The Facts Of Life
NBC (ended 1988)
Cast & Crew
EDIT
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Charlotte Rae
Edna Garrett (1979-1986)
Charlotte Rae was born and raised on a farm in Wisconsin just as her character Edna Garrett was. Being the middle child, she never felt as though she fit in....her older sister Beverly was very secure and Mimi, her younger sister, was the cute one. She has said that she seemed to always be the woman character role and skipped her teenage years. She changed her last name to Rae whenever a radio station guy told her Lubotsky would not do. Charlotte Rae attended the college Northwestern in Evanston, IL. She was friends with Cloris Leachman there who later joined the cast of "The Facts of Life" when Charlotte left. Once she moved to NYC, she and Cloris Leachman became roommates. She started off as a singer. Charlotte Rae was married to John Strauss but divorced him just before her big break on "Diff'rent Strokes." They had two sons, Larry, and Andrew. As I understand it, her son Larry teaches in California and I have not been able to find information on her other son other than that he had autism and the character Andy on "The Facts of Life" was named after him....much information on her children contradicts itself on the internet. On the "E! True Hollywood Story," Geri Jewel mentioned she felt Charlotte had feelings towards her that had nothing to do with her, but rather her son. Charlotte, however, said that Geri just never felt comfortable around her. While she had made her mark on Broadway, her fame on the small screen was yet to come. Ms. Rae's claim to fame would most likely her role as Edna Garrett on "The Facts of Life." However she has had many note-worthy jobs in her life. She was Mrs. Garrett from 1979 through 1986. Then she felt as though her role as the girl's (from the show) main confidante was being lessened due to the fact that they were confiding in each other. So she said good-bye and the network brought Cloris Leachman in as her sister Beverly Ann. Currently, Charlotte Rae is working only when she wants to. She is enjoying her time at home and being with her son and grandchildren.moreless -
Lisa Whelchel
Blair Warner
Lisa Whelchel was born on May 29 in Littlefield, Texas. At age 13, her first professional acting experience was as a Mouseketeer for "The New Mickey Mouse Club." Ms. Whelchel is perhaps best known for her starring role as Blair Warner on NBC's "The Facts of Life" for nine years.
Ms. Whelchel also has several films to her credit, including the features "Where the Red Fern Grows, Part Two," and "The Double McGuffin," as well as numerous telefilms.
Ms. Whelchel's vocal and music writing talents have been acknowledged with her critically acclaimed debut solo album "All Because of You" for which she received a Grammy nomination as "Best Inspirational Album."
Her acting and vocal abilities have also been put to good use on the legitimate stage, including Kansas City's Starlight Theater where Ms. Whelchel performed the title role in "Peter Pan."
Ms. Whelchel is married and homeschools her three children. She is the author of "Creative Correction" published by Tyndale House released October 2000. The book has sold over 80,000 copies and received a Gold Medallion Nomination in the Family and Parenting Category.
Her second book "The Facts of Life and Other Lessons My Father Taught Me" published by Multnomah Publishers was released September 2001.
Her third book, "So You're Thinking About Homeschooling" was released April 2003.
Ms. Whelchel and her family went on a yearlong journey across America in an RV through July 2002moreless -
Mindy Cohn
Natalie Green
Mindy Cohn practically grew up on Facts of Life, the hit TV show she co-starred in, along with Lisa Whelchel, Nancy McKeon, Kim Fields, and Charlotte Rae. She played the part of a happy-go-lucky wisecracker named Natalie Green for 9 seasons (1979 - 88).Mindy rather lucked into the part of Natalie. Charlotte Rae had gone to an all girls school called Westlake in CA (the school Eastland was modeled after. In fact, Eastland was originally called Eastlake.) to try and authenticate scripts for the early episodes of The Facts of Life. After hearing Mindy, Charlotte Rae went up to her and said, "I would love to write a part for you in my new show." The part of Natalie was written especially for Mindy...and the rest is History.
Mindy Cohn is very intelligent and graduated from Loyola Marymount in 1995 with a degree in sociology. She can currently be heard as the voice of Velma Dinkley on The New Scooby Doo.moreless
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Kim Fields
Dorothy "Tootie" Ramsey
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Molly Ringwald
Molly Parker (1979-1980)
Molly Ringwald is an original Brat Pack member having starred in hit movies such as "The Breakfast Club", "Sixteen Candles", and "Pretty in Pink". Molly was born Roseville, California on February 18, 1968 to parents Robert Scott Ringwald, a blind jazz pianist, and Adele Edith. Molly also has two older siblings, Kelly and Elizabeth.moreless -
Felice Schachter
Nancy Olson (1979-1980)
Mother: Suzanne
Father: Alexander
Siblings: Simone and Janine
Felice studied ballet since the age of three and went on to study at The George Ballanchine's School of Ballet at age 8. At age 6 Felice joined the Bolshoi Ballet and NYC Ballet Co. She performed in both "Sleeping Beauty" and "Taming of the Shrew".
By age 12 she was featured in a Garry Gross pictorial ("Little Women") with Brooke Shields and another girl, which appeared in a special edition book published by Playboy. (Please Note: She was NOT nude in any of the photos).
By 1977 Felice branched into theater and appeared in two plays off-Broadway "The Innocents" and "Time and Time Again".
In 1978 Felice was the first girl selected to the original cast of the "Facts of Life". Unfortunately she was also the first one cut when the show retooled for its second season. Felice made several guest appearances on the show until 1986.
In 1981 Felice was cast in the role of Bernadette in the 1982 movie "Zapped" and starred opposite Scott Baio.
From 1978 into the mid 1980s Felice also made television appearances on "Diff'rent Strokes", "Love of Life", "NBC Quiz Kids", "The Adams Chronicles", "Alice". "ER" (1984), "The New Monkees", "Love American ", "Steve Martin's Twilight Theater" and "The David Letterman Show".
In 1982 Felice got her first taste of film production, working as an Assistant Director and Production Assistant, making Infomercials, Commercials and Corporate Films.
In June of 1985, Felice obtained a B.A. in Semiotics at Brown University.
In the mid 80s Felice became involved in sports broadcasting working for CBS Sports and Prime Ticket Network. She was featured as NHL Gossip Reporter "Vera Vixen".
In 1990 she was again in the spotlight as the "1990 St. Pauli Girl", which was featured as an additional centerfold in Playboy.
Making a departure from the public eye, Felice turned her talents to film production full time. Felice has worked on such film and television projects as "Magic Island", "After The Game" the pilot for "JAG", "Uncle Sam", "Twilight of the Golds", "High Tide", "Born Free", "The Citizen", "Waiting For The Monkeys", "The Citizen" "Waste Land", "Jackie", "Knockaround Guys" and "30 Years to Life" She was the Production Coordinator for the series "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit".moreless -
Julie Anne Haddock
Cindy Webster (1979-1980)
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Julie Piekarski
Sue Ann Weaver (1979-1980)
From The NEW Mickey Mouse Club Funbook Julie, born on January 2, 1963, in St. Louis, Missouri, is the daughter of Jeanette and Bernard Piekarski. She has been taking dancing lessons since she was four years old and can do everything from classical ballet to belly dancing. As a winner of several local and regional talent shows, Julie has over twenty-five trophies. Besides appearing in local talent shows, she has danced for civic groups, service clubs and other charitable organizations. She has also performed in the St. Louis Municipal Opera productions of "The Wizard of Oz" and "Snow White". When Julie's mother saw an article in TV Guide that Walt Disney Productions was going on a nation- wide talent search for "The New Mickey Mouse Club," she hoped that Julie would have a chance to audition. A friend of the family, who worked on advance publicity campaigns for "Disney on Parade" in St. Louis, called the Disney Studio for information. Virginia Martindale, the casting director of "The New Club" advised Julie to send in pictures and a resume of her work. The first big surprise came when Julie received a letter telling her that auditions for the mid-west were to be held in Chicago. Julie, her family and friends drove over three hundred miles from her hometown in Florissant, Missouri, to make the auditions. Michael Wuergler, the producer, liked Julie and requested that she make an additional tape to show his co-producer, Ed Ropolo, back at Disney Studio. A week after Julie made the tape, she got a phone call informing her that she was selected as a "New Mouseketeer." ---------------------------------------------------------- Julie went on to be a part of the first year cast of Facts of Life. Following that she appeared in a number of TV shows and Movies shown on this page. Currently Julie is concentrating on her family, 2 sons, 1 daughter and husband Johnmoreless -
Jenny O'Hara
Miss Emily Mahoney (1979)
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John Lawlor
Steven Bradley (1979-1980)
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Nancy McKeon
Joanne "Jo" Polniaczek (1980-1988)
Nancy McKeon was born in Westbury, New York on April 4, 1966. Her only sibling is an older brother named Philip, who is also an actor. She was born to Barbara and Don McKeon. The "Big Break" that every actor dreams of came along by accident for young Nancy. Her brother, at the suggestion of a friend of his fathers, was going to an audition to try out for a role in a commercial. Little Nancy was supposed to be left with a baby-sitter but she canceled at the last minute... so Nancy tagged along to the audition. In the end, she won the part instead of her brother. Nancy and Philip have appeared together in over 60 commercials. This audition lead to other modeling contracts with Sears catalogs, The New York Times, and other fashion shows. It took three years of auditioning before Nancy had a role on a television series. But when she was twelve she landed a role on Starsky and Hutch. This led to numerous other television roles, not to leave out The Facts of Life. Rarely has an actress been able to combine the elements of comedy and drama as successfully as Nancy McKeon. Best known to television audiences as Jo, the streetwise tomboy on one of the long-running NBC series The Facts of Life, Nancy has continually demonstrated her wide range of talents that have marked her as a leading actress and producer.moreless -
Pamela Adlon
Kelly Affinado (1983-1984)
Pamela Adlon (born in 1966 in New York City, New York) provides voices of many famous characters of memorable kids' shows. She is best known for providing the voice of Bobby Hill on the animated series King of the Hill, And Ashley Spinelli in the Disney hit "Recess". She is also sometimes credited as Pamela Segall and Pamela Segall Adlon. She currently performs the voice of Andy in Cartoon Network's new Squirrel Boy animated series, co-stared with Louis C.K. in the HBO sitcom Lucky Louie and is an executive producer and has made sporadic appearances with Louis C.K. in the FX sitcom Louie.
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Ryan Cassidy
Kevin Metcalf (1985)
Ryan John Cassidy was born February 23, 1966, in Santa Monica, California. He is the youngest of the Cassidy brothers and, as he has been known to point out, the one few people know about or remember. He is often placed into context with brothers David (half-brother), Shaun and Patrick or parents Shirley Jones and the late Jack Cassidy, all of whom have had long, successful careers in film, television, theater and the recording industry. At first Ryan was unswayed by the lure of show business and considered a career in law enforcement. However, after graduating from Beverly Hills High School in 1984, he embarked on an acting career that lasted through the late '80s. During this time, he appeared in the Lionel Ritchie music video "Penny Lover", the NBC sitcom "The Facts of Life" in the sixth season as Kevin Metcalf (a role designed around Ryan himself) and as Jake Hittman in an episode of the short-lived CBS series "Jesse Hawkes". He left show business in the '90s and pursued different avenues, finally settling on work behind the scenes. In the spring of 2000, Ryan decided to actively re-establish himself as an actor and is pursuing more dramatic roles.moreless -
MacKenzie Astin
Andy Moffet (1985-1988)
MacKenzie Alexander Astin is the child of actress Patty Duke and actor/writer/director John Astin of The Addams Family fame. His older brother is Sean Astin who starred in Peter Jackson's the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. MacKenzie started acting at an early age, when he was eight he went to the set of a movie of the week with his mother and decided it was fun and wanted to act himself. "Mackie" as his mother called him, acting debut was in a TV movie called Lois Gibbs and the Love Canal.He went on to co-star with Charlotte Rae in TV's The Facts of Life when he was thirteen. He guest stars on television shows now and does an occassional film. MacKenzie lives in LA.moreless -
George Clooney
George Burnett (1985-1986)
As the nephew of the late singer Rosemary Clooney, and the son of a TV newscaster, you might think George Clooney had a leg up in showbiz. However, it's George's powers of suave dapperness that have made him a big movie star.
In 1994 George landed the role of Dr. Ross on the long-running hit E.R. and soon after he began appearing in films. Some of his notable movies include Batman and Robin, Out of Sight, O Brother Where Art Thou, and Ocean's Eleven.
George vowed never to remarry after his assumedly bad experience with his first wife, Talia Balsam.moreless -
Cloris Leachman
Beverly Ann Stickle (1986-1988)
Cloris Leachman was born in Des Moines, Iowa, to Buck and Cloris Leachman. She majored in drama at Northwestern University, and competed in Miss America as Miss Chicago 1946. There she won a scholarship that let her go on studying acting in New York with Elia Kazan. Over the years Cloris has been nominated for a daytime Emmy more than 20 times for her work in television. She also won an Oscar for The Last Picture Show 1971. Even in 2006 she was nominated for an Emmy for her participation in the HBO special Mrs. Harris, with Sir Ben Kinglsey and Annette Bening.moreless -
Sherrie Krenn
Pippa McKenna (1987-1988)
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Alex Rocco
Charlie Polniaczek
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Cheryl Epps
Terry
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Geri Jewell
Geri Tyler
Geri Jewell, best known for many years to millions as "Cousin Geri" from the ground-breaking NBC sitcom, "The Facts of Life", is changing her look. She currently has the role as " Jewel" on the new, and Emmy Award winning HBO series, "Deadwood" and portrays the character of Rosey on the daytime series, "The Young and the Restless". Geri started her acting career as the personal choice of famed producer Norman Lear for her role as Cousin Geri. With this role she became the first person with a visible disability to become a regular performer on a primetime sitcom. During her long run on the show she broke important new ground by addressing issues of disability awareness. Geri is not only is an exceptional actress and comedienne, but is a powerful motivational speaker and trainer. She is famous for her uncanny ability to captivate the hearts of audiences by using humor to facilitate attitude changes. Geri brings to her presentations personal experience of having her behavior and actions misunderstood because of her cerebral palsy. By sharing her disability as her greatest blessing, and revealing insights about the world, Geri turns the focus from disabilities to a true celebration of ability, resulting in an inspiring, empowering and healing experience. In addition to her on-going speaking tours to college campuses, associations, corporations and government agencies, Geri performs on the comedy circuit and has appeared on VH 1 and A & E. Recently she was the focus of an "Entertainment Tonight" special segment. Geri is well-schooled on issues relating to diversity and disabilities and is available to deliver keynote addresses and workshops on such titles as: Celebrating Abilities Valuing Diversity "You are a tremendously bright, witty and endearing person, both on stage and off. Your speech was one of the true highlights of our conference: at the same time hilarious, moving, inspirational, and thought- provoking. I admire your dedication and your stamina...and appreciate the importance of the message that you deliver. Jeff Schimber, Sr. VP Marriott Corporation "Geri was wonderful! Every call I get from participants at our conference raves about her sense of humor and her ability to make them think more positively about their potential to be whatever they want to be." Sherry Repscher, Executive Director Utah Governor's Committee on Disabilitiesmoreless -
Roger Perry
Mr. Parker
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Marj Dusay
Monica Warner
The beautiful and talented Marj Dusay has lit up both the big screen and the small screen with her stunning portrayals for more than 40 years, beginning her career as a waitress in the Elvis Presley vehicle, Clambake (1967). She made numerous guest appearances on popular TV shows in the late-'60's and 1970's. In 1977, she starred as Jean MacArthur alongside Gregory Peck in the film MacArthur. She closed her career working on soaps - including Days of Our Lives, All My Children and Guiding Light (where she was nominated for a special fan award as "America's Favorite Villain"). Her work on soaps earned her five Emmy nominations. Marj married her childhood sweetheart, John Dusay, in 1955 and together they had two children. After they divorced in 1961, she married Thomas Perine (1967). He died in 1988 and she never remarried again. Her daughter is actress Debra Dusay and her son, who died of AIDS in 1993, was named Randall.moreless -
Todd Hollowell
Jeff
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Felice Schachter
Nancy Olson
Mother: Suzanne
Father: Alexander
Siblings: Simone and Janine
Felice studied ballet since the age of three and went on to study at The George Ballanchine's School of Ballet at age 8. At age 6 Felice joined the Bolshoi Ballet and NYC Ballet Co. She performed in both "Sleeping Beauty" and "Taming of the Shrew".
By age 12 she was featured in a Garry Gross pictorial ("Little Women") with Brooke Shields and another girl, which appeared in a special edition book published by Playboy. (Please Note: She was NOT nude in any of the photos).
By 1977 Felice branched into theater and appeared in two plays off-Broadway "The Innocents" and "Time and Time Again".
In 1978 Felice was the first girl selected to the original cast of the "Facts of Life". Unfortunately she was also the first one cut when the show retooled for its second season. Felice made several guest appearances on the show until 1986.
In 1981 Felice was cast in the role of Bernadette in the 1982 movie "Zapped" and starred opposite Scott Baio.
From 1978 into the mid 1980s Felice also made television appearances on "Diff'rent Strokes", "Love of Life", "NBC Quiz Kids", "The Adams Chronicles", "Alice". "ER" (1984), "The New Monkees", "Love American ", "Steve Martin's Twilight Theater" and "The David Letterman Show".
In 1982 Felice got her first taste of film production, working as an Assistant Director and Production Assistant, making Infomercials, Commercials and Corporate Films.
In June of 1985, Felice obtained a B.A. in Semiotics at Brown University.
In the mid 80s Felice became involved in sports broadcasting working for CBS Sports and Prime Ticket Network. She was featured as NHL Gossip Reporter "Vera Vixen".
In 1990 she was again in the spotlight as the "1990 St. Pauli Girl", which was featured as an additional centerfold in Playboy.
Making a departure from the public eye, Felice turned her talents to film production full time. Felice has worked on such film and television projects as "Magic Island", "After The Game" the pilot for "JAG", "Uncle Sam", "Twilight of the Golds", "High Tide", "Born Free", "The Citizen", "Waiting For The Monkeys", "The Citizen" "Waste Land", "Jackie", "Knockaround Guys" and "30 Years to Life" She was the Production Coordinator for the series "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit".moreless -
Loren Lester
Roy
Loren Lester started his career as a teenager when he played Fritz Hansel in Rock 'n' Roll High School.
His next most notable performance was as Roy in The Facts of Life, where he reacurred as a guest star frequently.
After that he has appeared as a voice-over on several animated shows, most notable is his performance as Robin in Batman: The Animated Series, and Nightwing in Batman: Gotham Knights.
Since then he has made minor appearances on several shows and movies such as Gilmore Girls, Las Vegas, Scrubs, Without a Trace, Desperate Housewives, American Wedding, and The Sweetest Thing.
He has also voiced characters in a few Spider-Man games.
He is currently a reacurring character named Howard Meyer on General Hospital.
He is a graduate of Occidental College's theatre department and has starred in dozen of plays and musicals.
Loren and his wife Kelly are the proud parents of three daughters.moreless -
Paul Provenza
Casey Clark
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Nicolas Coster
David Warner
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David Tiefen
Guy
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Woody Brown
Cliff
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Ken Lerner
Max
Ken Lerner came to Los Angeles in 1975 after studying in New York with Stella Adler and appearing in off-off Broadway shows. He was immediately, cast in Happy Days, the #1 show in the country, where he preceded to secure recurring roles as tough guy Frankie Bing Bong, Demolition Derby driver Rocko Malacchi, and Fonzie's best friend, Rocko Baruffi. That same month, Ken got the lead in an AFI movie, Hot Tomorrows. The student film effort of director Marty Brest (Scent of A Woman, Beverly Hills Cop), Hot Tomorrows went on to the New York and Los Angeles film festivals, becoming a cult favorite. Ken has continued to work in TV, movies, and commercials for the last 25 years, making his a recognizable face everywhere he goes. He has appeared in more than 50 top television shows, including NYPD Blue, Chicago Hope, ER, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Judging Amy, The Drew Carey Show, Dharma and Greg, Beverly Hills 90210, JAG, LA Law, Family Ties, Newhart, The Commish and Hill Street Blues. Ken's major film roles include Unlawful Entry, the Doctor, The Fabulous Baker Boys, Running Man, The Story of Us, Immediate Family, Irreconcilable Differences, Project X and many others. Ken has also starred in memorable commercials for Snickers, Federal Express, Immodium, McDonald's, Toyota, Delta Airlines, Kitchen Aid and others. Ken's theatrical appearances include the murderous Jonathan in Arsenic and Old Lace at Garry Marshall's Falcon Theater, and the frazzled bureau chief in the West Coast premiere of El Salvador Ken began teaching for his mentor, the late Roy London, who gave Ken the honor of being his first student teacher. Ken has been teaching cold reading and scene study classes for the past 12 years and has helped numerous actors get jobs in movies, TV shows and pilots.moreless
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Categories
Comedy
Themes
Absent Parent, Buddies And Gal Pals, Catchy Soundtrack, Feel Good Comedy, For The Nostalgic
