Kathy Burke (born June 13, 1964) is an English actress. Born at The Royal Free Hospital in London to Irish immigrant parents, Burke's first role was in the controversial film Scrubbers, directed by Swedish actress Mai Zetterling. The movie was set in a young offenders' institute for girls and was seen as a female version of the infamous Scum.
Burke first became familiar to television audiences as a player of minor roles in sketches by better-known performers such as Harry Enfield, Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders. Along with French and Saunders, she has featured on two Comic Relief charity singles. Firstly as a member of Bananarama lookalike band 'La Na Nee Nee Noo Noo' in 1989 and secondly as a member of Spice Girls' lookalike band 'The Sugar Lumps' in 1997. She quickly became successful in her own right and although mainly associated with comedy, she has played several serious roles including that of Queen Mary I of England in Elizabeth.
In 1997 Burke won the Best Actress award at the Cannes Film Festival for her role in the gritty drama Nil by Mouth.
In 2003, she was listed in The Observer as one of the 50 funniest acts in British comedy.
