| Website: | https://olearious.co.nz/ |
| Notable Works: | Wellington Paranormal |
Karen O'Leary is a New Zealand schoolteacher, comedian and actress. She played Officer O'Leary in Wellington Paranormal, which ran for four seasons from 2018–2022.[1] [2]
O'Leary grew up in Miramar, Wellington and attended Wellington High School and Victoria University. She graduated with a bachelor's degree in education and is an early childhood teacher in Wellington.[3] She got involved in acting when casting director Tina Cleary, the parent of one of the children at the centre, encouraged her to audition for a part in the 2014 film What We Do in the Shadows.[4]
O'Leary played Officer O'Leary in the film and continued the same role in the spin-off television series Wellington Paranormal.
In 2018, O'Leary appeared in the comedy film The Breaker Upperers.[5]
In 2020, O'Leary presented educational activities on Home Learning TV, a dedicated New Zealand television channel for children learning at home due to school closures during the national lockdown to control the COVID-19 pandemic.[6]
In 2023, O'Leary appeared on the panel show Guy Montgomery's Guy Mont-Spelling Bee. She appeared in series 4 of Taskmaster NZ.
Karen lives in Wellington with her son Melvyn and her partner, Eilish Wilson.[7]