Caroline Gilchrist Rhea (born April 13, 1964 in Westmount, Quebec) is a Canadian-American actress, comedian, and voice artist best known for her role as Aunt Hilda Spellman on Sabrina the Teenage Witch.
She shares a daughter with ex-partner Costaki Economopolos.
Filmography:
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Film roles
- Man on the Moon (1999): Fridays Melanie
- Ready to Rumble (2000): Eugenia King
- Christmas with the Kranks (2004): Candi
- The Perfect Man (2005): Gloria
Television roles
- The Drew Carey Show (2 episodes, 1996): Bonnie
- Sabrina the Teenage Witch (142 episodes, 1996–2003): Hilda Spellman
- Teen Angel (1 episode, 1997): Hilda Spellman
- Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist (1 episode, 1997) as Caroline (voice)
- The Nanny (1 episode, 1998): Herself
- The Hollywood Squares (1998–2004): Herself (regular panelist during the Whoopi Goldberg era)
- Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child (1 episode, 2000): Spidey (voice)
- Mom's Got a Date with a Vampire (TV movie, 2000): Lynette Hansen
- Fillmore! (1 episode, 2002): as Mrs. Konquist (voice)
- The Suite Life of Zack & Cody (3 episodes, 2005–06): Ilsa Schiklegoobermeyger-Vanhelsingdekeppeloogerhoffer
- To Be Fat Like Me (TV movie, 2007): Madelyn
- Phineas and Ferb (125 episodes, 2007–15): Linda Flynn-Fletcher/Grandma Betty-Jo Flynn (voice)
- Phineas and Ferb The Movie: Across the 2nd Dimension (TV movie, 2011): Linda Flynn-Fletcher/Linda-2/Additional Voices (voice)
- Phineas and Ferb The Movie: Candace Against the Universe (TV movie, 2020): Mom (voice)
- Baby Daddy (1 episode, 2013): Jennifer Perrin
- Maron (1 episode, 2014): Herself
- Manhattan Love Story (1 episode, 2014): Coach Reisner
- 2 Broke Girls (1 episode, 2015): Bonnie
- The Grinder (1 episode, 2016): Fran
- Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (2 episodes, 2020): Hilda Spellman
- Sydney to the Max (62 episodes, 2019–21): Judy Reynolds
- The Boss Baby: Back in the Crib (1 episode, 2023): Gretzkina the Veteran/The Oracle of Moosejaw (voice)
Tropes associated with her work:
- Actor Allusion: "Sabrina's Real World" has Hilda being given her own comedy special thanks to a magical belt she has on. Caroline had one for HBO called One Night Stand – and had several standup appearances before.
- Actor-Shared Background: She identifies as a witch in real life, having played one on two versions of Sabrina.
- Awesome, Dear Boy: She was going through a bad breakup around the time she was offered the role of Hilda in Sabrina the Teenage Witch, and signed on when she heard the character imprisoned a man in a ring for not loving her.
- Casting Gag: In Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, she and Beth Broderick play alternate versions of the aunts.
- Fake Nationality: She puts on a German accent as Ilsa in The Suite Life of Zack & Cody.
- Friendship on the Set: She, Melissa Joan Hart and Beth Broderick are still close twenty plus years later, and Melissa refers to them as "like family".
- I Am Not Spock: Although fondly remembered for The Suite Life and Phineas and Ferb, it's safe to say she'll be best remembered as Aunt Hilda.
- I Was Quite a Fashion Victim: She often laughs at how her hair was styled in Sabrina, saying she looked like she were going to a coronation "for a very senior royal".
- Irony as She Is Cast: In two episodes of Sabrina, Hilda bombs whenever she has to perform comedy on stage – one where she's magically cursed to tell jokes in a Hurricane of Puns, and in another alternate reality where she has a ventriloquist act. Caroline of course was an experienced stand-up comedian.
- Meme Acknowledgment: In 2018, a Twitter hashtag 'I Grew Up to be Aunt Hilda' trended. Caroline responded "and what's wrong with that?"
- Real Life Writes the Plot: Aunt Hilda was Put on a Bus after her wedding in Sabrina's seventh and final season, as Caroline had been chosen to replace Rosie O'Donnell on her talk show. She came Back for the Finale.
- "Sesame Street" Cred: In a stand-up routine, she mentions getting to appear on Sesame Street As Herself as something from her wish list.
