Melissa Rauch
Rauch in 2013
Born
Melissa Ivy Rauch

(1980-06-23) June 23, 1980 (age 43)
Marlboro Township, New Jersey, U.S.
Alma materMarymount Manhattan College
Occupations
  • Actress
  • comedian
Years active2006–present
Spouse
Winston Beigel
​
(m. 2007)​
Children2

Melissa Ivy Rauch (born June 23, 1980)[1] is an American actress. She is known for playing Bernadette Rostenkowski-Wolowitz on the CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory, for which she was nominated for the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in 2013. From 2004 to 2008, Rauch worked as a regular contributor on the VH1 series Best Week Ever. Rauch's other acting credits include playing Tina on the American remake of Kath & Kim, Summer on the HBO fantasy horror drama True Blood, and currently plays the lead role on NBC's revival of Night Court.

Rauch also starred in, co-wrote, and co-produced the 2015 sports comedy-drama film The Bronze and provided the voice of DC character Harley Quinn in the 2017 animated film Batman and Harley Quinn. Rauch also had supporting roles in I Love You, Man (2009), Ice Age: Collision Course and Flock of Dudes (both 2016), and Ode to Joy and The Laundromat (both 2019).

Early life

Rauch was born to Susan and David Rauch,[2][1] a Jewish[3][4] family living in Marlboro Township, New Jersey. She has a younger brother, Ben.[1] She developed an interest in acting while attending Marlboro High School.[5] Her Bat Mitzvah had a "Melissa’s Comedy Club" theme.[6] Rauch graduated from Marymount Manhattan College in New York City in 2002.[7]

Career

Some of Rauch's early work was as a regular contributor to VH1's Best Week Ever television show.[8]

In 2009, Rauch began playing the recurring role of Bernadette Rostenkowski-Wolowitz, a co-worker of Penny's at The Cheesecake Factory who began to date Howard Wolowitz, in the third season of TV's The Big Bang Theory.[9] The following season, her character became Howard's fiancée, and Rauch was promoted to a series regular. The characters married in the season five finale. In December 2011, Rauch and fellow cast members of The Big Bang Theory received the first of four nominations for the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series.[10][11][12][13]

Other acting credits include True Blood (in which she had a recurring role in 2010 as Summer, a girl who likes Hoyt), The Office, the American remake of the Australian TV series Kath & Kim, Wright v Wrong, and the film I Love You, Man.

Rauch is also part of the comedic stage show The Realest Real Housewives cast with Casey Wilson, June Diane Raphael, Jessica St. Clair and Danielle Schneider. The show began running at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in 2011.[14]

Rauch co-wrote and co-produced the film The Bronze, in which she starred as Hope Ann Greggory, a bronze medal-winning gymnast clinging to her glory days of 12 years earlier. It opened the 2015 Sundance Film Festival.[15] Variety said, "Rauch, who co-wrote the screenplay with her husband Winston, has never carried a film before. But she delivers the best breakthrough comedic performance by an actress since Melissa McCarthy in Bridesmaids."[15] Sony Pictures Classics acquired the film in September 2015.[16]

In 2017, Rauch voiced Harley Quinn in the animated film Batman and Harley Quinn[17] and she voiced Light Thief in "Light Riders" from Blaze and the Monster Machines.

She currently stars in the Night Court revival series playing Judge Abby Stone, the daughter of Judge Harold T. Stone and Gina Stone from the original Night Court series.[18] Season 1 premiered on NBC on January 17, 2023, and is co-produced by Rauch and her husband Winston Beigel, in association with Warner Bros. Television and Universal Television.

Personal life

Rauch is married to writer Winston Beigel, who collaborated with her on The Miss Education of Jenna Bush and other projects.[19][20][21][22] Rauch announced that she was pregnant on July 11, 2017, and disclosed that she had had a miscarriage previously.[23] On December 4, 2017, Rauch announced on Instagram that she had given birth to a baby girl.[24] On May 4, 2020, Rauch announced the birth of their son.[25][26]

Rauch modeled the voice of Bernadette after her parents: the "sweet, high-pitched purr" is modeled after her mother, while the "eerie, haranguing imitation" of Mrs. Wolowitz is modeled after her father.[21] Both are "very different" from Rauch's real voice.[27]

Filmography

Film
Year Title Role Notes
2006 Delirious Megan
2009 I Love You, Man Jogger
The Condom Killer Audra Short and also producer
Adventureland Woman in diner Uncredited
2013 In Lieu of Flowers Carrie
2014 Are You Here Marie
2015 The Bronze Hope Ann Greggory Also writer and executive producer
2016 Ice Age: Collision Course Francine Voice, cameo
Flock of Dudes Jamie
2017 Batman and Harley Quinn Harley Quinn / Dr. Harleen Quinzel Voice, direct-to-video[17]
2019 Ode to Joy Bethany
The Laundromat Melanie Martin
2020 Cats & Dogs 3: Paws Unite! Gwen the Cat Voice, direct-to-video
Television
Year Title Role Notes
2007 12 Miles of Bad Road Bethany 3 episodes
2008–2009 Kath & Kim Tina Season 1 (recurring; 6 episodes)
2009–2019 The Big Bang Theory Bernadette Rostenkowski-Wolowitz Season 3 (recurring; 5 episodes)
Season 4–12 (main role)
2010 The Office Cathy Duke Episode: "The Delivery"
True Blood Summer Season 3 (recurring; 6 episodes)
Wright vs. Wrong Daisy Cake Television film
2014 Jake and the Never Land Pirates First-Mate Mollie Voice, episode: "Smee-erella"
Teenage Fairytale Dropouts[28] Miss Macabre Episode: "Something Wicked This Way Substitutes"
The Hotwives of Orlando Calliope Episode: "Say You, Séance"
2015 Sofia the First Fairy Tizzy Voice, 2 episodes[29]
Scooby-Doo! and the Beach Beastie Kiki Voice, television film
2017 Star vs. the Forces of Evil Baby Voice, episode: "Baby"
Marvel's Ant-Man The Wasp Voice, 2 episodes
Blaze and the Monster Machines Light Thief Voice, episode: "Light Riders"
2019 Black Monday Shira 2 episodes
Robot Chicken Betty Spaghetty, Rainbow Brightstar Voice, episode: "Molly Lucero in: Your Friend's Boob"
2020 Animaniacs Marie Antoinette Voice, episode: "France France Revolution"
2021 Jeopardy! Melissa Rauch (voice) Season 38 (guest host; 10 episodes)
2022 Firebuds Beth Bayani Voice, 3 episodes
Celebrity Jeopardy! Herself Contestant
2023–present Night Court Judge Abby Stone Main role and also executive producer

References

  1. ^ a b c "Melissa Rauch: Biography". TVGuide.com. Archived from the original on July 29, 2016. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
  2. ^ "Winston Beigel". Broadwayworld.com. August 14, 2005. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved February 4, 2015. [Photo caption] Melissa Rauch with parents Susan & David Rauch, older brother Ben Rauch, and boyfriend Winston Beigel at The Miss Education of Jenna Bush
  3. ^ Deerwester, Jayme (November 17, 2011). "Mayim Bialik and Melissa Rauch Five Questions". USA Today. Archived from the original on April 15, 2015. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
  4. ^ Bloom, Nate (January 26, 2012). "Jewish Stars 1/27". Cleveland Jewish News. Archived from the original on October 8, 2019. Retrieved December 24, 2017.
  5. ^ Considine, Bob (May 17, 2011). "Take Five With Melissa Rauch". The Star-Ledger. Newark. Archived from the original on August 18, 2017. Retrieved February 4, 2015. I also had a terrific theater teacher at Marlboro High School who taught me a great deal and was very encouraging. There wasn't a ton to do in Marlboro, so for me, it was either hang outside the Wawa or put on a show.
  6. ^ "Mayim Bialik & Melissa Rauch Talk 'The Bronze,' Bat Mitzvahs & Big Bang's Jewish Rivalry". Kveller. March 16, 2016. Archived from the original on August 3, 2020. Retrieved March 16, 2020.
  7. ^ Mead, Wendy. "Melissa Rauch Biography: Television Actress (1980–)". Biography.com (FYI / A&E Networks). Archived from the original on October 8, 2016. Retrieved January 29, 2016.
  8. ^ "Profiles in Panelism: Melissa Rauch". Best Week Ever. May 29, 2008. Archived from the original on December 16, 2009. Retrieved January 2, 2010.
  9. ^ Riley, Jenelle (November 29, 2012). "'The Big Bang Theory' Cast On Being Part of an Ensemble". Backstage. Archived from the original on January 4, 2015. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
  10. ^ "Nominations Announced for the 18th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards®" (Press release). Screen Actors Guild. December 14, 2011. Archived from the original on January 6, 2012. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
  11. ^ "Nominations Announced for the 19th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards®" (Press release). Screen Actors Guild. December 12, 2012. Archived from the original on May 28, 2015. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
  12. ^ "Nominations Announced for the 20th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards®" (Press release). Screen Actors Guild. December 13, 2013. Archived from the original on October 16, 2015. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
  13. ^ Johnson, Zach (December 10, 2014). "SAG Awards 2015: Complete List of Nominations!". E! News. Archived from the original on September 27, 2017. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
  14. ^ Trachta, Ali (January 29, 2011). "The Realest Real Housewives at UCB: A Celebration of the Best Show Ever + Paul Scheer". LA Weekly. Archived from the original on September 27, 2017. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
  15. ^ a b Setoodeh, Ramin (January 23, 2015). "5 Reasons The Bronze Could be a Breakout Comedy in 2015". Variety. Archived from the original on November 6, 2016. Retrieved April 24, 2016.
  16. ^ Pedersen, Erik (September 11, 2015). "Ex-Relativity Pic The Bronze Lands at Sony Pictures Classics". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on August 22, 2016. Retrieved April 24, 2016.
  17. ^ a b Trumbore, Dave (August 30, 2017). "'Batman and Harley Quinn' Review: An Insult to Fans of 'Batman: The Animated Series'". Collider.com. Archived from the original on January 1, 2020. Retrieved January 1, 2020. I don't know if I can blame Melissa Rauch for any of this, but it was not a great introduction for her take on Harley.
  18. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (April 30, 2021). "'Night Court': EP Melissa Rauch Set To Star With John Larroquette In Sequel At NBC". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on May 1, 2021. Retrieved April 30, 2021.
  19. ^ Harper, Carol (June 6, 2014). "Melissa Rauch movie 'The Bronze' to shoot June 29 in Amherst". Morning Journal. Lisbon, Ohio. Archived from the original on May 15, 2016. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
  20. ^ Hawk, Jason (June 29, 2014). "'Bronze' to film downtown". Oberlin News. Archived from the original on July 26, 2014. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
  21. ^ a b Getlen, Larry (March 24, 2013). "Screaming success". New York Post. Archived from the original on September 21, 2015. Retrieved September 27, 2015.
  22. ^ Silverman, Stephen M. (August 19, 2005). "Jenna Bush Takes Center Stage in New York". People. Archived from the original on September 3, 2017. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
  23. ^ Rauch, Melissa (July 11, 2017). "'Big Bang Theory' Star Melissa Rauch Announces Her Pregnancy and Reflects on Previous Miscarriage". glamour.com. Archived from the original on September 3, 2017. Retrieved September 27, 2017.
  24. ^ "Actress Melissa Rauch Welcomes A 'Beautiful Baby Girl' Named Sadie". The Huffington Post. December 5, 2017. Archived from the original on December 7, 2017. Retrieved December 5, 2017.
  25. ^ "The Big Bang Theory's Melissa Rauch announces birth of her son Brooks". Metro. May 4, 2020. Archived from the original on May 18, 2020. Retrieved May 4, 2020.
  26. ^ "Big Bang Theory Star Melissa Rauch Welcomes Son Brooks — and Reveals She Gave Birth Alone". PEOPLE.com. Archived from the original on May 4, 2020. Retrieved May 4, 2020.
  27. ^ "Melissa Rauch of Big Bang Theory Does S&M-Inspired Photo Shoot for Maxim". The Huffington Post. November 16, 2013. Archived from the original on September 29, 2015. Retrieved September 27, 2015.
  28. ^ "Ánima Estudios – Mobile Uploads". facebook.com. Archived from the original on March 2, 2022. Retrieved December 10, 2014.
  29. ^ "Second Season of Disney Junior's Hit Series "Sofia the First" Debuts Friday, March 7 on Disney Channel". The Futon Critic (Press release). Disney Channel. February 7, 2014. Archived from the original on March 21, 2014. Retrieved February 4, 2015.

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