Caroline Gilchrist Rhea (born April 13, 1964) is a
Canadian born stand-up comedian and
actress who was the original host of the
reality television show
The Biggest Loser on
NBC, until
Alison Sweeney took her place after the end of the third season. She is also known for her role as
Hilda Spellman on
Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, and for replacing
Rosie O'Donnell as the
hostess of her syndicated talk show, renamed
The Caroline Rhea Show.
Early life
Rhea was born and raised in
Montreal,
Quebec,
Canada, the daughter of Marjorie, an
antiques dealer, and David Rhea, an
obstetrician and
gynecologist.
[Caroline Rhea Biography (1964-)] On her sitcom "Sabrina the Teenage Witch," the cast referred to her as Cathy, a name that has stuck for years throughout her comedic career. She has two sisters, Cynthia and Celia. She attended
The Study, an all-girls private school in
Westmount, Quebec. Her film debut was as a bikini-clad extra in the film
Meatballs III, shot on location near Montreal. She moved to
New York in 1989 to study stand-up comedy at the
New School for Social Research.
had a baby and is pregnant again
Career
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, and a name 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 most fame for her role as "Aunt Hilda" on the
ABC and
The WB's
Sabrina the Teenage Witch, as well as being a regular on the latest incarnation of
Hollywood Squares, with
Tom Bergeron and
Whoopi Goldberg (in the center square, both shows are owned by
CBS Television Distribution).
In 2002, Rhea landed her own
syndicated daytime
talk show,
The Caroline Rhea Show.
Rosie O'Donnell had hand-picked Rhea as her replacement. Rhea next went on to host the autumn series,
The Biggest Loser on NBC, which was the first weight loss
reality show in which overweight members of two teams try to lose the most weight, which began in 2004. Her show proved to be so popular in the first season, that
The Biggest Loser would continue to air the show in around 70 countries, making Rhea a star phenomenon. She hosted the show for three seasons. 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 on a special edition of
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire with
Orlando Jones,
Jack Black and
Denis Leary. She walked away with $125,000. 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 Shickelgrubermeiger-Von Helsing der Keppelugerhofer, who is 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 mom 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.
See also
