Briga Heelan

Briga Heelan
Born
Andover, Massachusetts, U.S.
Alma materUniversity of Southern California
Occupation(s)Actress, comedian
Years active2009–present
Spouse
​
(m. 2015)​
Children2

Briga Heelan (pronunciation /ˈbriːɡɑː/ BREE-gah)[1] is an American actress and comedian. She is known for her work on the sitcoms Cougar Town, Ground Floor, Undateable, Love, Great News, and B Positive.

Early life and education

Heelan was born in Andover, Massachusetts,[2] the daughter of actress and Lowell Public Schools teacher Kimball Heelan and playwright Kevin Heelan.[1][3] She has a brother named Conor.[3] Heelan's father, as well as being a dramatist, has been a faculty member at Phillips Andover Academy since 1983.[4]

Heelan attended Walnut Hill School for the Arts and studied for a year at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, before transferring to the University of Southern California.[1] She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 2009.[5] At graduation, Heelan received the James B. Pendleton Award for outstanding contributions to the USC School of Dramatic Arts.[6]

Career

Heelan intended to focus on musical theatre.[7] She met her Ground Floor co-star, Skylar Astin, at a musical theatre convention.[7]

Heelan's break-out TV role was on Cougar Town.[8] She was credited as a recurring character on Undateable, appearing in three episodes plus the pilot. She was able to shoot both Bill Lawrence-helmed Ground Floor and Undateable simultaneously[9] because both comedies are multi-camera, which require fewer production days than single-camera shows.[10] She also guest starred in the first episode of Season 10 of Curb Your Enthusiasm.

Regarding Heelan's role in Ground Floor, TV critic Alan Sepinwall said Heelan is "simply terrific as Jenny: warm and quirky while always feeling like a strong and independent character".[11][12] The Los Angeles Times said Heelan "makes Ground Floor watchable", describing her as "remarkably alive and in the moment; she makes real all that she touches. I could easily recommend tuning in just to watch her work – and hereby do."[13]

On May 13, 2023, Heelan made her Broadway debut as Cinderella in Once Upon A One More Time at the Marquis Theatre. She had previously portrayed the same role in the 2021 world premiere run in Washington, D.C.[14]

Personal life

On her unusual name, she said, "It's an Irish name. In fact, my last name was O'Heelahan back in the day. And Briga, I read somewhere, is some pagan Celtic goddess, which sounds great, so I really like saying that. But I was named after my grandmother's best friend, who was Irish and came from Dublin."[1]

On October 16, 2014, Heelan became engaged to her Ground Floor co-star Rene Gube.[15] They were married on May 8, 2015.[16][17] On October 31, 2016, they announced they were expecting their first child, a daughter, due in March 2017. Heelan gave birth to their daughter Bennet Alejandra Gube on March 23, 2017.[18] On June 24, 2024, Heelan announced they were expecting their second child.[19]

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
2011 Man Up! Money Episode: "Disciplining the Keens"
2012 Jane by Design Amanda Clark 5 episodes
Cougar Town Holly 7 episodes
2013 Happy Endings Ryan Episode: "The Ex Factor"
2013–2015 Ground Floor Jenny Miller Main role (20 episodes)
2014–2015 Undateable Nicki 7 episodes
2015 Truth Be Told Katherine/Kiki Episode: "Guess Who's Coming to Decorate"
2016 Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Connie Cavanaugh Episode: "That Text Was Not Meant for Josh!"
2016–2017 Love Heidi 6 episodes
2017–2018 Great News Katie Wendelson Lead role
2019 Brooklyn Nine-Nine Keri Brennan Episode: "He Said, She Said"
Modern Family Linda Episode: "Stand by Your Man"
2020 Curb Your Enthusiasm Valerie Ashburn Episode: "Happy New Year"
2020–2021 B Positive Samantha Turner Recurring; 14 episodes
2022 Bob Hearts Abishola Marion Mitchell Episode: "Compress to Impress"
2023 So Help Me Todd Amy Episode: "12 Worried Persons"

References

  1. ^ a b c d Soroff, Jonathan (May 2014). "Briga Heelan - From the Ground Up". The Improper Bostonian. Retrieved June 7, 2014.
  2. ^ "Meet the Cast – Part 3. Name: Briga Heelan". Prospect Theater Company's Weblog. October 14, 2010. Retrieved June 7, 2014.
  3. ^ a b "Kevin Heelan: Instructor of Playwriting, Acting and Directing". Phillips Academy Andover. Retrieved June 7, 2014.
  4. ^ Britton, Sharon (Fall 1997). "Kevin Wheelan: Bring On the Ghosts". Andover Bulletin. Phillips Academy. pp. 14–15. Retrieved June 7, 2014.
  5. ^ "Robert Redford Honored at Inaugural Gala Fundraiser". Callboard. Los Angeles, CA: USC School of Theater. Spring 2010. p. 1 – via Issuu.
  6. ^ "2008-09 Award Recipients". Callboard. Los Angeles, CA: USC School of Theater. Fall 2009. p. 6 – via Issuu.
  7. ^ a b Mitovich, Matt Webb (November 14, 2013). "Ground Floor's Briga Heelan: 8 Things to Know About the TBS Comedy's Pretty 'Revelation'". TVLine. Retrieved June 7, 2014.
  8. ^ Sepinwall, Alan (March 20, 2012). "Review: 'Cougar Town' - 'Something Big': Who's Your Daddy". HitFix. Retrieved June 7, 2014.
  9. ^ Fienberg, Daniel (May 29, 2014). "Interview: Bill Lawrence and Adam Sztykiel on 'Undateable' and The State of TV Comedy". HitFix. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved June 7, 2014.
  10. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (September 5, 2013). "Briga Heelan Back On NBC Comedy 'Undateable' As Recurring". Deadline Hollywood. PMC. Retrieved June 7, 2014.
  11. ^ Sepinwall, Alan (November 13, 2013). "Opposites Attract Comedy from Lawrence & Malins a Reminder that Multi-Cam Can Be Fun". HitFix. Retrieved June 7, 2014.
  12. ^ Sepinwall, Alan (January 17, 2014). "Brody Has to Choose Between Mansfield and Jenny; Will the Show Come Back?". HitFix. Retrieved June 7, 2014.
  13. ^ Lloyd, Robert (November 14, 2013). "TV review: Briga Heelan makes 'Ground Floor' watchable". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 7, 2014.
  14. ^ Gans, Andrew (February 16, 2023). "Briga Heelan, Justin Guarini, and Aisha Jackson Will Star in Broadway's Once Upon a One More Time". PLAYBILL. Retrieved May 14, 2023.
  15. ^ Gube, Rene (October 16, 2014). "renegube: I'm out the game". Instagram. Retrieved January 28, 2015.
  16. ^ Heelan, Briga (May 9, 2015). "brigaheelan: My last morning as an unmarried woman. IM READY!!". Instagram. Retrieved October 26, 2016.
  17. ^ Heelan, Briga (May 9, 2015). "brigaheelan: Was surrounded by love in every way last night..." Instagram. Retrieved October 26, 2016.
  18. ^ "Briga Heelan and Rene Gube Welcome Daughter Bennet Alejandra". PEOPLE.com.
  19. ^ "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved June 26, 2024.