Megan Cavanagh
Megan Cavanagh | |
---|---|
Born |
Chicago, Illinois, United States | November 8, 1960
Occupation | Actress |
Years active | 1984–present |
Megan Cavanagh (born November 8, 1960) is an American actress and voice actress who is best known for portraying Marla Hooch in A League of Their Own, and the voice behind Judy Neutron in Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius and The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius.
Early life and education
Cavanagh was born November 8, 1960 in Chicago, the daughter of Jim and Rita. Raised in River Forest along with her four siblings, Cavanagh went to Oak Park and River Forest High School, graduating at 16 in 1977. She attended Rosary College in River Forest (now Dominican University), graduating in January 1982.[1]
Career
Chicago
Cavanagh was an original member (1984–1987) of the professional theatre troupe New Age Vaudeville (formerly the Comedy Cabaret) founded by Richard O'Donnell and Amy McKenzie. An Actor's Equity (AEA) theatre troupe, the Comedy Cabaret landed a summer residence at Peninsula Players in Fish Creek, Wisconsin, where it developed works for a predominately tourist trade and then relocated to their winter home in Chicago at CrossCurrents. Throughout her tenure, Megan Cavanagh (who thus earned her Actors' Equity union card) starred in numerous productions including the cult-hits An Evening with Elmore & Gwendolyn Putts - The Neighbors Next Door and The TV Dinner Hour (the latter featured IO Theater founder Del Close). Rick Kogan of the Chicago Tribune hailed both productions as "Among the most polished and clever productions of the season, a pair of devilishly inventive and challenging shows that won over critics and audiences".[2]
Film
Cavanagh made her film debut in Penny Marshall's A League of Their Own starring Tom Hanks, Geena Davis and Lori Petty. Film critic Vincent Canby of the New York Times praised the film writing ""A League of Their Own" is one of the year's most cheerful, most relaxed, most easily enjoyable comedies. It's a serious film that's lighter than air, a very funny movie that manages to score a few points for feminism in passing."[3] He went on to list Cavanagh as among "the excellent supporting players"[3] as did film critic Jonathan Rosenbaum of the Chicago Reader.[4]
Following her film debut, Cavanagh was cast in two Mel Brooks' comedies. The supporting roles were Broomhilde in Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993) and Essie in Dracula: Dead and Loving It (1995). Other films include supporting roles in Ivan Reitman's Junior (1994) starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Danny DeVito and Emma Thompson, and Disney's That Darn Cat starring Christina Ricci, Doug E. Doug.
Voice talent
She is the voice of Judy Neutron and Sasha Vortex in the Oscar-nominated animated feature Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius, and Hilary Higgenbottom in The Mighty B!. She went on to voice the character of Judy Neutron in The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius (TV series) and several TV movies including The Jimmy Timmy Power Hour, Jimmy Neutron: Win, Lose and Kaboom, and The Jimmy Timmy Power Hour 2: When Nerds Collide.
She voiced Slog in Tak and the Power of Juju.
TV
Cavanagh was featured in the short-lived second season of Bob (1993) and played the recurring role of Trudy McHale, who married Al Borland in the series finale, on the sitcom Home Improvement starring Tim Allen, Patricia Richardson and Earl Hindman (1998–99).
Openly lesbian,[5] Cavanagh starred in Exes and Ohs, a lesbian comedy on Logo TV.
She appears in the American sitcom Friends as Luisa the ex-classmate of Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) and Monica (Courteney Cox) who works for animal control. She is only in one episode.
Cavanagh makes an appearance in Season 3, Episode 4 of Will and Grace entitled "Girl Trouble." She plays Terry.
Stage
Cavanagh returned to the stage completing a 10-city tour as Earth Mother in Menopause: The Musical. Theater critic Patricia Reardon wrote, "...you won't find a funnier, more satisfying way to spend an evening than with the four rollicking ladies of Menopause The Musical."[6]
In 2009, Cavanagh performed the medium Madame Arcati in High Spirits, a musical with a book, lyrics, and music by Hugh Martin and Timothy Gray, based on the play Blithe Spirit by Noël Coward. 42nd Street Moon's production was staged at the Eureka Theatre, 215 Jackson St in San Francisco, and was well received.[7] San Francisco theater critic Chad Jones writes, "On Broadway, [Angela] Lansbury is said to be divine in the role, but 42nd Street Moon has a real secret weapon here: Megan Cavanagh,...Cavanagh is hilarious and heartfelt."[8]
Filmography
Year | Title | Role | Director | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
1992 | A League of Their Own | Marla Hooch | Penny Marshall | |
Condition: Critical | Helene | Jerrold Freedman | TV Movie | |
1993 | Robin Hood: Men in Tights | Broomhilde | Mel Brooks | |
Murder of Innocence | Bonnie Stevens | Tom McLoughlin | TV Movie | |
A League of Their Own | Marla Hooch | Ted Bessell, Tom Hanks, ... | TV Series (6 Episodes) | |
Bob | Chris Szelinski | Michael Zinberg | TV Series (8 Episodes) | |
1994 | Junior | Willow | Ivan Reitman | |
I Love Trouble | Mrs. Delores Beekman | Charles Shyer | ||
Tales from the Crypt | Sister Mary What's Her Name | Roland Mesa | TV Series (1 Episode) | |
1995 | Dracula: Dead and Loving It | Essie | Mel Brooks | |
Ripple | Gail | Jonathan Segal | Short | |
Friends | Luisa Gianetti | Peter Bonerz | TV Series (1 Episode) | |
Brotherly Love | Lotus | Terry Hughes | TV Series (1 Episode) | |
1996 | Roseanne | Party Guest | Gail Mancuso | TV Series (1 Episode) |
1996-1997 | The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest | Julia / Kelly | Davis Doi | TV Series (6 Episodes) |
1997 | That Darn Cat | Lu | Bob Spiers | |
For Richer or Poorer | Levinia Yoder | Bryan Spicer | ||
ER | Darlene | Richard Thorpe | TV Series (1 Episode) | |
Life's Work | Officer Colleen McManus | Michael Lessac | TV Series (1 Episode) | |
1998 | Meet the Deedles | Mo | Steve Boyum | |
The Thin Pink Line | Mrs. Ledbetter | Joe Dietl & Michael Irpino | ||
Ted | Girl Next Door | Gary Ellenberg | ||
Runaway Rocketboy! | Judy Neutron/VOX | John A. Davis | Short | |
Maggie | Yoli | Michael Zinberg | TV Series (1 Episode) | |
1998-1999 | Home Improvement | Trudy McHale | Andrew Tsao, Peter Bonerz, ... | TV Series (5 Episodes) |
1999 | A Walk in the Park | Nurse | Alan Berger | |
Thumb Wars | Fighter Pilot #2 | Steve Oedekerk | Short | |
Smart Guy | Coach Frayda | Joe Regalbuto | TV Series (1 Episode) | |
2000 | Thumbtanic | The Servant / Rich Woman / The Wife | Todd Portugal | Short |
The Expendables | Prison Warden | Janet Meyers | TV Movie | |
Will & Grace | Terry | James Burrows | TV Series (1 Episode) | |
2000-2001 | Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius Shorts | Judy Neutron/VOX | John A. Davis | TV Series (4 Episodes) |
2001 | Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius | Judy Neutron/VOX | John A. Davis | |
Three Shots | Megan | Gene Wolande | Short | |
Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius | Judy Neutron/VOX/Benny | Mark Bradshaw | Video Game | |
2002 | Bug | Meter Maid | Phil Hay & Matt Manfredi | |
The Ten Rules | Chris One | Lee Friedlander | Short | |
The Blair Thumb | Stressy | Todd Portugal | Short | |
The Godthumb | Bea / Conceited / Old Italian Woman | David Bourla | Short | |
Jimmy Neutron vs. Jimmy Negatron | Judy Neutron/VOX | Mark Bradshaw | Video Game | |
The West Wing | Voting Shortcut | Lesli Linka Glatter | TV Series (1 Episode) | |
The Bold and the Beautiful | Caller #2 | Michael Stich | TV Series (1 Episode) | |
Boston Public | Arlene Sanford | TV Series (1 Episode) | ||
2002-2006 | The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius | Judy Neutron/VOX | Keith Alcorn, Mike Gasaway & Kirby Atkins | TV Series (43 Episodes) |
2003 | Wasabi Tuna | Megan | Lee Friedlander | |
Give or Take an Inch | Virginia | Lee Friedlander | Short | |
John Doe | Madeline | Bryan Spicer | TV Series (1 Episode) | |
Just Shoot Me! | Marjorie | Pamela Fryman | TV Series (1 Episode) | |
2004 | Raising Genius | Charlene Hobbs | Linda Voorhees & Bess Wiley | |
Win, Lose and Kaboom | Judy Neutron/Mrs. Vortex | Mike Gasaway | TV Movie | |
EverQuest II | Feodra Iceslayer / Blacksmith Hegrenn / Gretta Steinbeard | James D. Mortellaro | Video Game | |
The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron Boy Genius: Attack of the Twonkies | Judy Neutron | Video Game | ||
2004-2006 | The Jimmy Timmy Power Hour | Judy Neutron | Butch Hartman | TV Mini-Series |
2005 | Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous | Shirley | John Pasquin | |
Getting to Know You | Samantha | Liz Lachman | Short | |
Attack of the Twonkies | Judy Neutron | Keith Alcorn | TV Movie | |
2007 | Big Stan | Parole Board | Rob Schneider | |
2007-2008 | Tak and the Power of Juju | Slog | Jim Schumann & Heiko Von Drengenberg | TV Series (6 Episodes) |
2007-2011 | Exes and Ohs | Chris | Gary Harvey, James Genn, ... | TV Series (14 Episodes) |
2008 | Doraemon: Nobita and the Green Giant Legend | Reeji | Ayumu Watanabe | |
The Last Page | Crazy Jennifer | Kevin Acevedo | Short | |
2008-2009 | The Mighty B! | Hilary Higgenbottom | Larry Leichliter, Erik Wiese, ... | TV Series (9 Episodes) |
2009 | Back at the Barnyard | Brunhilda | Todd Grimes, T.J. Sullivan, ... | TV Series (1 Episode) |
2012 | Scrooge & Marley | Ghost of Christmas Present | Richard Knight Jr. & Peter Neville | |
Hitman: Absolution | Voice | Tore Blystad & Peter Fleckenstein | Video Game | |
2012-2013 | Winx Club: Beyond Believix | Queen Luna / Queen Niobe | TV Series (3 Episodes) | |
2013 | Star Trek | Additional Voices | Video Game | |
Winx Club | Queen Luna | Iginio Straffi | TV Series (6 Episodes) | |
2014 | Girltrash: All Night Long | Officer Margie | Alexandra Kondracke | |
2015 | The Birthday | Masked Woman #2 | Brenna Malloy | Short |
Harvard Court | Juliet | Alexis J. Estevez | TV Series (1 Episode) | |
2018 | Freelancers Anonymous | June | Sonia Sebastián | |
2019 | The Adventures of Pinocchio | Additional Voices | Viktor Lakisov | |
Personal life
Cavanagh has been married to her wife, filmmaker Anne Chamberlain, since 2008.[9]
References
- ↑ http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-07-04/entertainment/ct-mov-0705-question-characters-cavanagh-20130704_1_jimmy-neutron-puff-darn-cat
- ↑ Kogan, Rick (May 3, 1987), "Vaudeville Troupe Takes Leave of City", Chicago Tribune
- 1 2 Canby, Vincent (July 1, 1992). "For the Girls of Summer, Pop Flies and Charm School". The New York Times. Retrieved 16 July 2012.
- ↑ Rosenbaum, Jonathan (July 1992). "A League of Their Own". Chicago Reader. Retrieved 16 July 2012.
- ↑ Heidemann, Jason A. (October 11, 2007), "Ex and the city", Time Out Chicago, archived from the original on December 28, 2007
- ↑ Reardon, Patricia. "Menopause The Musical - 'Smashing'". Stark Insider. Retrieved 17 July 2012.
- ↑ Guthmann, Edward (March 17, 2009). "Stage work a refreshing role for Megan Cavanagh". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 17 July 2012.
- ↑ Jones, Chad. "Spirits are blithe in Moon's `High Spirits'". Theatre Dogs. Retrieved 17 July 2012.
- ↑ http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-marriage26actress-20130626-photo.html