Sharon Horgan

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Sharon Horgan
Sharon Horgan.jpg
Sharon Horgan in 2017
Born
Sharon Lorencia Horgan

(1970-07-13) 13 July 1970 (age 51)
Hackney, London, England
NationalityIrish
OccupationActress, writer, comedian, producer
Years active2001–present
Spouse(s)
Jeremy Rainbird
​
​
(m. 2005; div. 2019)​
Children2
RelativesShane Horgan (brother)

Sharon Lorencia Horgan (born 13 July 1970)[1] is an Irish actress, writer, comedian and producer. She is best known for the comedy series Pulling (2006–2009) and Catastrophe (2015–2019), both of which she starred in and co-wrote. She also created the HBO comedy series Divorce (2016–2019).

Horgan won the 2008 British Comedy Award for Best TV Actress for Pulling, while the show's 2009 hour-long final episode won the British Comedy Award for Best Comedy Drama. A seven-time BAFTA TV Award nominee, she won the 2016 BAFTA TV Award for Best Comedy Writer for Catastrophe (with Rob Delaney). Catastrophe was also nominated for Scripted Comedy in the 2020 BAFTA TV Awards and for the 2016 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series. She has also won five Irish Film and Television Awards in both acting and writing for her work on Catastrophe. Horgan also won the 2021 Irish Film and Television Award in the category of Actress in a Supporting Role for her performance in Dating Amber (2020).

Horgan has appeared in the films Valiant (2005), Imagine Me & You (2005), Man Up (2015), and Game Night (2018), Military Wives (2019), Dating Amber (2020), and BBC Two film Together (2021).

Early life[]

Horgan was born in Hackney, London, England.[2] When she was four years old, her parents moved the family to Bellewstown, County Meath, Ireland, to run a turkey farm.[2][3][4][5]

One of five siblings,[2] Horgan later used her childhood experiences for the semi-autobiographical short film The Week Before Christmas for Sky Arts 1.[6] Horgan went to the Sacred Heart convent school in Drogheda.

Career[]

Early career[]

As a young actress struggling to make ends meet she took a series of odd-jobs. At the age of 27, Horgan started a degree in English and American Studies at Brunel University in west London, graduating in 2000.[7] Around that time, Horgan met British writer Dennis Kelly, while they were both working in youth theatre, and they started writing together, producing material they then sent to the BBC, for which they won the BBC New Comedy Award in 2001[8] for Sketch Writing and Performance.[2][6][9]

Acting[]

Horgan has appeared on stage, television and screen. Her first credited appearances on television were in The State We're In (2002) and Monkey Dust (2003), two sketch shows based on news and current affairs. She also contributed material to Monkey Dust. Her first named acting role on television was as Theresa O'Leary in Absolute Power (2003), a comedy set in the world of public relations and starring Stephen Fry. In 2005 she made her big-screen debut as Beth in Imagine Me & You, a British-American romantic comedy with Lena Headey directed by Ol Parker. She starred in 2 series of Pulling, which she also co-wrote with Dennis Kelly.

Horgan appeared appearing as a guest booker in two series of Rob Brydon's Annually Retentive (2006–07), also on the BBC, a spoof comedy set behind the scenes of a chat show presented by Rob Brydon.[9] She won a British Comedy Award in 2007[10] for Best Female Newcomer for her performance.

In 2010 Horgan appeared in The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret. The US/UK comedy series was written by David Cross, who also appeared as the title anti-hero, an incompetent American who takes a job leading the London sales team for an energy drink. She played Alice Bell, the café owner on whom he developed a crush.

In September 2011 she appeared in the world premiere of Saul Rubinek's play Terrible Advice at the Menier Chocolate Factory in London. The play was set in Los Angeles and she played Delila, one half of its two warring couples.[11]

In June 2012 Horgan was part of the ensemble cast for the pilot episode of Psychobitches,[12] shown as part of Sky Arts 1's Playhouse Presents strand. In the sketch show, famous women from history are psychoanalysed by Rebecca Front's therapist; she played the novelist Jane Austen in the pilot, and later characters included Eva Peron, Cleopatra, Boudicca and Carmen Miranda. Two series of Psychobitches followed; the first was shown in May 2013, and the second in November 2014. She is well known for her role in Catastrophe, alongside Rob Delaney, a show which they co-created for Channel 4 and Amazon. Horgan also appeared in 2020’s second series of Criminal UK, BBC’s The Borrowers (2011), Dead Boss (2012) and Channel 4’s Free Agents (2009) and Bad Sugar (2012). She stars in and executive produces Channel 4 comedy-drama series This Way Up (2019-present).

Horgan played a supporting role in the 2018 dark comedy film Game Night as Sarah, a newcomer to the group of friends unwittingly roped into the game. She also appeared in films Death of a Superhero (2011), Run and Jump (2013), Man Up (2015), with Simon Pegg, Military Wives (2019) with Kristen Scott Thomas, Dating Amber (2020), and BBC Two film Together (2021) alongside James McAvoy.

She has voiced characters in the films Valiant (2005) and the short film Miss Remarkable & Her Career (2010). In 2017, she provided the voices of Minerva Campbell (the long-lost mother of the protagonist, Finn the Human) in the Cartoon Network animated series Adventure Time, and Courtney Portnoy in the animated series Bojack Horseman. She voices  Queen Dagmar in Matt Groening’s animated series Disenchantment, and Kathleen in the animated series Bob's Burgers. She voices a Russian ex show cat Tabitha in 2021’s Housebroken which she executive produced.

Horgan will appear in the feature film adaptation of the West End musical Everybody’s Talking About Jamie as Miss Hedge, which will be released in 2021 and has completed filming of The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent opposite Nicolas Cage which will be released in March 2022.

Writer[]

Horgan's career breakthrough was Pulling, which she co-wrote with Dennis Kelly and starred in. She played Donna, an irresponsible marketing manager who calls off her wedding at the last minute, and one of three women sharing a flat in Penge, south London. It was noted for its broad humour about sex and the consumption of alcohol. Pulling was first shown on BBC Three in 2006, then repeated on BBC Two in 2008. The six-episode series became a ‘sleeper hit’, which gained iconic status with fans and was lauded by critics.[13] A second series of six episodes ran March–April 2008 on BBC Three.[14]

Despite good ratings and critical plaudits, Pulling was cancelled after two series,[15] although an hour-long final episode was broadcast in May 2009. In 2007, the show was nominated for a British Academy Television Award and Horgan was nominated for a British Comedy Award. In 2008 she won a British Comedy Award for Pulling. In 2009 she was nominated for a British Academy Television Award and the show won a British Comedy Award.[16]

In 2007 Horgan wrote Angelo's[17] directed by Chloe Thomas and in June 2012 Horgan starred in Dead Boss,[18] a sitcom set in a prison, which she wrote with comic Holly Walsh.

From 2015-2019, she co-starred and co-wrote the sitcom Catastrophe with American comic Rob Delaney.[19] The two first met on Twitter, and because they made each other laugh decided to work together. They have both said Catastrophe was broadly based on their own personal experiences.[20] In it she played Sharon, an Irishwoman living in London who becomes pregnant by Rob, an American she meets while he is on a business trip to London. Carrie Fisher played his mother. It was an instant critical success[21] and after the second episode of the six-part series was aired Channel 4 announced it had commissioned a second series. Horgan was twice nominated for a Best Female Comedy Performance BAFTA for her role.[22] in 2016, Channel 4, ordered a third and fourth season.[23]

She also wrote Divorce (2016-2019),[24][19] a US comedy series starring Sarah Jessica Parker, who plays a New York woman going through a lengthy divorce. In April 2015, HBO announced it had picked up the series after the pilot episode, and the show is Parker's first major acting commitment since Sex and the City. She was also an executive producer.[24]

Horgan wrote the short Dreamland, which won the 2018 BAFTA TV Award for Best Short Form Programme and an episode of Modern Love titled “Rallying to Keep the Game Alive” (2019), which she also directed. She also co-created and co-writes Motherland (2017-present) for BBC Two, a programme about navigating the trials and traumas of middle-class motherhood, looking at the competitive side and unromantic take on parenting - not the cute and acceptable public face of motherhood, which is now in its third series.

She co-created and executive produced Shining Vale, alongside Jeff Astrof: a horror-comedy series for Starz. Courteney Cox has been cast as the lead. She is also writing alongside Kate Folk on a half-hour dramedy in development with 20th Television for Hulu, which will be set in the world of technology and dating and is based on The New Yorker Magazine short story ‘Out There’ by Folk. All three of these projects are co-produced via Horgan and Clelia Mountford’s production company Merman.

Director[]

In December 2012 Horgan made her directorial debut with the semi-autobiographical film The Week Before Christmas, which was broadcast as part of the Little Crackers[6] series of short films on Sky 1. It was set on a turkey farm in Ireland, and in it she played her own mother, while her father was played by actor Conleth Hill. She later directed an episode of Amazon’s anthology series Modern Love titled “Rallying to Keep the Game Alive” which starred Tina Fey and John Slattery.

Presenter[]

In February 2005 Horgan co-presented the first series of The Friday Night Project (later The Sunday Night Project), a comedy variety show on Channel 4. On 3 June 2011, Horgan was the guest host of Have I Got News for You on BBC1.

She has presented a series of documentaries for Channel 4. In January 2012, in How to Be a Good Mother[25] she talked to several families about their approach to child-rearing. In January 2013 in Secrets of a Good Marriage[26] she discovered how various couples make their relationships work; and in On the Verge of a Midlife Crisis,[27] she spoke to six women who had coped with the experience.

Horgan appeared on the BBC Radio 4 show Chain Reaction in March and April 2015. One week she was interviewed by Olivia Colman and the following week she interviewed Dennis Kelly.[5]

Merman (production company)[]

In 2014 Horgan established Merman, an independent production company, with Celia Mountford, who produced A Young Doctor's Notebook, Mr. Sloane, and Cockroaches. The two women met while working on The Week Before Christmas. The company now has offices in London, New York and LA.

Merman has co-produced many shows including Divorce (2016-2019),[24] an American comedy series starring Sarah Jessica Parker, who plays a New York woman going through a lengthy divorce, Horgan also created the series. Merman produced the third series of The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret, which will be aired in late 2015. Merman also co-produced the critically acclaimed Catastrophe (2015-2019),[23] BBC comedy Motherland, and W / RTE2’s Women on the Verge.

Merman also makes Sky and ABC’s Frayed (2019-present) created by comedian Sarah Kendall, which tells the story of wealthy London housewife is forced to return to her hometown in Australia, where she's forced to confront her past and the reasons that caused her to leave years ago. It is a co-production with Guesswork Television. Merman has also created BBC and Britbox’s There She Goes (2018-present) which centres around Rosie, a severely learning-disabled girl and her family. For Channel 4 and Hulu, Merman produces the BAFTA winning This Way Up (2019-present), a comedy about moving on, moving forward and trying to find happiness. Aine, played by writer Aisling Bea, is a whip smart English-as-a-foreign language (TEFL) teacher trying to pull her life back together after a “teeny little nervous breakdown”. Her sister Shona, is played by Horgan. Merman also produces Channel 4 and Amazon’s Frank of Ireland (2021-present), created by Domhnall and Brian Gleeson, the hilarious story of a man’s hapless search for respect.

Merman has also co-produced its first feature, Herself (2021) alongside Element Pictures, a female-fronted film that follows a broken family’s journey to find a home set during the Irish housing crisis. Herself had its debut at Sundance in January 2020, was selected for the London Film Festival in October 2020 and will be released in Irish & UK cinemas from 10th September 2021. It is available in cinemas in Australia now and is streaming in the US on Amazon. Merman co-produces 2021’s animated comedy Housebroken for Fox co-created with Clea Duvall, Jennifer Crittenden and Gabrielle Allan.

Merman has recently announced their Starz horror-comedy series Shining Vale, starring Courteney Cox, Greg Kinnear and Mira Sorvino.

The company has won and been nominated for a whole host of awards, including film Herself longlisted for Outstanding British Film at the 2021 BAFTA Film Awards, There She Goes winning Best Returning Comedy-Drama Series at the 2020 C21 International Drama Awards and a Female Performance in a Comedy award at the 2019 BAFTA TV Awards. Frayed was nominated for 5 2019 Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards. Merman was nominated for Multichannel Production Company of the Year at the 2020 Broadcast Digital Awards and Production Company of the Year at the 2019 Edinburgh TV Awards.

Personal life[]

Horgan married businessman Jeremy Rainbird on 16 October 2005.[9] The couple lived in London,[2] with their two daughters .[3] They separated in 2019.[28]

Her younger brother Shane is a former international rugby union player who played wing or centre for Leinster and Ireland, and is now a rugby analyst for RTÉ Sports.[29] Her other younger brother is Mark Horgan[4] of Second Captains and creator of acclaimed podcast Where is George Gibney.

Filmography[]

Film[]

Year Title Role Notes
2005 Imagine Me & You Beth
Valiant Charles De Girl Voice role
2010 Miss Remarkable & Her Career Miss Remarkable Short Film
Voice Only (English Language Version)
2011 Death of a Superhero Renata Clarke
2012 The Week Before Christmas Sharon's Mum TV
Also Writer/Director
2013 Run & Jump Tara
2015 Man Up Elaine
2018 Game Night Sarah Darcy
2019 Military Wives Lisa
How to Build a Girl Jo March
2020 Dating Amber Hannah
2021 Everybody's Talking About Jamie Miss Hedge Post-production
2022 The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent Post-production

Television[]

Year Title Role Notes
2002 The State We're In (unnamed)
2003 Monkey Dust (unnamed)
Absolute Power Theresa O'Leary
2005 The Friday Night Project Herself Co-presented.
2006–2007 Rob Brydon's Annually Retentive 'Guest Booker' 2 series.
2006–2009 Pulling Donna 2 series. Co-wrote.
2007 Angelo's Karen Wrote.
2010 The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret Alice Bell
Big Babies Carole Voice.
We Need Answers Herself Guest appearance.
2011 Have I Got News For You Herself Guest host.
2012 How To Be A Good Mother Herself Presented.
2012–2014 Psychobitches Including:

Jane Ausen

Eva Peron

Cleopatra

Boudicca

Carmen Miranda

2012 Dead Boss Helen Co-wrote.
2013 Crackanory 'The Translator'
Bad Management Eve Co-wrote. Unaired pilot for ABC, later released online.
Secrets of a Good Marriage Herself Presented.
Verge of a Midlife Crisis Herself Presented.
2015 Moone Boy Guest appearance.
2015–2019 Catastrophe Sharon Co-wrote.
2016 Glued Writer, Executive Producer.
2016–2019 Divorce Creator.
2017 Adventure Time Minerva Campbell Voice.
Bojack Horseman Courtney Portnoy Voice.
2017- Present Motherland Co-writer, Executive Producer.
2018 Women on the Verge Dr. Fitzgerald 6 episodes, Executive Producer.
2018–2021 Disenchantment Queen Dagmar Voice.
2019 Bob's Burgers Kathleen Voice.
Frayed Norma Staircastle 1 episode, Executive Producer.
This Way Up Shona Executive Producer
2020 Criminal: UK Danielle Dunne
Modern Love Writer and Director (1 episode)
2021 HouseBroken Tabitha Voice.
Together She Television film

Radio[]

Year Title Role Notes
2015 Chain Reaction Herself 2 episodes. BBC Radio 4.

Theatre[]

Year Title Role Notes
2011 Terrible Advice Delila

Awards and nominations[]

  • 2001 — BBC New Comedy Award for Sketch Writing and Performance (won)
  • 2007 — BAFTA TV Award for Best Situation Comedy — Pulling (nominated)[30]
  • 2007 — British Comedy Award for Best Female Newcomer — Rob Brydon's Annually Retentive/Pulling (nominated)[31]
  • 2008 — British Comedy Award for Best TV Comedy Actress — Pulling (won)[31]
  • 2009 — British Comedy Award for Best TV Comedy Drama — Pulling: Special (won)[31]
  • 2009 — BAFTA TV Award for Best Comedy Performance — Pulling (nominated)[32]
  • 2013 — International 3D Award for International Jury Prize — The Week Before Christmas (won)
  • 2015 — TV Choice Award for Best Comedy — Catastrophe (nominated)
  • 2015 — Edinburgh Television Award for Best New Programme — Catastrophe (nominated)
  • 2015 — IFTA Award for Best Female Performance in Soap or Comedy — Catastrophe — (won)[31]
  • 2015 — IFTA Award for Best Writer in a Soap or Comedy — Catastrophe — (won)[31]
  • 2016 — Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series — Catastrophe (nominated)[31]
  • 2016 — BAFTA TV Craft Award for Best Writer: Comedy — Catastrophe — (won)[33]
  • 2016 — BAFTA TV Award for Best Female Comedy Performance — Catastrophe (nominated)[34]
  • 2016 — IFTA Award for Best Lead Actress (Television) — Catastrophe — (won)[31]
  • 2016 — IFTA Award for Best Writer in a Soap or Comedy — Catastrophe — (won)[31]
  • 2018 — BAFTA TV Award for Best Female Comedy Performance — Catastrophe (nominated)[35]
  • 2018 — BAFTA TV Award for Best Scripted Comedy — Catastrophe (nominated)[36]
  • 2018 — BAFTA TV Craft Award for Best Writer: Comedy — Catastrophe (nominated)[37]
  • 2018 — IFTA Award for Best Female Performance in Soap or Comedy — Catastrophe — (won)[31]
  • 2018 — IFTA Award for Best Writer in a Soap or Comedy — Catastrophe — (nominated)[31]
  • 2019 — AACTA Award for Best Television Comedy Series — Frayed (nominated)[31]
  • 2020 — BAFTA TV Award for Best Scripted Comedy — Catastrophe (nominated)[38]

References[]

  1. ^ "Index entry". FreeBMD. ONS. Retrieved 31 December 2016.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e Sophie Wilson (23 March 2008). "Sharon Horgan: late starter". The Telegraph. Retrieved 14 February 2011.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b "Sharon Horgan: comedian with a keen eye and a sharp tongue". The Observer. 1 February 2015. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b "Sharon Horgan: 'These days female comedy sells, and people want to watch it'". The Irish Times. 23 November 2014. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b "The week in radio: The Media Show; Chain Reaction". The Observer. 22 March 2015. Retrieved 11 April 2015.
  6. ^ Jump up to: a b c Elizabeth Day (16 December 2012). "Sharon Horgan: 'There is a black streak in everything I've done'". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 September 2013.
  7. ^ Brunel University (2008). "Brunel Link newsletter" (PDF). Brunel Link. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
  8. ^ British Comedy Guide (2008). "Sharon Horgan Interview'". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
  9. ^ Jump up to: a b c "The funniest woman you've never heard of". The Guardian. 14 January 2007. Retrieved 2 April 2015.
  10. ^ "British Comedy Awards 2007". The Guardian. 7 November 2007. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
  11. ^ Kellaway, Kate (2 October 2011). "Terrible Advice review". The Observer. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
  12. ^ "Psychobitches". British Comedy Guide. 2012. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
  13. ^ Gareth McLean (15 May 2009). "A Paean to Pulling". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 May 2015.
  14. ^ "Pulling Series 2". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 12 September 2016.
  15. ^ Andrew Williams (13 December 2011). "Bored of Talking about Pulling Getting Cancelled". Metro. Retrieved 24 May 2015.
  16. ^ "2009 British Comedy Award nominations". British Comedy Guide. 18 November 2009. Retrieved 12 September 2016.
  17. ^ British Comedy Guide (2007). "About 'Angelo's". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 24 May 2015.
  18. ^ Terry Ramsey (15 June 2012). "Dead Boss Review". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 24 May 2015.
  19. ^ Jump up to: a b "Sharon Horgan profile". An Irishman Abroad (Podcast) (156 ed.). SoundCloud. 10 September 2016. Retrieved 12 September 2016.
  20. ^ Toby Earle (19 January 2015). "Rob Delaney and Sharon Horgan Talk Bunk-ups and Arranged Marriages". London Evening Standard. Retrieved 24 May 2015.
  21. ^ Toby Earle (20 February 2015). "Grace Dent on TV". The Independent. Retrieved 24 May 2015.
  22. ^ "2016 BAFTA Television Awards Female Performance in a Comedy Programme". BAFTA. 30 March 2016. Retrieved 12 September 2016.
  23. ^ Jump up to: a b "Sharon Horgan and Rob Delaney reunite for Catastrophe 3 and 4" (Press release). Channel 4. 12 July 2016. Retrieved 12 September 2016.
  24. ^ Jump up to: a b c Nellie Andreeva (16 April 2015). "'Divorce' picked up by HBO". Deadline.com. Retrieved 24 May 2015.
  25. ^ Sam Wollaston (11 January 2012). "'How to be a Good Mother' Review". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 May 2015.
  26. ^ Ben Bryant (3 January 2013). "'Secrets of a Good Marriage' Review". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 24 May 2015.
  27. ^ Channel 4 (17 December 2012). "'On the Verge of a Midlife Crisis' Programme information". Channel 4. Retrieved 24 May 2015.
  28. ^ Lewis, Tim (23 February 2020). "Sharon Horgan: 'I want adventures. I want to do stuff that's challenging'". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  29. ^ Cormac Murphy (25 March 2009). "Rugby star Shane's big sister Sharon tries for Bafta success". Herald.ie. Retrieved 14 August 2012.
  30. ^ "BAFTA Award nominations for Situation Comedy in 2007". Retrieved 16 August 2020.
  31. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j k "IMDB.com list of awards and nominations for Sharon Horgan". Retrieved 28 August 2020.
  32. ^ "BAFTA Award nominations for Comedy Performance in 2009". Retrieved 16 August 2020.
  33. ^ "BAFTA TC Craft Award nominations for Writer - Comedy in 2016". Retrieved 16 August 2020.
  34. ^ "Female Performance In A Comedy Programme in 2016". Retrieved 16 August 2020.
  35. ^ "BAFTA Award nominations for Female Performance in a Comedy Programme in 2018". Retrieved 16 August 2020.
  36. ^ "BAFTA Award nominations for Scripted Comedy in 2018". Retrieved 16 August 2020.
  37. ^ "BAFTA TC Craft Award nominations for Writer - Comedy in 2018". Retrieved 16 August 2020.
  38. ^ "BAFTA Award nominations for Scripted Comedy in 2020". Retrieved 16 August 2020.

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