Caroline Rhea facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Caroline Rhea
Rhea in April 2023
Born	Caroline Gilchrist Rhea (1964-04-13) April 13, 1964 (age 61) Westmount, Quebec, Canada
Citizenship	Canada United States
Occupation	Actress stand-up comedian
Years active	1986–present
Partner(s)	Costaki Economopoulos (2007–2010)
Children	1

Caroline Gilchrist Rhea (born April 13, 1964) is a Canadian actress and stand-up comedian. She is famous for playing Aunt Hilda Spellman in the popular TV show Sabrina the Teenage Witch.

Many people also know her as the voice of Linda Flynn-Fletcher, the mom in the Disney Channel cartoon Phineas and Ferb.

Rhea has starred in her own comedy specials on TV networks like HBO and Showtime. She was also a regular guest on the game show Hollywood Squares. For a time, she took over for Rosie O'Donnell on her talk show, which was renamed The Caroline Rhea Show. She also hosted the first three seasons of the reality show The Biggest Loser.

More recently, she played the grandmother, Judy Reynolds, in the Disney Channel series Sydney to the Max from 2019 to 2021.

Early Life

Caroline Rhea was born and grew up in Westmount, a city in Quebec, Canada. Her mother, Margery, was a seller of antiques, and her father, David, was a doctor for women. She has two sisters named Cynthia and Celia.

For school, she went to an all-girls private school called The Study. After that, she attended Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia and the University of Arizona.

Career

Stand-Up Comedy

Rhea performing in 2012

In 1986, Rhea moved to New York City to start her career as a comedian and actress. She performed her comedy routines at famous clubs like Catch a Rising Star and The Comic Strip. She shared the stage with other comedians who would later become famous, like Chris Rock, Louis C.K., and Jim Gaffigan.

Her first TV appearances as a comedian were on shows like MTV's Half-Hour Comedy Hour and Caroline's Comedy Hour. She later got her own one-hour comedy specials on HBO, Bravo, and Showtime. Rhea continues to perform live stand-up comedy shows today.

Acting in Movies and TV

After becoming a successful comedian in New York, Rhea moved to Los Angeles to become an actress in Hollywood. One of her first big roles was on the TV show Pride & Joy.

Her big break came when she was cast as Aunt Hilda on Sabrina the Teenage Witch. The show was a huge hit and made her very famous. She played the funny and kind aunt of a teenage witch for six seasons.

Another one of her most famous roles is providing the voice for Linda Flynn-Fletcher, the mom on the Disney cartoon Phineas and Ferb. She was also the voice of Linda in the movie Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Candace Against the Universe.

Over the years, Rhea has appeared in many other movies and TV shows.

• She hosted her own daytime talk show, The Caroline Rhea Show.
• She was the first host of the reality show The Biggest Loser.
• She had a funny, recurring role on the Disney Channel show The Suite Life of Zack & Cody as a hotel inspector.
• She starred in the TV movie To Be Fat Like Me with Kaley Cuoco.
• From 2019 to 2021, she played the fun-loving grandmother Judy on the Disney Channel show Sydney to the Max.

Charity Work

Caroline Rhea has used her fame to help others. She has appeared at Comic Relief events to raise money for people in need. She also took part in a special celebrity episode of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire and won $125,000 for her charity.

Personal Life

Rhea has a daughter named Ava, who was born in 2008. Ava's father is comedian Costaki Economopoulos, who was Rhea's partner from 2007 to 2010.

Selected Filmography

Here are some of Caroline Rhea's most well-known roles.

Film

Television

See also

In Spanish: Caroline Rhea para niños

• List of Quebec comedians
• List of Canadian comedians