• Briga Heelan is an American actress known for portraying the lead character Katie Wendelson in the comedy series “Great News”.
• She was raised in Andover, Massachusetts by her actress and teacher mother and playwright father.
• She has appeared in several films and television series, including “Cougar Town”, “Ground Floor”, “Love”, “Brooklyn Nine-Nine”, and “Curb Your Enthusiasm”.
• She is married to Filipino actor Rene Gube and they have a daughter together.
• She is 33 years old, 5ft 5ins (1.65m) tall and her net worth is estimated at over $500,000.
Contents
Who is Briga Heelan?
Briga Heelan was born in Andover, Massachusetts USA, on 2 April 1987 – her zodiac sign is Aries and she holds American nationality. She is an actress who might be known best for her portrayal of the lead character Katie Wendelson in the comedy series “Great News”, created by Tracey Wigfield, and which also starred Andrea Martin and Adam Campbell. It follows a mother from New Jersey who starts working as an intern at a local company. The series won the 2018 Gracie Allen Award for Outstanding Comedy.
Childhood and education
Heelan was raised in Andover alongside her brother Conor by their mother Kimball Heelan who was an actress and a teacher at Lowell Public Schools, and their father Kevin Heelan who was a playwright.
Being motivated by her parents, Briga became interested in acting at quite an early age, and thus decided to study at Walnut Hill School for the Arts before switching to the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music after a year. After matriculating in 2005, she enrolled at the University of Southern California, from which she graduated in 2009 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in acting. As she was top of her class, Briga was awarded the James B. Pendleton Award for Outstanding Contributions to the university’s School of Dramatic Arts.
Roles in movies
Briga launched her acting career in 2009, when she portrayed Eve in the short drama “Lovebot”, written and directed by Giordany Orellana, then in 2012, she appeared in her first feature film – the comedy “Counter Culture” – which starred Margo Martindale, Luis Guzman and Delta Burke, and follows three sisters who are the owners of a family diner in West Texas.
Briga’s following movie role came three years later, when she played Holly Bailey in the comedy “How We Live” written by Brian Bradley, directed by Gail Mancuso, and which starred Andrea Anders, Chris Klein and Sam Huntington. It follows a blogger who moves to New Jersey with his wife.
The year 2016 saw Briga play Becca in the romantic comedy “Dean”, written and directed by Demetri Martin who also starred in it, alongside Kevin Kline and Gillian Jacobs. It follows Dean who falls in love with a Los Angeles woman while he’s struggling with his mother’s death, and the fact that his father wants to sell the family home.
Briga’s two most recent roles in movies have been in 2017 in the romantic comedy “The Night is Young”, and the comedy “Literally, Right Before Aaron”.
Roles in TV series
Briga made her debut TV series appearance in the 2011 episode “Disciplining the Keens” of the comedy “Man Up!”, and she gained recognition a year later playing Amanda Clark in five episodes of the comedy “Jane by Design”, created by April Blair and which starred Nick Roux, Rowly Dennis and Erica Dasher.
The series follows a teenage girl who is mistaken for an older girl, and thus starts working in the fashion world.
After appearing in single episodes of various series, Briga was invited to portray the supporting character Holly in the romantic comedy “Cougar Town”, which was quite popular in the US and winning four awards, while it was nominated for 17 others including a Golden Globe. In 2013, she starred as Jennifer in all 20 episodes of the comedy “Ground Floor” – in the series, Briga depicts a young woman working at a buildings maintenance company, who falls in love with a successful young banker.
Her next notable performance came a year later, when she played Nicki in seven episodes of the comedy “Undateable”. The following years saw Briga appear in episodes of various series, such as “Truth Be Told”, “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” and “Go-Go Boy Interrupted”, and she then played Heidi McAuliffe in the critically acclaimed romantic comedy “Love”. 2019 saw her appear in the episode “He Said, She Said” of the crime comedy “Brooklyn Nine-Nine”, and the episode “Stand by Your Man” of the romantic comedy “Modern Family”.
Two of Briga’s most recent roles in TV series have been in 2020, in a single episode of the comedy “Curb Your Enthusiasm”, and four episodes of the comedy “B Positive”.
She is currently shooting for the upcoming series “To Whom It May Concern”.
Love life and husband
Briga dated the Filipino comedian and actor Rene Gube for over a year before he asked her to marry him on 16 October 2014; they met when they co-starred in the comedy series “Ground Floor”. On 8 May 2015, they married in front of their closest friends and family, and Briga announced in March 2017 that she was expecting – on 23 March 2017, she and Rene welcomed their daughter Bennet Alejandra Gube.
Rene Gube was born on 2 April 1987, in Rancho Penasquitos in San Diego.
He attended Mount Carmel High School, where he was a member of the speech and debating club, and after completing his education, he started working as a teacher. He move to Los Angeles, and there joined Touchblue, a comedy sketch group. Some of his most notable performances in movies and TV series have been in the science fiction romantic comedy film “Seeking a Friend for the End of the World”, the 2013 sitcom “Ben and Kate” and the romantic musical series “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend”.
As of January 2021, Briga is married to Rene Gube and they have one daughter together.
Hobbies and other interests
Briga is a philanthropist who has worked with various charity organizations, but mostly those which aim to improve the lives of underprivileged children and war veterans. She is a supporter of the LGBT community and the movement Black Lives Matter.
Summer is her favorite season, as she likes to spend her spare time close to the ocean. Briga generally enjoys being in nature, and has uploaded numerous pictures onto her Instagram account which feature her and her daughter spending time in parks, at pumpkin farms and at the beach.
Briga is physically very active, and is a bit more focused on her mental health than physical, as she does yoga and meditates nearly every day.
She has her own favorite actors and actresses, some of whom are Will Smith, the late Robin Williams, and Julia Roberts, and a couple of her favorite movies are “The Independence Day”, “Patch Adams” and “The Runaway Bride”.
Age, height and net worth
Briga’s age is 33. She has long brown hair and blue eyes, her height is 5ft 5ins (1.65m) and she weighs around 130lbs (59kgs).
As of January 2021, her net worth has been estimated at over $500,000.
