# Claudia O'Doherty
**Claudia O'Doherty** (born 1983) is an Australian actress, writer, and comedian known for playing Bertie in the Netflix series *Love*, Mary Bonnet in *Our Flag Means Death*, and Jillian Glopp in *Killing It*, and for high-concept live shows at the [Edinburgh Festival Fringe](https://www.edgepedia.org/edinburgh-festival-fringe).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5307166/) • [2](https://time.com/6958944/best-shows-peacock/) Born in Sydney, she built a following in Australia's alternative comedy scene before a [Channel 4](https://www.edgepedia.org/channel-4) web series led to film work with [Amy Schumer](https://www.edgepedia.org/amy-schumer) and a move to Los Angeles.[3](https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2019/jun/25/claudia-odoherty-on-her-new-show-and-making-it-in-la-oh-this-doesnt-seem-real)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1983, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5307166/) |
| Breakthrough live show | *The Telescope* (2012), her third Fringe show, nominated for Best Comedy Show at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5307166/) • [4](https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2012/aug/14/claudia-odoherty-review) |
| Signature TV role | Bertie in the Judd Apatow-produced Netflix series *Love* (2016–2018), which brought her worldwide recognition[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5307166/) |
| Later series | Mary Bonnet in *Our Flag Means Death*; Jillian Glopp opposite Craig Robinson in *Killing It* (2022–2023)[5](https://time.com/6320025/our-flag-means-death-season-2-review/) • [2](https://time.com/6958944/best-shows-peacock/) |
| Films | *Trainwreck* (2015), *Long Shot* (2019), *Extra Ordinary* (2020, with Will Forte), *The Festival* (with Noel Fielding)[3](https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2019/jun/25/claudia-odoherty-on-her-new-show-and-making-it-in-la-oh-this-doesnt-seem-real) • [6](https://snapshot.apple.com/us/person/6621213726) |
| Awards | 2009 Melbourne Fringe Best Comedy Award and Brisbane Comedy Festival Award for *Monsters of the Deep 3D*; one Primetime Emmy nomination among three total nominations[7](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/159671/claudia-odoherty/) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5307166/) |
| Writing | Coauthor, with David O'Doherty and Mike Ahern, of *100 Facts About Pandas*; wrote material for *Inside Amy Schumer*[7](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/159671/claudia-odoherty/) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5307166/) |
## Early life and family
O'Doherty grew up in Sydney in a family that encouraged creativity. Under the pseudonym Reg Mombassa, her father gained fame as a founding member of Mental as Anything and as the artist whose work came to define the surfwear label Mambo; her sister Lucy, a painter, has won a Brett Whiteley scholarship. O'Doherty has said her father's career made wanting a creative job feel "very not exceptional".[3](https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2019/jun/25/claudia-odoherty-on-her-new-show-and-making-it-in-la-oh-this-doesnt-seem-real) She attended SCEGGS Darlinghurst and the [University of Sydney](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-sydney).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5307166/)
As a student she performed in the university sketch group Pig Island with Nick Coyle and Charlie Garber, which garnered a cult comedy following.[3](https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2019/jun/25/claudia-odoherty-on-her-new-show-and-making-it-in-la-oh-this-doesnt-seem-real) • [8](https://archive.junkee.com/claudia-odoherty-interview/212413) Before creating her first Fringe show she saw standup as one of the few places for a solo performer in Australia, but found the scene unappealing; she has said that when she moved overseas it seemed absurd to call herself a comedian because there was really no work.[3](https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2019/jun/25/claudia-odoherty-on-her-new-show-and-making-it-in-la-oh-this-doesnt-seem-real)
## Live comedy and the Edinburgh Fringe
**Melbourne and Brisbane.** Her solo show *Monsters of the Deep 3D* won the 2009 Melbourne Fringe Best Comedy Award and the Brisbane Comedy Festival Award.[7](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/159671/claudia-odoherty/)
**The Telescope, 2012.** At the Edinburgh Festival Fringe she presented *The Telescope*, a meta-comedy show about her bid to escape the clutches of a fictional Australian talent agency, the Nut House, by staging a "difficult theatre" piece about a telescope that can see through time.[4](https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2012/aug/14/claudia-odoherty-review) It was her third Fringe appearance, produced by the Invisible Dot.[4](https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2012/aug/14/claudia-odoherty-review) The Guardian's Brian Logan described her as an "oddball Australian standup" and "one of comedy's true originals"; the Independent called her "hard to resist" and described the hour as part storytelling, part stand-up, and part performance art breakdown.[4](https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2012/aug/14/claudia-odoherty-review) • [9](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/theatre-dance/reviews/claudia-o-doherty-the-telescope-underbelly-8038695.html) The show was nominated for Best Comedy Show at the festival, then sponsored by Foster's.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5307166/) • [10](https://www.timeout.com/london/comedy/claudia-odoherty-pioneer-review)
**Pioneer, 2013.** Her 2013 show *Pioneer* was staged at Pleasance Courtyard with two projectors, one onto a backdrop and one onto a gauze screen, letting her interact with hologram-like versions of herself. The premise was a fictionalized "Claudia O'Doherty", a wannabe entertainer with colossal self-regard who has secured sponsorship from the electronics company Pioneer.[10](https://www.timeout.com/london/comedy/claudia-odoherty-pioneer-review) • [11](https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2013/aug/08/claudia-odoherty-edinburgh-festival-review) Time Out found it messier than *The Telescope* but much funnier; Chortle's reviewer judged it "more a curiosity than it is funny" while noting her reputation for combining perky enthusiasm, eccentricity, and ambitious high-concept ideas.[10](https://www.timeout.com/london/comedy/claudia-odoherty-pioneer-review) • [12](https://www.chortle.co.uk/review/2013/08/11/29318/claudia_odoherty%3A_pioneer)
## Move to Britain and the United States
O'Doherty moved to London in 2012, where she had a small community and a presence in the UK's alternative comedy scene. Channel 4 gave her a web series, a dry and curious attempt to answer the question "What is England?". She has said that series started her career because people could watch it in America: Amy Schumer saw it and gave her a part in her movie.[3](https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2019/jun/25/claudia-odoherty-on-her-new-show-and-making-it-in-la-oh-this-doesnt-seem-real)
That film was 2015's *[Trainwreck](https://www.edgepedia.org/trainwreck-film)*, directed by [Judd Apatow](https://www.edgepedia.org/judd-apatow). On the last day of shooting Apatow asked if she wanted to develop a character for a new series he was co-creating with writer Lesley Arfin and comic [Paul Rust](https://www.edgepedia.org/paul-rust); the result was *Love*, in which she starred from 2016 to 2018 as Bertie, an Australian roommate whose adjustment to a new country mirrored O'Doherty's own expat experience. She moved to Los Angeles for the role and has said she was "in a good mood for three years" when it came together.[3](https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2019/jun/25/claudia-odoherty-on-her-new-show-and-making-it-in-la-oh-this-doesnt-seem-real) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5307166/) Appearances on *Comedy Bang! Bang!*, *Kroll Show*, and *Conan* broadened her audience in the same period.[3](https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2019/jun/25/claudia-odoherty-on-her-new-show-and-making-it-in-la-oh-this-doesnt-seem-real)
## Screen career
Her film credits include *Long Shot* (2019), the Irish comedy horror *Extra Ordinary* (2020) opposite [Will Forte](https://www.edgepedia.org/will-forte), and *The Festival* with [Noel Fielding](https://www.edgepedia.org/noel-fielding).[6](https://snapshot.apple.com/us/person/6621213726) • [13](https://crankedupfilms.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Extra-Ordinary-Production-Notes.pdf) On television she played Mary Bonnet, the wife [Stede Bonnet](https://www.edgepedia.org/stede-bonnet) abandons in *Our Flag Means Death*; in the season 2 storyline Stede and Mary fake his death so she can inherit his fortune, and she delivers the final lines of the first season.[5](https://time.com/6320025/our-flag-means-death-season-2-review/) In *Killing It*, the Peacock comedy from the creators of *Brooklyn Nine-Nine* starring Craig Robinson, she plays Jillian Glopp, a gig-working weirdo who enters a contest offering a $20,000 prize for killing the most specimens of an invasive snake species.[2](https://time.com/6958944/best-shows-peacock/)
Her other credits include voice work on *Bluey* and *Wild Life*, roles in *Never Have I Ever*, *[Koala Man](https://www.edgepedia.org/koala-man)*, and *SMILF*, and a producer credit on *[Life & Beth](https://www.edgepedia.org/life-and-beth)*.[14](https://www.thenewdaily.com.au/life/entertainment/2022/04/16/claudia-odoherty-killing-it-stan) • [15](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/claudia-odoherty/credits/3000271679/) In 2019 she returned to Sydney to star in the ABC comedy web series *Sarah's Channel*, created by her former Pig Island collaborator Nick Coyle, playing a makeup influencer who persists with her tutorials in a post-apocalyptic wasteland.[3](https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2019/jun/25/claudia-odoherty-on-her-new-show-and-making-it-in-la-oh-this-doesnt-seem-real) • [8](https://archive.junkee.com/claudia-odoherty-interview/212413)
## Writing and recognition
O'Doherty is the coauthor, with comedian [David O'Doherty](https://www.edgepedia.org/david-odoherty) and Mike Ahern, of *100 Facts About Pandas*, and wrote material for *Inside Amy Schumer*.[7](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/159671/claudia-odoherty/) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5307166/) She has been a frequent podcast guest, appearing on *Comedy Bang! Bang!*, [Brett Goldstein](https://www.edgepedia.org/brett-goldstein)'s *Films To Be Buried With*, and *The Adam Buxton Podcast*.[16](https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/claudia-odoherty-films-to-be-buried-with-with/id1408585620?i=1000444724734) She lives in Los Angeles.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5307166/)
## References
1. [Claudia O'Doherty, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5307166/)
2. [The Best TV Shows to Watch on Peacock, TIME](https://time.com/6958944/best-shows-peacock/)
3. [Claudia O'Doherty on her new show, and making it in LA, The Guardian (25 June 2019)](https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2019/jun/25/claudia-odoherty-on-her-new-show-and-making-it-in-la-oh-this-doesnt-seem-real)
4. [Claudia O'Doherty – Edinburgh festival review, The Guardian (14 August 2012)](https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2012/aug/14/claudia-odoherty-review)
5. [The Radical Freedom of Our Flag Means Death, TIME (5 October 2023)](https://time.com/6320025/our-flag-means-death-season-2-review/)
6. [Claudia O'Doherty – Movies, TV Shows, and Podcasts, Apple Snapshot](https://snapshot.apple.com/us/person/6621213726)
7. [Claudia O'Doherty, Penguin Random House](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/159671/claudia-odoherty/)
8. [Claudia O'Doherty Interview: 'Sarah's Channel', Junkee (5 July 2019)](https://archive.junkee.com/claudia-odoherty-interview/212413)
9. [Claudia O'Doherty, The Telescope, Underbelly, The Independent (14 August 2012)](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/theatre-dance/reviews/claudia-o-doherty-the-telescope-underbelly-8038695.html)
10. [Claudia O'Doherty – Pioneer review, Time Out London (5 August 2013)](https://www.timeout.com/london/comedy/claudia-odoherty-pioneer-review)
11. [Claudia O'Doherty – review, The Guardian (8 August 2013)](https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2013/aug/08/claudia-odoherty-edinburgh-festival-review)
12. [Claudia O'Doherty: Pioneer, Chortle (11 August 2013)](https://www.chortle.co.uk/review/2013/08/11/29318/claudia_odoherty%3A_pioneer)
13. [Extra Ordinary production notes, Cranked Up Films](https://crankedupfilms.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Extra-Ordinary-Production-Notes.pdf)
14. [Meet the quiet Aussie star killing it in US series about hunting snakes, The New Daily (16 April 2022)](https://www.thenewdaily.com.au/life/entertainment/2022/04/16/claudia-odoherty-killing-it-stan)
15. [Claudia O'Doherty List of Movies and TV Shows, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/claudia-odoherty/credits/3000271679/)
16. [Claudia O'Doherty • Films To Be Buried With with Brett Goldstein #53, Apple Podcasts](https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/claudia-odoherty-films-to-be-buried-with-with/id1408585620?i=1000444724734)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Theater and dance › Stand-up comedy and comedians › Australian and New Zealand comedians*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 20, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 20, 2026; Oct 11, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license