You probably know the face. Honestly, even if you don't know the name Kathy Kinney, you definitely know the blue eye shadow. For nine years on The Drew Carey Show, she played Mimi Bobeck, the neon-clad, high-decibel secretary who treated her boss like a personal punching bag. It was the kind of performance that sticks to your ribs.
But here is the thing people get wrong: Kathy Kinney isn't just a "one-hit wonder" of the 90s sitcom era. She didn't just fall into that role and disappear. Her career is a massive, sprawling list of character work that ranges from gritty indie films to voice-acting gigs in cartoons you likely watched with your kids.
Basically, she’s one of the hardest-working character actresses in the business.
The Breakout: How Mimi Bobeck Changed Everything
It’s impossible to talk about Kathy Kinney movies and tv shows without starting at the Winfred-Louder department store. What most fans don't realize is that Mimi Bobeck was never supposed to be a series regular. She was originally hired for a one-off joke in the pilot.
The writers wanted a "secretary from hell." Kinney walked in, leaned into the garishness, and the audience went absolutely wild.
She turned Mimi into a feminist icon of sorts—a woman who was unapologetically loud, larger-than-life, and completely comfortable in her own skin, no matter how many trolls she kept on her desk. She stayed for 233 episodes. During that time, she crossed over into other shows like Coach and The Hughleys, effectively making Mimi a shared-universe character long before Marvel made it cool.
Kathy Kinney Movies: The Roles You Forgot
Before the makeup and the desk wars with Drew, Kinney was cutting her teeth in some surprisingly heavy-duty cinema. If you look back at 1986, she appeared in Parting Glances. It’s a landmark film in LGBTQ+ cinema, and she played Joan. It wasn't a "funny lady" role; it was real, grounded work.
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Then there’s the 90s.
You’ve likely seen her in Arachnophobia (1990) playing Blaire Kendall. Or maybe you caught her alongside Robert De Niro and Jane Fonda in Stanley & Iris. She has this uncanny ability to show up in the background of major films and immediately make the scene feel more authentic.
- Scrooged (1986): She had a small part in this Bill Murray holiday classic.
- This Boy's Life (1993): She shared the screen with a very young Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro (again).
- Three Fugitives (1989): A classic Nick Nolte/Martin Short comedy where she played a receptionist.
She even popped up in The Linguini Incident with David Bowie. Yeah, that David Bowie.
The TV Guest Star Queen
If you were watching TV in the early 90s, you couldn't escape her. She was the "that lady!" of television. She appeared on Seinfeld in "The Handicap Spot"—you know, the episode where they park in the wrong space and everything goes to hell? She was there.
She also had a recurring gig on Newhart as Prudence Godard, the town librarian. It was a quieter role than Mimi, but it showed off her impeccable comic timing.
Her guest spots are a "who's who" of TV history:
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- Full House
- Boy Meets World
- Grace Under Fire
- Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman
- My Name Is Earl
In My Name Is Earl, she played Officer Bowman across three episodes, proving she could still land a joke with the best of the new generation of sitcom stars.
The Secret World of Voice Acting
One of the most overlooked parts of the Kathy Kinney movies and tv shows library is her voice work. When the live-action roles slowed down, her voice became a staple for animation directors.
She was Jenny the Monkey in Big Guy and Rusty the Boy Robot. She voiced characters in Pepper Ann, CatDog, and The Penguins of Madagascar. Honestly, her voice has a natural texture that works perfectly for "tough but lovable" animated characters.
She even did a stint in the Scooby-Doo universe, voicing Sheriff Ellen Perkins in What’s New, Scooby-Doo? and appearing in Scooby-Doo! Haunted Holidays.
The Later Years and "The Secret Life"
In the late 2000s, Kinney found a whole new audience on The Secret Life of the American Teenager. She played Bunny, and later a butcher shop lady, appearing in over 30 episodes. It was a departure from the high-energy comedy of the 90s, leaning more into the "quirky neighbor" energy that she masters so easily.
More recently, she’s popped up in Stumptown (2020) and American Housewife. She isn't chasing the limelight; she just keeps working.
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Why She Still Matters
Kinney represents a specific type of Hollywood success. She didn't need to be the "lead" to be the most memorable person on screen. She took a character that could have been a cruel caricature (the "funny fat lady") and gave her a soul, a husband (Steve Carey, played by John Carroll Lynch), and a legacy.
She also co-authored a book called Queen of Your Own Life, which is basically a manifesto for women to stop waiting for permission to be happy. That same spirit is what made her roles so vibrant.
How to Navigate Her Filmography Today
If you want to actually dive into her work, don't just stick to the reruns.
- Watch Parting Glances: To see her dramatic roots.
- Revisit Arachnophobia: For a masterclass in being a memorable "townsperson" in a creature feature.
- Binge The Drew Carey Show: But watch it for the character evolution of Mimi, not just the insults.
The reality is that Kathy Kinney movies and tv shows offer a blueprint for how to build a 40-year career in an industry that is notoriously unkind to people who don't fit a specific "look." She made her own look. She made her own rules.
To get the most out of her filmography, start by tracking down her early indie work on streaming platforms like Criterion Channel or Tubi, where Parting Glances often lives. Then, move into her 90s guest spots to see her range before she became "Mimi." You'll find a much deeper actress than the blue eye shadow ever suggested.