Pauline McLynn, Irish character actress and author, is born in Sligo, County Sligo, on July 11, 1962. She is best known for her roles as Mrs. Doyle in the Channel 4 sitcom Father Ted, Libby Croker in the Channel 4 comedy drama Shameless, Tip Haddem in the BBC One comedy Jam & Jerusalem, and Yvonne Cotton in the BBC soap opera EastEnders.
McLynn grows up with two younger brothers in Galway. She studies History of Art and Modern English at Trinity College Dublin but is more heavily involved in the college’s drama society. She graduates with an MA.
Although McLynn is in her early thirties when playing Mrs. Doyle in Father Ted, makeup is used to make her look far older to fit the character’s elderly profile. She receives a British Comedy Award for her performances in 1996. The award is presented to her by Tony Blair.
Subsequent televised appearances include a similar elderly role in the “Yesterday Island” episode of youth sci-fi series Life Force, sketches on Bremner, Bird and Fortune, and panel shows Just a Minute, Have I Got News for You, and If I Ruled the World. In 1999, she appears in the film adaptation of Angela’s Ashes. She also appears in Jennifer Saunders‘ Jam & Jerusalem. Between 2001 and 2003 she reprises Mrs. Doyle in an advert for online tax return filing by the Inland Revenue.
McLynn is critically acclaimed for her performance in the 2005 film Gypo, receiving an Irish Film & Television Academy award nomination for Best Actress.
McLynn appears as Libby Croker in Shameless, which is produced by the British broadcaster Channel 4. In January 2011 it is announced that she has left the show, reportedly after a “difficult year.” She also plays the role of Alice’s mother in the Comedy Central show Threesome. She stars in Samuel Beckett’s Happy Days at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield, in 2011. She plays Mary Whyte in the BBC’s 2013 sitcom Father Figure.
In 2014, McLynn plays the part of Evelyn in “Kiss for the Camera”, a series three episode of the BBC comedy Pramface. On May 12, 2014, she joins the cast of EastEnders as Yvonne Cotton, the mother of Charlie Cotton (Declan Bennett) and ex-daughter-in-law of Dot Branning (June Brown). After starting as a recurring character, she quickly becomes a regular when her character’s storylines escalate. She makes her final appearance on January 13, 2015, at the end of her contract. However, she returns to the soap opera on May 14, 2015 for one single episode to give evidence against Dot during Nick Cotton‘s (John Altman) murder trial.
In 2017, McLynn appears as the mother of lead character Marcella in Roisin Conaty‘s E4 comedy GameFace, and in April 2018 she portrays Sister Mary in the BBC Two biopic Dave Allen At Peace. She appears as a minor character named Mrs. Trattner in the 2018 film Johnny English Strikes Again.
In 2020, McLynn is one of the celebrity pilgrims on the Sultans Trail in the BBC series Pilgrimage: Road to Istanbul. She also appears in Riverdance: The Animated Adventure.
In 2021 McLynn appears as Oona in the E4 S6 of Inside No. 9. She also appears as Carol, a bar landlady, in the film Last Night in Soho, which is released in October 2021. She also appears in Doctor Who, as Mary in the New Year’s special “Eve of the Daleks.”
McLynn is married to theatrical agent Richard Cook. She is a patron of the children’s charity World Vision Ireland and is president of Friends of Innisfree Housing Association. She is also a patron for Littlehill Animal Rescue, Sanctuary in Ireland and Birmingham Greyhound Protection.
McLynn is a fan of the Premier League football team Aston Villa. She says her best moment supporting Villa came in 1996 when she watched them beat Leeds United in the Football League Cup final with her Father Ted co-star Ardal O’Hanlon, who is a Leeds supporter. She is raised as a Roman Catholic but is now an atheist.
McLynn is involved with many charities against the racing and export of greyhounds. She is a patron of Greyhound Protection UK.