Mindy Cohn
Encyclopedia
Mindy Heather Cohn is an American
actress, comedian
known for her role as Natalie Green, the smart, overweight student of Edna Garrett (played by Charlotte Rae
), on the TV show The Facts of Life
, and also being the current voice for Velma Dinkley
in the Scooby-Doo
franchise, which she has held since 2002.
She currently resides in Beverly Hills.
. She was discovered by actress Charlotte Rae
when Rae and other producers of The Facts of Life visited Westlake School
in Bel Air, California, while doing research for the show.
Cohn was cast in the role of Natalie and portrayed the character for the entire run of the series, from 1979 to 1988, as well in the reunion movie of 2001. The impact of her work on The Facts of Life was honored when she was ranked 43 on VH1's List of 100 Greatest Kids Stars. She also had a lot of fun working with series' lead, Charlotte Rae, for 7 of 9 seasons, both on- and off-camera. As of 2011, Cohn continues to keep in touch with the beloved TV star.
Cohn has continued with her acting career outside of The Facts of Life. In 1986, she appeared in The Boy Who Could Fly
playing the part of 'Geneva'. She also had guest appearances in other popular TV shows such as in Charles In Charge
in the episode "Bottle Baby" playing Buddy's sister Bunny, a young alcoholic, in 1988, as well as two guest appearances in the second season of the cop drama 21 Jump Street
, in the episodes "Christmas In Saigon" in 1987 and "Chapel of Love" in 1988 playing Rosa.
In 2003 she was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award
for her work on the TV show What's New Scooby Doo?, where she did the voice of Velma Dinkley
. She also reprised her role of Velma on Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated along with several Scooby Doo movies.
She also received a positive notice from Variety
in her role in the 2007 Daniel Waters
directed comedy film Sex and Death 101
.
Cohn said that one of the reasons she did The Facts of Life Reunion film in 2001 was because she claims that the actors in the long-running series have been wrongly denied a cut of the syndication and DVD
profits from the series. "We all never got paid and still don't get paid for DVDs and reruns ... we felt we were owed."
In 2010, she played the role of Violet, the leading character in Casper Andreas' movie Violet Tendencies.
On October 29, 2010, she appeared on the Season 8 premiere of TLC's What Not to Wear.
On July 13, 2011, she appeared in an episode of Hot in Cleveland.
In addition to her acting career, she has earned a degree in cultural anthropology
from Loyola Marymount University
and is a founding member of the weSpark cancer
support center.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actress, comedian
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
known for her role as Natalie Green, the smart, overweight student of Edna Garrett (played by Charlotte Rae
Charlotte Rae
Charlotte Rae is a prolific American character actress of stage, comedienne, singer and dancer, who in her six decades of television is perhaps best known for her portrayal of Edna Garrett in the sitcoms Diff'rent Strokes and The Facts of Life...
), on the TV show The Facts of Life
The Facts of Life (TV series)
The Facts of Life is an American sitcom that originally ran on the NBC television network from August 24, 1979 to May 7, 1988. A spin-off of the sitcom Diff'rent Strokes, the series' premise focused on Edna Garrett as she becomes a housemother at the fictional Eastland School, a prestigious...
, and also being the current voice for Velma Dinkley
Velma Dinkley
Velma Dace Dinkley is a fictional character in the American television animated series Scooby-Doo. She is prone to losing her glasses. She is usually seen wearing a baggy orange sweater, short pleated skirt , knee socks, and Mary Janes...
in the Scooby-Doo
Scooby-Doo
Scooby-Doo is an American media franchise based around several animated television series and related works produced from 1969 to the present day. The original series, Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!, was created for Hanna-Barbera Productions by writers Joe Ruby and Ken Spears in 1969...
franchise, which she has held since 2002.
She currently resides in Beverly Hills.
Life and career
Cohn was born in Los Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
. She was discovered by actress Charlotte Rae
Charlotte Rae
Charlotte Rae is a prolific American character actress of stage, comedienne, singer and dancer, who in her six decades of television is perhaps best known for her portrayal of Edna Garrett in the sitcoms Diff'rent Strokes and The Facts of Life...
when Rae and other producers of The Facts of Life visited Westlake School
Harvard-Westlake School
Harvard-Westlake School is an independent, co-educational university preparatory day school consisting of two campuses located in Los Angeles, California with approximately 1,600 students enrolled in grades 7 through 12....
in Bel Air, California, while doing research for the show.
Cohn was cast in the role of Natalie and portrayed the character for the entire run of the series, from 1979 to 1988, as well in the reunion movie of 2001. The impact of her work on The Facts of Life was honored when she was ranked 43 on VH1's List of 100 Greatest Kids Stars. She also had a lot of fun working with series' lead, Charlotte Rae, for 7 of 9 seasons, both on- and off-camera. As of 2011, Cohn continues to keep in touch with the beloved TV star.
Cohn has continued with her acting career outside of The Facts of Life. In 1986, she appeared in The Boy Who Could Fly
The Boy Who Could Fly
The Boy Who Could Fly is a 1986 film written and directed by Nick Castle. It was produced by Lorimar Productions for 20th Century Fox and released to movie theatres on August 14, 1986....
playing the part of 'Geneva'. She also had guest appearances in other popular TV shows such as in Charles In Charge
Charles in Charge
Charles in Charge is an American sitcom series which starred Scott Baio as Charles, a 19-year-old student at the fictional Copeland College in New Jersey, who worked as a live-in babysitter in exchange for room and board...
in the episode "Bottle Baby" playing Buddy's sister Bunny, a young alcoholic, in 1988, as well as two guest appearances in the second season of the cop drama 21 Jump Street
21 Jump Street
21 Jump Street is an American police procedural crime drama television series that aired on the Fox Network from April 12, 1987, to April 27, 1991, with a total of 103 episodes. The series focused on a squad of youthful-looking undercover police officers investigating crimes in high schools,...
, in the episodes "Christmas In Saigon" in 1987 and "Chapel of Love" in 1988 playing Rosa.
In 2003 she was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award
30th Daytime Emmy Awards
The 30th Daytime Emmy Awards ceremony, commemorating excellence in American daytime programming from 2002, was held on May 16, 2003 at Radio City Music Hall in New York City...
for her work on the TV show What's New Scooby Doo?, where she did the voice of Velma Dinkley
Velma Dinkley
Velma Dace Dinkley is a fictional character in the American television animated series Scooby-Doo. She is prone to losing her glasses. She is usually seen wearing a baggy orange sweater, short pleated skirt , knee socks, and Mary Janes...
. She also reprised her role of Velma on Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated along with several Scooby Doo movies.
She also received a positive notice from Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
in her role in the 2007 Daniel Waters
Daniel Waters (writer)
Daniel "Dan" Waters is an American screenwriter and film director. He is the older brother of director Mark Waters.-Screenwriting credits:...
directed comedy film Sex and Death 101
Sex and Death 101
Sex and Death 101 is a 2007 dark comedy science fiction film written and directed by Daniel Waters released in the United States on April 4, 2008...
.
Cohn said that one of the reasons she did The Facts of Life Reunion film in 2001 was because she claims that the actors in the long-running series have been wrongly denied a cut of the syndication and DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
profits from the series. "We all never got paid and still don't get paid for DVDs and reruns ... we felt we were owed."
In 2010, she played the role of Violet, the leading character in Casper Andreas' movie Violet Tendencies.
On October 29, 2010, she appeared on the Season 8 premiere of TLC's What Not to Wear.
On July 13, 2011, she appeared in an episode of Hot in Cleveland.
In addition to her acting career, she has earned a degree in cultural anthropology
Cultural anthropology
Cultural anthropology is a branch of anthropology focused on the study of cultural variation among humans, collecting data about the impact of global economic and political processes on local cultural realities. Anthropologists use a variety of methods, including participant observation,...
from Loyola Marymount University
Loyola Marymount University
Loyola Marymount University is a comprehensive co-educational private Roman Catholic university in the Jesuit and Marymount traditions located in Los Angeles, California, United States...
and is a founding member of the weSpark cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
support center.