Acclaimed comedian Mary Walsh is best known for her multi-Gemini-Award-winning work on CBC’s This Hour Has 22 Minutes — CBC’s wildly popular take on current affairs, which she created and which showcases her dynamic range of hilarious characters. Outside of her work in television and film, Mary is also a respected and outspoken advocate for mental health and addiction who shares her prior experience with alcoholism in an effort to create change in the lives of others.
Mary wrote, produced, and starred in the Gemini award-winning show Hatching, Matching and Dispatching, which returned to CBC in 2017 as a feature length presentation called A Christmas Fury, with Walsh and the original cast reprising their roles. She has also been nominated for two Genies for her performances in feature films Crackie (Official selection at TIFF) and New Waterford Girl.
Mary’s other recent TV credits include CBC’s Little Dog, where she is currently appearing in the second season, and Republic of Doyle, Global’s Rookie Blue, and HBO Canada’s Sensitive Skin, for which she was nominated for a 2017 Canadian Screen Award.
Mary is also known for appearing in the films Mambo Italiano; The Divine Ryans with Pete Postlethwaite; Violet, in which she played the title role; and most recently in The Grand Seduction and Closet Monster, which were official selections at TIFF 2014 and 2015, respectively. In 2017, Mary released her debut novel Crying for the moon to widespread critical acclaim.
Among her many awards and honorary doctorates, Mary is also the recipient of the Order of Canada and the Governor General’s Lifetime Achievement Award in the Performing Arts.