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Gifted
comedienne, award-winning actress, accomplished writer, and renowned
Kathy’s book, If You Could Hear What I See, will have you laughing
and crying as you experience the amazing story of her life. She has
received thousands of letters and emails of thanks and praise,
regarding both her book and her original PBS special, No Labels,
No Limits! She was awarded the CINE Golden Eagle Award as the
writer and executive producer of the special, and the Media Access
Award for Outstanding Television Special. Her highly acclaimed
autobiographical theatre play, Now Hear This! had its
Off-Broadway premiere at New York’s Lamb’s Theatre, and not only
brought the comic actress a legion of faithful new fans, but a
wealth of critical praise from New York media. Little
wonder, since the production (originally titled Don’t Buck With
Me!), first opened in Los Angeles at Hollywood’s legendary Tamarind
Theatre, with both Kathy and the show winning the distinguished Los
Angeles Theater Ovation Award for Best Writing of a World Premiere
Play or Musical and the Los Angeles entertainment industry’s coveted
Media Access Award as Best Play of the Year.
Success, however, in the theater or any other medium, was far from
mind the first time Kathy stood the world of comedy on its ear. On a
dare from a friend, she entered a comedy contest called, "Stand-up
Comic Take a Stand", in 1988. She was nervous. Not because it was
her first time performing comedy on a stage, or even the fact that
she couldn't hear the audience response except by vibration from the
stage floor. What made her nervous was discovering that she was
competing against comedians who had been in the business for years. But,
Kathy forged ahead, easily winning fourth place out of over 80
comedians, and soon began touring the U.S., playing major comedy
venues like Caroline’s (New York City), Catch a Rising Star (Las
Vegas, Reno), The Improv (West Hollywood), The Ice House (Pasadena),
The Comedy Store (Hollywood), The Laugh Factory (Hollywood), and
many others. In record time, she became one of the most popular
comediennes in the country with material based on, among others
things, her hearing loss. That impairment, however, is only one of
the many hurdles Kathy has encountered in her life. Her poor
performance in second grade landed her in a school for mentally and
physically impaired children. It took school administrators,
psychologists, and audiologists nearly a year to discover it was
just a hearing loss and not a lack of mental acuity that was
impeding her speech and language development. Today, Kathy shakes
her head as she quips to amazed audiences, "... And they called me
slow?" During
her late teens, Kathy's life was interrupted when she was run over
by a jeep while sunbathing on a beach. As a result, she experienced
intermitted paralysis in her legs. Her recovery took almost five
years. Then, just six years later, she was diagnosed with cervical
cancer.
Undaunted, she has turned roadblocks into springboards, using her
personal experience as launching pads for humor and the education of
others. She
was selected from among hundreds of performers to showcase her
talents at The National Association for Campus Activities
Convention. That appearance made her a favorite of the college
campus circuit.
Kathy's popular appeal, unique persona, and refreshing sense of
humor also attracted the attention of high profile comedy television
shows, entertainment news programs, and talk shows. She has appeared
on such programs
as The Tonight Show, The Today Show, Good Morning America, CBS This
Morning, Entertainment Tonight, Extra, Inside Edition, Turner
Entertainment Report, CNN'S Show Biz Today, Real Life, and
Geraldo. She has been featured in several national magazines,
including People as one of their most touching stories of 1997.
She has performed on shows such as Stand-Up Spotlight (VH-1), Comic
Strip Live (FOX), Evening at the Improv (A&E), and Caroline's Comedy
Hour (A&E), to name just a few. She also served as celebrity guest
host for Fox Television Special, Smart Kids, and made a cameo
appearance in the ABC Television Movie of the Week, Breaking Free.
She was featured in the HBO Television Special, "Women of the
Night", shot on location at the U.S. Comedy Festival in Aspen,
Colorado. She included in the E! Entertainment Television
Special,
The World's Most Intriguing Women. Kathy was also the
focus of I Can Hear the Laughter, an Emmy award-winning
documentary.
Although she regularly receives national media attention, Kathy is
more than just a popular comic. Her humor has a higher purpose. "My
comedy disarms people," says Kathy. "I love to make people laugh,
but I love it even more if I can teach them something at the same
time." She
backs her philosophy by tirelessly performing on behalf of nonprofit
and educational organizations throughout the Unites States.
She serves as the national spokesperson for No Limits, a non-profit
organization, theater group, and school which provides educational
programs and accessibility for deaf and hard of hearing children.
Among
her many honors, Kathy has received the Woman of The Year Award from
the Oralingua School, American Hero Award from the City of Hope as
their role model of the year, the Toastmasters International
Communication and Leadership Award, the Dole Foundation Media
Awareness Award for her dedication to all people with disabilities,
the National Council on Communicative Disorders Individual
Achievement Award, and the Hear Now Help America Hear award for her
commitment to children. She
was also recognized by the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Army for
outstanding efforts toward disability employment awareness. She is
a key motivational speaker for Anthony Robbins' Life Mastery Classes
and works to entertain and enlighten people of all ages, but her
heart belongs to children. "Every child deserves to have a real
childhood," Kathy asserts. "And they should have healthy role models
to show them that people do care about them deeply."
Whether performing in a comedy club, appearing on television,
speaking publicly, teaching at camps for children and teens, or
appearing in any number of other settings, Kathy Buckley bears her
message that anything can be achieved when the heart and the mind
work together. |
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