Melissa Rauch facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Melissa Rauch
Rauch in 2013
Born	Melissa Ivy Rauch (1980-06-23) June 23, 1980 (age 45) Marlboro Township, New Jersey, U.S.
Alma mater	Marymount Manhattan College
Occupation	Actress
Years active	2006–present
Spouse(s)	Winston Beigel ​ (m. 2007)​
Children	2

Melissa Ivy Rauch (/raʊʃ/; born June 23, 1980) is an American actress. She is most famous for playing Bernadette Rostenkowski-Wolowitz on the TV show The Big Bang Theory. For this role, she was nominated for an award in 2013. From 2004 to 2008, Rauch was a regular on the VH1 series Best Week Ever.

Melissa Rauch has also played Tina on the American version of Kath & Kim. She was Summer on the HBO show True Blood. Currently, she plays the main role on NBC's new Night Court series. She also starred in, co-wrote, and co-produced the 2015 movie The Bronze. She voiced the DC character Harley Quinn in the 2017 animated film Batman and Harley Quinn.

Early Life and Education

Melissa Rauch was born on June 23, 1980. Her parents are Susan and David Rauch. They are a Jewish family living in Marlboro Township, New Jersey. Melissa has a younger brother named Ben.

She became interested in acting when she attended Marlboro High School. Her Bat Mitzvah party even had a "Melissa’s Comedy Club" theme! After high school, Rauch graduated from Marymount Manhattan College in New York City in 2002.

Acting Career Highlights

Melissa Rauch's early work included being a regular on the VH1 TV show Best Week Ever.

Starring in The Big Bang Theory

In 2009, Rauch started playing a character named Bernadette Rostenkowski-Wolowitz. She was a co-worker of Penny's at The Cheesecake Factory. Bernadette began dating Howard Wolowitz in the third season of CBS's The Big Bang Theory.

In the next season, her character became Howard's fiancée. Melissa Rauch was then made a main cast member. Bernadette and Howard got married in the fifth season finale. Melissa and her fellow cast members received several nominations for a Screen Actors Guild Award. This award is for the best group performance in a comedy show.

Other TV Shows and Movies

Melissa Rauch has appeared in many other TV shows. She had a recurring role in True Blood in 2010 as Summer. She also appeared in The Office and the American version of Kath & Kim. She was also in the TV film Wright v Wrong.

She was part of a comedy stage show called The Realest Real Housewives. This show started at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in 2011.

Writing and Producing Films

Rauch co-wrote and co-produced the movie The Bronze. In this film, she played Hope Ann Greggory. Hope was a bronze medal-winning gymnast who was still living in her past glory. The movie was shown at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival. Critics praised Rauch's performance in the film.

In 2017, Melissa Rauch voiced Harley Quinn in the animated movie Batman and Harley Quinn. She also voiced Light Thief in an episode of Blaze and the Monster Machines.

Current Role in Night Court

Currently, Melissa Rauch stars in the new Night Court series. She plays Judge Abby Stone. Abby is the daughter of Judge Harold T. Stone from the original Night Court show. The first season of the new Night Court started on NBC on January 17, 2023. Melissa Rauch and her husband, Winston Beigel, are also executive producers for the show.

Personal Life

Melissa Rauch is married to writer Winston Beigel. They have worked together on several projects. On December 4, 2017, Melissa announced she had given birth to a baby girl. On May 4, 2020, she announced the birth of their son.

Melissa Rauch used her parents' voices as inspiration for her character Bernadette on The Big Bang Theory. The "sweet, high-pitched purr" of Bernadette is like her mother's voice. The "eerie, haranguing imitation" of Mrs. Wolowitz is like her father's voice. These voices are very different from Melissa's real voice.

Filmography

Film Roles

Television Roles

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Melissa Rauch para niños