
Alison Sweeney
Alison Sweeney is an American dramatic actress and reality show host. Sweeney is best known for her portrayal of Samantha "Sami" Gene Brady on NBC's long running Days of our Lives, a role she has played under contract with the show since January 6, 1993...
after the end of the third season. She is also known for her role as Hilda Spellman
Hilda Spellman
Hilda Spellman is a character featured in the classic Archie comic book Sabrina the Teenage Witch. She is a full witch who live in the fictional town of Greendale...
from Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, and for replacing Rosie O'Donnell
Rosie O'Donnell
Roseann "Rosie" O'Donnell is an American stand-up comedian, actress, author and television personality. She has also been a magazine editor and continues to be a celebrity blogger, LGBT rights activist, television producer and collaborative partner in the LGBT family vacation company R Family...
as the hostess
Presenter
A presenter, or host , is a person or organization responsible for running an event. A museum or university, for example, may be the presenter or host of an exhibit. Likewise, a master of ceremonies is a person that hosts or presents a show...
of her syndicated talk show, renamed The Caroline Rhea Show
The Caroline Rhea Show
The Caroline Rhea Show is an American syndicated variety/talk show that was regarded as the successor to The Rosie O'Donnell Show. It premiered in September 2002 and ran until June 2003 and was hosted by actress and comedienne Caroline Rhea, who was hand-picked by Rosie O'Donnell as her...
. Rhea provides the voice for Linda Flynn, mother of Phineas and Candace Flynn, on the Disney Channel
Disney Channel
Disney Channel is an American basic cable and satellite television network, owned by the Disney-ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company. It is under the direction of Disney-ABC Television Group President Anne Sweeney. The channel's headquarters is located on West Alameda Ave. in...
series Phineas and Ferb
Phineas and Ferb
Phineas and Ferb is an American animated television comedy series. Originally broadcast as a preview on August 17, 2007, on Disney Channel, the series follows Phineas Flynn and his English stepbrother Ferb Fletcher on summer vacation. Every day the boys embark on some grand new project, which...
.
Early life
Rhea was born and raised in MontrealMontreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, the daughter of Marjorie, an antiques
Antiques
An antique is an old collectible item. It is collected or desirable because of its age , beauty, rarity, condition, utility, personal emotional connection, and/or other unique features...
dealer, and David Rhea, an obstetrician and gynecologist. On the set of the sitcom Sabrina the Teenage Witch, the cast referred to her as Cathy, a name that has stuck with her in her comedic career. She has two sisters, Cynthia and Celia. She attended The Study
The Study
The Study is a Canadian private education all-girls school in Westmount, Quebec. Girls can attend from Kindergarten through to grade 11. The school was founded in 1915, by a young Englishwoman named Margaret Gascoigne. Today, The Study offers a bilingual education to 360 students from Kindergarten...
, an all-girls private school in Westmount
Westmount, Quebec
Westmount is a city on the Island of Montreal, an enclave of the city of Montreal, in southwestern Quebec, Canada; pop. 20,494; area 4.02 km²; population density of 5,092.56 inhabitants/km²....
, Quebec and Dalhousie University
Dalhousie University
Dalhousie University is a public research university located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The university comprises eleven faculties including Schulich School of Law and Dalhousie University Faculty of Medicine. It also includes the faculties of architecture, planning and engineering located at...
in Nova Scotia.
Career
Her film debut was as a bikini-clad extra in the film Meatballs IIIMeatballs III
Meatballs III: Summer Job is a 1986 film that was the third installment in the Meatballs film series, and the first in the series to be Rated R. Unlike Meatballs Part II, this film follows Rudy , grown up and working on a summer job for an angry boss named Mean Gene...
, shot on location near Montreal. She moved to New York in 1989 to study stand-up comedy at the New School for Social Research.
Rhea has said that her true training came from her first gigs at the comedy club
Comedy club
A comedy club is a venue, typically a nightclub, bar, or restaurant where people watch or listen to performances, including stand-up comedians, improvisational comedians, impersonators, magicians, ventriloquists and other comedy acts...
, Catch a Rising Star
Catch a Rising Star
Catch a Rising Star is a chain of comedy clubs, founded in New York City in December 1972 and owned by Rick Newman. It has since spread to other areas, such as Las Vegas and New Jersey....
. Performing around New York City, she quickly gained a reputation in the city's competitive comedy scene. These performances were augmented with appearances on MTV's Half-Hour Comedy Hour, Comic Strip Live and Caroline's Comedy Hour. She decided to move to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
for a career in Hollywood, debuting in NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
television series Pride & Joy
Pride & Joy (TV series)
Pride & Joy, is an American comedy series that aired on NBC in 1995. The series revolved around a Manhattan couple with a newborn son, Greg and Amy Sherman , and a couple across the hall, Nathan and Carol Green . The series soon folded after one season....
co-starring with Jeremy Piven
Jeremy Piven
Jeremy Samuel Piven is an American film producer and actor best known for his role as Ari Gold in the television series Entourage for which he has won three Emmy Awards as well as several other nominations for Best Supporting Actor....
. She gained fame for her role as Aunt Hilda on the ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
and (later) The WB
The WB Television Network
The WB Television Network is a former television network in the United States that was launched on January 11, 1995 as a joint venture between Warner Bros. and Tribune Broadcasting. On January 24, 2006, CBS Corporation and Warner Bros...
's Sabrina the Teenage Witch, as well as being a regular on the latest incarnation of Hollywood Squares
Hollywood Squares
Hollywood Squares is an American panel game show in which two contestants play tic-tac-toe to win cash and prizes. The "board" for the game is a 3 × 3 vertical stack of open-faced cubes, each occupied by a celebrity seated at a desk and facing the contestants...
.
In 2002, Rhea landed her own syndicated daytime talk show
Talk show
A talk show or chat show is a television program or radio program where one person discuss various topics put forth by a talk show host....
, The Caroline Rhea Show
The Caroline Rhea Show
The Caroline Rhea Show is an American syndicated variety/talk show that was regarded as the successor to The Rosie O'Donnell Show. It premiered in September 2002 and ran until June 2003 and was hosted by actress and comedienne Caroline Rhea, who was hand-picked by Rosie O'Donnell as her...
. Rosie O'Donnell
Rosie O'Donnell
Roseann "Rosie" O'Donnell is an American stand-up comedian, actress, author and television personality. She has also been a magazine editor and continues to be a celebrity blogger, LGBT rights activist, television producer and collaborative partner in the LGBT family vacation company R Family...
hand-picked Rhea as her replacement. In 2004, Rhea became the first host of the series, The Biggest Loser on NBC, a weight loss reality show in which overweight members of two teams try to lose the most weight. After her 3rd season, Rhea was replaced by Alison Sweeney. In 2005, Rhea was in the movie The Perfect Man
The Perfect Man
The Perfect Man is a 2005 romantic comedy film directed by Mark Rosman and written by Gina Wendkos. It stars Hilary Duff, Heather Locklear and Chris Noth. Filming of the movie began in May 2004...
, playing a co-worker of Jean (Heather Locklear
Heather Locklear
Heather Deen Locklear is an American actress best known for her television roles as Sammy Jo Carrington on Dynasty, Officer Stacy Sheridan on T.J...
).
She has appeared in Comic Relief 8, as well as the Ms. Foundation's "Women of Comedy from Caroline's Comedy Club" (no relation to Rhea). She appeared as a contestant in 2001 on a special edition of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, winning $125,000 for charity. She had her own stand-up special as part of Bravo's three-part Funny Ladies series, along with Joan Rivers
Joan Rivers
Joan Rivers is an American comedian, television personality and actress. She is known for her brash manner; her loud, raspy voice with a heavy New York accent; and her numerous cosmetic surgeries...
and Paula Poundstone
Paula Poundstone
Paula Poundstone is an American stand-up comedian.- Early life :Poundstone was born in Huntsville, Alabama, and her family moved to Sudbury, Massachusetts. Poundstone attended Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School, but dropped out to pursue a show business career...
. Rhea has had a recurring role on the hit Disney Channel Original Series, The Suite Life of Zack and Cody
The Suite Life of Zack and Cody
The Suite Life of Zack & Cody is an American sitcom created by Danny Kallis and Jim Geoghan. The series premiered on Disney Channel on March 18, 2005 with 4 million viewers, making it the most successful premiere for Disney Channel in 2005. It was one of their first five shows available on the...
as Ilsa Shickelgubermeiger-Von Helsing der Keppelugerhofer, an inspector turned manager of the rival hotel. In the series, she is well known for a large mole on her cheek. She has appeared on Disney's Mom's Got a Date with a Vampire
Mom's Got a Date With a Vampire
Mom's Got a Date with a Vampire is a 2000 Disney Channel Original Movie.-Plot:The Hansen children are in a jam. Adam and his best friend Duffy have some tickets for the Headless Horseman concert, and his sister Chelsea has a date with her dreamy boyfriend Peter...
as the mother and also Christmas with the Kranks
Christmas with the Kranks
Christmas with the Kranks is a 2004 American comedy film directed by Joe Roth and starring Tim Allen and Jamie Lee Curtis. The screenplay by Chris Columbus is based on the 2001 novel Skipping Christmas by John Grisham.-Plot:...
in 2004. She has competed on Bravo's Celebrity Poker Showdown
Celebrity Poker Showdown
Celebrity Poker Showdown was a celebrity game show on the cable network Bravo. It was a limited-run series in which celebrities played poker, and ran eight tournaments during its five-season run....
and GSN
Game Show Network
The Game Show Network is an American cable television and direct broadcast satellite channel dedicated to game shows and casino game shows. The channel was launched on December 1, 1994. Its current slogan is "The World Needs More Winners"...
's World Series of Blackjack.
She now does the voice of Linda Flynn in Phineas and Ferb
Phineas and Ferb
Phineas and Ferb is an American animated television comedy series. Originally broadcast as a preview on August 17, 2007, on Disney Channel, the series follows Phineas Flynn and his English stepbrother Ferb Fletcher on summer vacation. Every day the boys embark on some grand new project, which...
, an animated show with Ashley Tisdale
Ashley Tisdale
Ashley Michelle Tisdale is an American actress and singer who rose to prominence portraying the candy-counter girl Maddie Fitzpatrick in Disney Channel's The Suite Life of Zack & Cody and the female antagonist Sharpay Evans in the High School Musical film series...
, Mitchel Musso
Mitchel Musso
Mitchel Tate Musso is an American actor, singer-songwriter and musician. Musso is best known for his three Disney Channel roles as Oliver Oken in the Disney Channel sitcom, Hannah Montana, Jeremy Johnson in the Disney Channel animated series Phineas and Ferb and his role as King Brady in the...
, and Alyson Stoner
Alyson Stoner
Alyson Rae Stoner is an American actress, dancer and singer. Stoner is known for her roles in The Suite Life of Zack & Cody , Cheaper By The Dozen and Cheaper By The Dozen 2 , Step Up and Step Up 3 , and Camp Rock and Camp Rock 2...
. Rhea will next appear on the upcoming Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
animated series Two Dreadful Children. Caroline Rhea also plays Noleta Nethercott on the TV series Sordid Lives: The Series
Sordid Lives: The Series
Sordid Lives: The Series is an American television series created, written, and directed by Del Shores and acts as a prequel to 2000 film Sordid Lives, also by Shores, self-described as a "Black comedy about white trash"...
. She has also been in the original Lifetime Television
Lifetime Television
Lifetime Television, often referred to as Lifetime TV, or most commonly, Lifetime, is an American cable television specialty channel devoted to movies, sitcoms and dramas, all of which are either geared toward women or feature women in lead roles. The cable network is owned by A&E Television Networks...
movie To Be Fat Like Me
To Be Fat Like Me
To Be Fat Like Me is a movie starring Kaley Cuoco. It was filmed primarily on-location in the Fairfield neighbourhood of Victoria, British Columbia. It was released on January 8, 2007 on Lifetime Television.-Plot:...
with Kaley Cuoco
Kaley Cuoco
Kaley Christine Cuoco is an American film and television actress. She first came to attention for her role as Bridget Hennessy on the Emmy Award-winning sitcom 8 Simple Rules. She later starred as Billie Jenkins on the final season of the supernatural drama series Charmed...
. Rhea stars as a down on her luck waitress alongside Justin Guarini
Justin Guarini
Justin Guarini is an American singer/songwriter and actor who rose to fame in 2002 as the first runner-up on the debut season of the television show American Idol.-Background:...
and Mircea Monroe
Mircea Monroe
Mircea Monroe is an American actress and model.Monroe's first professional acting job was in the New Line film, Cellular. Since then, Monroe has appeared in various films, and pilots for The WB and Fox, starred in the Fox show Drive, and guest starred on TV shows, including Freddie, Scrubs, and...
in the Marvista Entertainment production of Fast Girl. Rhea has also done a live webcast with author, Meg Cabot.
Rhea currently hosts the television series Cake Walk: Wedding Cake Edition, which premiered September 7 2011.
Personal life
Rhea and her longtime boyfriend Costaki EconomopoulosCostaki Economopoulos
Constantinos Christos Vassilis "Costaki" Economopoulos is an American stand-up comedian. A Florida native, he grew up in Kennesaw, Georgia, he began his comedy career in 1993 while attending graduate school at the University of Georgia. Economopoulos covers several topics in his act, but focuses...
were engaged on December 31, 2010. Their daughter Ava was born in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
on Thursday, October 23, 2008.
Rhea currently resides in Los Angeles and New York, but vacations in Kennebunk, Maine.