Kate Bush.

Catherine Bush

Kate Bush — Actor

Born 30 Jul 1958 Erith, United Kingdom

Citizenship United Kingdom

Age 67 yr Today

13 min read

Reading time

2,471

Words

Jul 1, 2026

Published

43

Film credits

5

Books

3

Awards

TL;DR

Kate Bush’s debut single Wuthering Heights reached #1 in the UK in 1978. She had written over 200 songs by her mid-teens and was discovered by David Gilmour of Pink Floyd. In 2022, Running Up That Hill, originally released in 1985, became a worldwide hit after appearing in Stranger Things, earning her Guinness records for oldest female #1 and longest gap between #1 hits.

Identity & family.

KIN · 3

Names, aliases, and relatives of Kate Bush — birth name, kin, and personal ties.

Birth Name Catherine Bush

Nicknames Cathy, Kate

Spouses: Danny McIntosh
Siblings: John Carder Bush Paddy Bush

At a glance.

STATS

Kate Bush by the numbers — life, work, and family.

67 Age

43 Film credits

5 Books

3 Awards

1 Marriage

Who is Kate Bush?

BIOGRAPHY

Kate Bush — early life, career, personal life, and legacy.

Early life

At age 11, Kate Bush played piano and wrote songs; by her mid-teens she had composed over 200 pieces. Her father Robert was a doctor and her mother Hannah a nurse of Irish ancestry from County Waterford. She attended St. Joseph’s Convent Grammar School in Abbey Wood. In 1976, she studied contemporary dance under Adam Darius at an arts complex in London’s Elephant and Castle. From Lindsay Kemp, David Bowie’s mentor, she took dance and movement classes at the Collegiate Theatre and Dance Centre in Covent Garden, an influence that inspired her song Them Heavy People. She initially wanted to become a psychiatrist.

Career

David Gilmour of Pink Floyd helped Kate Bush secure a contract with EMI after hearing her demo. Her first single Wuthering Heights reached #1 in the UK in 1978. She became one of the first female artists to produce her own albums and videos. In 1985, she released the mini-film video for Cloudbusting starring Donald Sutherland and the Hitchcock-inspired Hounds of Love. Her 1993 album The Red Shoes, influenced by filmmaker Michael Powell, led to the short film The Line, the Cross & the Curve. In 2022, Running Up That Hill surged after being used in Stranger Things, breaking multiple records including becoming the oldest song to hit #1 on the Billboard Charts.

Personal life

Kate Bush married guitarist Danny McIntosh, with whom she has a son whose name is not publicly listed. She has two brothers, John Carder Bush and Paddy Bush; her nephew Owen Bush runs a bladesmith operation making props for TV shows. Her father Robert was a doctor and her mother Hannah a nurse. Growing up, she was a fan of folk singer A.L. Lloyd and her favorite album was Elton John’s Madman Across the Water. She remains friends with musician Peter Gabriel. In 1979, her lighting technician Bill Duffield died after a fall during her tour, which ended her touring career for decades.

Legacy

Kate Bush received a CBE in the 2013 New Year Honours for services to music and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 2022, Running Up That Hill set Guinness World Records: oldest female artist to reach #1 in the UK, longest time for a track to reach #1 37 years, and longest gap between #1 hits 44 years. Her innovative music videos, such as Cloudbusting and Hounds of Love, and her filmic style influenced a generation of artists. She is remembered as a pioneering art-pop singer who blended theatrical storytelling with experimental music.

Filmography.

FILMS · 43

The complete filmography of Kate Bush — every film, TV show, and documentary credit, ranked by popularity.

TV

Saturday Night Live

1975

TV

Top of the Pops

1964

TV

Wogan

1982

TV

Champs-Elysées

1982

TV

The Comic Strip Presents

1982

TV

Les Rendez-vous Du Dimanche

1975

TV

Numéro Un

1975

TV

The Secret Policeman's Ball

1976

TV

The BRIT Awards

1977

TV

Il éTait Une Fois Champs-Élysées

2022

TV

The Kenny Everett Video Show

1978

TV

Bananas

1981

TV

Omnibus Presents Comic Relief

1986

Movie

The BRITs at 40

2020

Showing 14 of 43 View all 43 films

Awards & honors.

AWARDS · 3

Every award, honor, and recognition received by Kate Bush — Grammys, hall-of-fame inductions, civic honors, lifetime achievements.

Commander of the Order of the British Empire
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Ivor Novello Awards

Bibliography.

BOOKS · 5

Kate Bush's bibliography — every authored, edited, and co-written book, ranked by edition count.

Amazon

Edwin Zwakman

by Edwin Zwakman et al.

Amazon

In the Face of History

by Kate Bush

Amazon

Fantastic Recurrence of Certain Situations

by Kate Bush

Amazon

The Passions of Great Fortune

by Roy Harper et al.

Amazon

The Getaway Chef

by Jane Rodmell et al.

Notable quotes.

QUOTES · 8

A wall of memorable lines from Kate Bush — lyrics, interviews, and off-the-cuff remarks captured over a lifetime.

I Don’t Think of Myself as a Musician. I Only Ever Play the Piano to Accompany Myself Singing. I Could Never Sit and Read a Piece of Music. at Best, I’m an Accompanist.
I Like Classical Music, but I Wish I Was More Eloquent with It. I Hear Things and Think, ‘That’s Beautiful,’ but Don’t Know What It Is. as You Get Older, You Do Get More into Instrumental Music, Don’t You? It’s as If as You Get Older You Don’t Want People Telling You What They Think or What You’ve Got to Think or Do. Also, Those Great Composers Really Knew What They Were Doing. a Lot of Contemporary Art Is Made by People Who Haven’t Got Any Talent. Art Made by Talentless People Can Sometimes Really Work, but It’s Not the Same as Real Craft.
There’s a Lot of Other Stuff That I Like to Do. but I Find Making Records Really Exciting. It’s Making Something Out of Nothing and You Can Involve Other People. It’s Brilliant.
The Fairlight Had a Very Specific Quality to Its Sound Which I Really Liked, so It Was Very Much a Sort of Atmospheric Tool for Me.
I Think Probably the Best Stage Entrance I Ever Saw Was Tina Turner. I Saw Her a Long Time Ago at Some Open Air Gig That She Was Doing. She Was Just Fantastic, the Way She Burst on Stage. She Appeared at the Top of a Flight of Stairs, Shimmied the Whole Way Down These Steps, Came Straight to the Front of Stage, and Went Straight into the Song. It Was so Exciting.
I Really Love Film, I Think It’s Just a Fantastic Art Form.
I Never Wanted to Be Famous. My Desire Wasn’t to Be Famous. It Was to Make a Record. That’s Very Different from Wanting to Be Famous.
When I Was Growing up My Hero Was Elton John. I Poured Over His Music, Longed to Be Able to Play Piano Like Him and Longed to Write Songs That Could Move People in the Way His Work Moved Me.

Did you know?

FACTS · 29

Little-known facts about Kate Bush — origins, oddities, and behind-the-scenes details from a public life.

The music video for Kate Bush’s 1985 single Cloudbusting was shown in cinemas before the film Back to the Future because MTV showed little interest in airing it.
In 1993, Kate Bush turned down the theme song for Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, which later became a hit for Bryan Adams. Annie Lennox and Lisa Stansfield also declined it.
Kate Bush made her only live US appearance on Saturday Night Live in December 1978, performing The Man With the Child in His Eyes with Paul Shaffer and Them Heavy People in a raincoat and fedora. She was invited by host Eric Idle and visited by Mick Jagger and Paul Simon.
In 2022, Running Up That Hill gained renewed attention after being used in season 4 of Stranger Things. It broke records in many countries, including becoming the oldest song to reach #1 on the Billboard Charts and making Bush, at 63, the oldest female artist to top the UK charts.
Kate Bush’s music has been heavily influenced by Gothic horror films. Songs inspired by movies include The Wedding List from the film The Bride Wore Black, and Wuthering Heights from the 1939 film of the same name, among others.
In May 1979, Kate Bush declined to sing the theme for the James Bond film Moonraker, saying it was a good song but not right for her. Shirley Bassey recorded it instead.
In February 1987, Kate Bush recorded Be Kind to My Mistakes for the soundtrack of the film Castaway. Director Nicolas Roeg attempted to cast her as the female lead.
Kate Bush’s first and only live US appearance was on Saturday Night Live in December 1978.
She was awarded the CBE in the 2013 Queen’s New Year Honours for services to music.
In February 1987, she won the Brit Award for Best British Female.
Kate Bush remains friends with Peter Gabriel.
In 1984, Kate recorded a version of Brazil with composer Michael Kamen, which was not used in the film but later released on re-pressings of the soundtrack.
In March 1987, she recorded This Woman’s Work, which first appeared on the soundtrack of She’s Having a Baby and a year later on her album The Sensual World.
In 1999, Kate Bush wrote Out of the Storm for Disney’s Dinosaur, but the song was not used. She later reworked it into Lyra for The Golden Compass, which was nominated for a Satellite Award.
As of 2022, Guinness World Records lists the following UK records for Kate Bush: oldest female artist to reach #1, longest time for a track to reach #1 37 years, and longest gap between #1 hits 44 years.
In March 1990, Kate recorded music for an episode of the British comedy series The Comic Strip and also appeared in an acting role in a different episode.
The interpretive dancer in Kate’s 1985 Running Up That Hill video was Michael Hervieu, who had only one day to rehearse. He later appeared in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical Aspects of Love.
Kate’s nephew Owen Bush, son of her brother John, runs a bladesmith operation producing swords and knives for TV shows like Game of Thrones.
In 1979, while planning her first tour, Kate asked sound engineer Gordon Paterson to create a cordless radio microphone, leading to a prototype using a wire hanger. They did not patent it.
As a child, Kate wanted to become a psychiatrist.
On 2 April 1979, her lighting technician Bill Duffield fell through a floor panel and died a week later, marking the end of her only tour.
Kate’s favorite musical artist as a girl was folk singer A.L. Lloyd. She recorded his version of The Handsome Cabin Boy as the B-side of Hounds of Love.
In 1978, she turned down an offer to open for Fleetwood Mac on their US tour supporting Rumours.
Her first band was the KT Bush Band.
Lindsay Kemp taught her dance and movement, inspiring the song Them Heavy People.
Her father Robert was a doctor, mother Hannah was a nurse of Irish ancestry.
She attended St. Joseph’s Convent Grammar School in Abbey Wood.
Her favorite album is Elton John’s Madman Across the Water 1971.
In 1976 she studied contemporary dance under American Adam Darius in south London.

You wanted to know.

FAQ · 32

Quick answers to the questions readers ask most about Kate Bush.

When was Kate Bush born?

Kate Bush was born on July 30, 1958. Her birth name is Catherine Bush.
Where was Kate Bush born?

Kate Bush was born in Erith, Kent, England, UK. The town is located in the southeastern part of England.
How old is Kate Bush?

As of 2025, Kate Bush is 67 years old. She was born in 1958.
What is Kate Bush's real name?

Kate Bush’s real name is Catherine Bush. She uses Kate as a shortened version.
What does Kate Bush do for a living?

Kate Bush is a recording artist, actor, and composer. She is best known for her music career spanning over four decades.
What nationality is Kate Bush?

Kate Bush is British. She holds citizenship in the United Kingdom.
What language does Kate Bush speak?

Kate Bush speaks English. It is her native language.
Who is Kate Bush married to?

Kate Bush is married to Danny McIntosh. He is a guitarist.
Does Kate Bush have any siblings?

Yes, Kate Bush has two older brothers: John Carder Bush and Paddy Bush. John is a writer and Paddy is a musician.
Where did Kate Bush go to school?

Kate Bush attended St. Joseph’s Convent Grammar School in Abbey Wood. She later studied at London South East Colleges.
What awards has Kate Bush won?

Kate Bush has won several awards including a CBE, induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and Ivor Novello Awards. She also won a Brit Award for Best British Female in 1987.
How many awards has Kate Bush won?

Kate Bush has won at least three major awards: Commander of the Order of the British Empire, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and Ivor Novello Awards, along with others.
What is Kate Bush best known for?

Kate Bush is best known for her music, particularly her 1978 hit Wuthering Heights and her 1985 song Running Up That Hill, which saw a resurgence in 2022. She also appeared in the short film The Line, the Cross & the Curve.
What is Kate Bush's Instagram?

Kate Bush’s official Instagram handle is @katebushmusic. She also has Twitter and Facebook accounts under the same name.
How tall is Kate Bush?

Kate Bush is 5 feet 4 inches tall, or 1.61 meters. Her height is sometimes noted in her public profiles.
What are Kate Bush's nicknames?

Kate Bush is affectionately called Cathy and Kate. Her stage name is Kate, but her family calls her Cathy.
Who are Kate Bush's parents?

Kate Bush’s father is Robert Bush, a doctor. Her mother is Hannah Bush, a nurse of Irish ancestry from County Waterford.
What film works is Kate Bush known for?

Kate Bush is known for her short film The Line, the Cross & the Curve and for contributing the song Lyra to the film The Golden Compass. She also appeared in The Comic Strip Presents as a bride.
What was Kate Bush's first big hit?

Kate Bush’s first big hit was Wuthering Heights, which reached number one in the UK in 1978. It debuted as her first single.
Why did Kate Bush decline the James Bond theme Moonraker?

Kate Bush declined the offer to sing the theme for Moonraker in 1979 because she felt the song was not right for her, even though she thought it was good. Shirley Bassey eventually recorded it.
How did Kate Bush's song Running Up That Hill become popular again in 2022?

The song gained renewed popularity after being featured in season 4 of the Netflix series Stranger Things. It charted at number one in many countries and broke several records, including becoming the oldest song to reach number one on the Billboard Charts.
Who discovered Kate Bush and helped her get a record contract?

David Gilmour of Pink Floyd discovered Kate Bush after hearing her demo. He helped her secure a contract with EMI Records.
Which Frank film inspired Kate Bush's album The Red Shoes?

The film The Red Shoes 1948 inspired Kate Bush’s album of the same name. She was influenced by filmmaker Michael Powell, who directed the original film.
What Guinness World Records does Kate Bush hold?

As of 2022, Kate Bush holds three Guinness records in the UK: oldest female artist to reach number one, longest time for a track to reach number one 37 years, and longest gap between number one hits 44 years.
What was the name of Kate Bush's first band?

Kate Bush’s first band was called the KT Bush Band. She formed it before her solo career took off.
Who taught Kate Bush dance and movement?

Lindsay Kemp, who was David Bowie’s mentor, taught Kate Bush dance and movement at the Collegiate Theatre and Dance Centre in Covent Garden. This inspired her song Them Heavy People.
What is Kate Bush's favorite album?

Kate Bush has stated that her favorite album is Elton John’s Madman Across the Water from 1971.
Did Kate Bush ever perform live in the US?

Kate Bush performed live in the US only once, on Saturday Night Live in December 1978. She performed two songs and was visited by Mick Jagger and Paul Simon.
What honorary title did Kate Bush receive in 2013?

Kate Bush was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire CBE in the 2013 New Year Honours for her services to music.
How many songs did Kate Bush write by her mid-teens?

Kate Bush wrote over 200 songs by the time she was in her mid-teens. This early prolific output caught the attention of David Gilmour.
What happened to Kate Bush's lighting technician in 1979?

On 2 April 1979, Kate Bush’s lighting technician Bill Duffield fell through a floor panel and suffered fatal injuries, dying a week later. This incident led to the end of her only tour.
What was Kate Bush's first and only US TV appearance?

Kate Bush’s first and only US television appearance was on Saturday Night Live in December 1978. She performed The Man With the Child in His Eyes and Them Heavy People.

View all 32 questions View fewer questions

Audited & updated by

Emma has 8 years of editorial experience and a very clear idea of what a good biography looks like. At Famousy, she runs the editorial operation and decides what meets the bar and what doesn't. She's the kind of editor who remembers the profiles she pushed back on more clearly than the ones she approved. That's not a complaint. That's exactly why the site reads the way it does.

Published on July 1, 2026

Report an issue

If something on this page looks off, we genuinely want to know about it. Send us a quick email with the celebrity's name, the detail that seems incorrect, and any sources you're referencing. We review every report and update the page as soon as we can.

Report an issue