Mindy Cohn

Last updated
Mindy Cohn
Mindy Cohn by Gage Skidmore.jpg
Cohn in October 2019
Born (1966-05-20) May 20, 1966 (age 57)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Alma mater Loyola Marymount University
OccupationActress
Years active1979–present
Known for

Mindy Cohn (born May 20, 1966) is an American actress. She starred as Natalie Green in the sitcom The Facts of Life from 1979 to 1988, [1] and is known for voicing Velma Dinkley in the Scooby-Doo franchise from 2002 to 2015, succeeding B. J. Ward, before being succeeded herself by Kate Micucci. [2] Cohn appeared on VH1's List of "100 Greatest Kid Stars". [3]

Contents

Early life

Cohn was born in Los Angeles and was raised Jewish. [4]

Career

Cohn was discovered by actress Charlotte Rae when Rae and the producers of The Facts of Life visited Westlake School in Holmby Hills, California, while doing research for the show; [5] she had been asked by the principal to be a student tour guide for the group, who found themselves enchanted by her natural comic instincts as she led them around the campus. [6] Cohn was cast as Natalie Green and portrayed the character for the series' nine-year run (1979–1988), as well as in the reunion movie (2001). [7] In 2013, she commented on Charlotte Rae's lobbying on her behalf: "Mr. Reynolds calls me into his office. It seemed that Charlotte Rae had fallen madly in love with me, in part because I reminded her of her best childhood friend Natalie—and I was irrepressible, charming, and hilarious. So she asked the producers to create a part for me in the show. Honestly, the whole thing seemed so fantastic I didn’t know what to think." [8] After the show, she remained friends with Rae. Two months before her acting mentor's 90th birthday in 2016, when Cohn was unavailable to attend The Facts of Life reunion interview, she sent Rae a video message praising her decades-long friend for teaching her the craft of acting. [9] Cohn said that one of the reasons she did The Facts of Life Reunion in 2001 was that the actresses in the long-running 1980s 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." [10]

Cohn has continued her acting career outside of The Facts of Life. In 1984 she had a leading role as the daughter alongside Stockard Channing in RKO's video production of Table Settings. In 1986, she appeared in The Boy Who Could Fly as next-door neighbor Geneva. She also had guest appearances in other popular TV shows, including Charles in Charge (playing Buddy's sister Bunny, a young alcoholic, in the 1988 episode "Bottle Baby"), and two guest appearances in the second season of the cop drama 21 Jump Street (playing Rosa in the 1987 episode "Christmas In Saigon" and the 1988 episode "Chapel of Love"). In 2004 Cohn appeared in the WB comedy The Help . In 2010, Cohn played the role of Violet, the leading character in Casper Andreas's movie Violet Tendencies, and appeared on the Season 8 premiere of TLC's What Not to Wear on October 29, 2010. She appeared in an episode of Hot in Cleveland on July 13, 2011, on The Secret Life of the American Teenager on March 26, 2012, in Judson Theatre Company's Bell, Book and Candle in 2013, [11] and in The Middle on May 21, 2014. Cohn reprised her Velma Dinkley role in Lego Dimensions . [12]

Personal life

Mindy Cohn is a breast cancer survivor, having been diagnosed with it in 2012 and was declared cancer-free in 2017. [13] Cohn is a strong supporter of the LGBT community and has stated that she is proud to be a "fag hag". [14] [15] She has a degree in cultural anthropology from Loyola Marymount University [16] and is a founding member of the weSpark cancer support center. [17]

Filmography

Actress

YearTitleRoleNotes
1979–88 The Facts of Life Natalie Green, FrenchieMain cast (201 episodes)
1980–81 Diff'rent Strokes Natalie Green Episodes: "The Slumber Party", "The Older Man"
1982 The Facts of Life Goes to Paris TV film
1984RosieCheryl JapanEpisode: "The Interview Show"
1985 Double Trouble Janie BlakemoreEpisode: "Funny Girl"
1986 The Boy Who Could Fly Geneva GoodmanFeature film
1987 The Facts of Life Down Under Natalie GreenTV film
1987–88 21 Jump Street Rosa BanducciEpisodes: "Christmas in Saigon", "Chapel of Love"
1988 Charles in Charge Bunny LembeckEpisode: "Bottle Baby"
1991 Dream On MarieEpisode: "Toby or Not Toby"
1993–94 The Second Half Maureen TuckerMain cast (13 episodes)
1999 Suddenly Susan CindyEpisode: "Revenge of the Gophers"
The Chimp Channel Candy Yuponce (voice)Main cast (13 episodes)
2001Alone with a StrangerToniFeature film
Virtually CaseyJoanne CollinsTV film
The Facts of Life Reunion Natalie GreenTV film
2002Under the GunGaleFeature film
2003 One on One Ms. SorelEpisode: "Daddy, I Don't Need an Edumacation"
Swing MarthaFeature film
2004 The Help Maggie, the CookMain cast (7 episodes)
2005The Adventures of Tango McNorton: Licensed HeroLunch LadyShort film
The Third WishBridgetteFeature film
2007 Sex and Death 101 TrixieFeature film
2010 Violet Tendencies VioletFeature film
2011 Hot in Cleveland CassieEpisode: "Love Thy Neighbor"
2012 The Secret Life of the American Teenager Dylan's MomRecurring role (8 episodes)
2013Holiday Road TripArtieTV film
2014 The Middle KimberlyEpisode: "The Wonderful World of Hecks"
Operation MarriageKathyShort film
Bones ValentinaEpisode: "The Puzzler in the Pit"
FreakMeAprilTV pilot episode (unaired)
2015You're Killing MeKarenFeature film
2016 Worst Cooks in America Herself (contestant) Season 9: Celebrity Edition 2 (8 episodes)
A Cinderella ChristmasZeldaTV film
2017Hollywood DirtThelmaFeature film
2018FlyAir Traffic Controller Camille FieldsRecurring role (8 episodes)
Long Island MediumHerself
2019You Light Up My ChristmasRoseTV movie features surviving original cast of The Facts of Life . [18]
Not a "The Facts of Life" Christmas movie.
2020 A Nice Girl Like You Priscilla BlumFeature film
2021 Live in Front of a Studio Audience HerselfEpisode: "The Facts of Life and Diff'rent Strokes "
2024 Palm Royale AnnTV miniseries
Mother Father Sister Brother Frank Joy JenningsFeature film [19]

Voice work

YearTitleVoice roleNotes
1999–2001 The Kids from Room 402 Nancy FrancisTV series (34 episodes)
2002–2006 What's New, Scooby-Doo? Velma Dinkley TV series (41 episodes) [ citation needed ]
2003 Dexter's Laboratory LibrarianEpisode: "Voice Over/Blonde Leading the Blonde/Comic Stripper"
Kim Possible Ms. WhispEpisode: "Naked Genius"
2004 Scooby-Doo! and the Loch Ness Monster Velma DinkleyDirect-to-video film
2005 Aloha, Scooby-Doo! Direct-to-video film
Scooby-Doo! in Where's My Mummy? Direct-to-video film
2006 Scooby-Doo! Pirates Ahoy! Direct-to-video film
Family Guy Natalie Green Episode: "Prick Up Your Ears"
Shaggy & Scooby-Doo Get a Clue! Velma DinkleyEpisodes: "Shags to Riches" and "Almost Ghosts" [ citation needed ]
2007 Chill Out, Scooby-Doo! Direct-to-video film
2008 Scooby-Doo! and the Goblin King Direct-to-video film
2009 Scooby-Doo! and the Samurai Sword Direct-to-video film
2010 Scooby-Doo! Abracadabra-Doo Direct-to-video film
2010–13 Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated TV series (52 episodes)
2010 Scooby-Doo! Camp Scare Direct-to-video film
2011 Batman: The Brave and the Bold Velma Dinkley / Ticket GirlEpisode: "Bat-Mite Presents: Batman's Strangest Cases!"
Scooby-Doo! Legend of the Phantosaur Velma DinkleyDirect-to-video film
2012 Scooby-Doo! Music of the Vampire Direct-to-video film
Scooby-Doo! Spooky Games Direct-to-video short
Big Top Scooby-Doo! Direct-to-video film
Scooby-Doo! Haunted Holidays Direct-to-video short
2013 Scooby-Doo! Mask of the Blue Falcon Direct-to-video film
Scooby-Doo! Stage Fright Direct-to-video film
Scooby-Doo! and the Spooky Scarecrow Direct-to-video short
Scooby-Doo! Mecha Mutt Menace Direct-to-video short
2014 Scooby-Doo! WrestleMania Mystery Direct-to-video film
Scooby-Doo! Ghastly Goals Direct-to-video short
Scooby-Doo! Frankencreepy Direct-to-video film
2015 Scooby-Doo! Moon Monster Madness Direct-to-video film
Scooby-Doo! and the Beach Beastie Direct-to-video short
Scooby-Doo! and Kiss: Rock and Roll Mystery Direct-to-video film
2022–23 Around the Sun Aunt Nora / Molly Audio drama (3 episodes) [20]

Video games

YearTitleRoleNotes
2002Scooby-Doo! The Glowing Bug Man Velma Dinkley Voice role
2003Scooby-Doo! The Scary Stone DragonVoice role
2003 Scooby-Doo! Mystery Mayhem Voice role
2005 Scooby-Doo! Unmasked Voice role
2006 Scooby-Doo! Who's Watching Who? Voice role
2006Scooby-Doo! Frights Camera MysteryVoice role
2009 Scooby-Doo! First Frights Voice role
2010 Scooby-Doo! and the Spooky Swamp Voice role
2014Scooby-Doo and Looney Tunes Cartoon Universe: AdventureVoice role
2015 Lego Dimensions Voice role

Accolades

In 2003 Cohn was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for her work on the TV show What's New, Scooby-Doo? , for which she provided the voice of Velma Dinkley. [21] She reprised her role of Velma on Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated and in several other Scooby-Doo movies.

Cohn received a positive notice from Variety for her role in the 2007 Daniel Waters comedy film Sex and Death 101 . [22] In 2023, she received an Indie Series Award for her voice acting roles in season 2 of Around the Sun. [23]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lisa Whelchel</span> American actress, author, speaker and singer

Lisa Diane Whelchel is an American actress, singer, songwriter, author, and life coach. She is known for her appearances as a Mouseketeer on The New Mickey Mouse Club and her nine-year role as the preppy and wealthy Blair Warner on The Facts of Life. In 1984, she was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Inspirational Performance for her contemporary Christian album All Because of You. In 2012, Whelchel participated as a contestant on the CBS competitive reality series Survivor: Philippines and tied for second place. She was also voted fan favorite and was awarded $100,000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Velma Dinkley</span> Fictional character from Scooby-Doo

Velma Dinkley is a fictional character in the Scooby-Doo franchise. She is usually seen wearing a baggy orange turtleneck sweater, a short red pleated skirt, knee high socks, Mary Jane shoes, and a pair of black square glasses, which she frequently loses and is unable to see without. She is seen as the "brains" of the group.

<i>Whats New, Scooby-Doo?</i> American animated television series

What's New, Scooby-Doo? is an American animated television series produced by Warner Bros. Animation for Kids' WB. It is the ninth incarnation of the Scooby-Doo franchise that began with Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! and the first Scooby-Doo series in a decade, since A Pup Named Scooby-Doo ended in 1991 and the first since both the foreclosure of Hanna-Barbera studios and William Hanna's death in 2001.

Nicole Cowgill Jaffe is a retired Canadian actress. She is best known as the original voice actress for Velma Dinkley in Hanna-Barbera's Scooby-Doo Saturday morning cartoon series from 1969 to 1973.

Patricia Stevens was an American actress. She is perhaps best known for her various nurse roles, particularly as Nurse Baker on M*A*S*H and her role as the second voice of the character Velma Dinkley on two Saturday morning cartoon series The Scooby-Doo Show and Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo during the same period (1976–1979).

<i>Scooby-Doo! in Wheres My Mummy?</i> 2005 American film

Scooby-Doo! in Where's My Mummy? is a 2005 American animated adventure film, and the ninth in a series of direct-to-video animated films based on the Scooby-Doo Saturday morning cartoons. The film had a limited theatrical release in the United States on May 13, 2005. The film was first aired on Cartoon Network in the United States on November 24, 2005. It was released on VHS and DVD in the United States and Canada on December 13, 2005. It was produced by Warner Bros. Animation, though it featured a logo and copyright for Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Inc. at the end. This is the last Scooby-Doo film to have a VHS release.

<i>Scooby-Doo! and the Loch Ness Monster</i> 2004 American film

Scooby-Doo! and the Loch Ness Monster is a 2004 direct-to-video animated comedy mystery film, and the seventh direct-to-video film based upon the Scooby-Doo Saturday morning cartoons. It was released on June 22, 2004, and it was produced by Warner Bros. Animation. Unlike the previous two films, it is not in the "classic format", and does not have the 1969 voice cast, and instead has Mystery Inc. voiced by their regular voice actors, and has them wearing their outfits from What's New, Scooby Doo?. It is also the first film to have Mindy Cohn voice Velma Dinkley, the What's New, Scooby Doo? theme song, and the film has Grey DeLisle returning to voice Daphne Blake since Scooby-Doo and the Cyber Chase.

<i>Chill Out, Scooby-Doo!</i> 2007 American film

Chill Out, Scooby-Doo! is a 2007 animated direct-to-DVD comedy mystery film, and the eleventh in the Scooby-Doo direct-to-video film series, produced by Warner Bros. Animation, It was released to DVD on September 4, 2007. The film is dedicated to Iwao Takamoto, a character designer for Hanna-Barbera who died on January 8, 8 months before the film's home video release. This was also the final Scooby-Doo! movie that Joseph Barbera worked on before his death on December 18, 2006.

<i>Scooby-Doo! Abracadabra-Doo</i> 2010 American film

Scooby-Doo! Abracadabra-Doo is a 2010 direct-to-DVD animated comedy horror mystery fantasy film, and the fourteenth entry in a series of direct-to-video animated films based upon the Scooby-Doo Saturday morning cartoons. The film is directed by Spike Brandt and Tony Cervone. It was produced in 2009 by Warner Bros. Animation and it was released on February 16, 2010. It made its television debut on July 10, 2010 on Cartoon Network. The film performed well on iTunes, reaching the Top 10 on the Kids & Family film charts and the Top 40 on the iTunes film charts. The DVD sold 61,341 units in its first week and as of January 2013, it has sold approximately 433,000 units.

<i>Scooby-Doo! Camp Scare</i> 2010 American film

Scooby-Doo! Camp Scare is a 2010 direct-to-DVD animated comedy horror-mystery film; the fifteenth direct-to-video film based upon the Scooby-Doo Saturday morning cartoon, and was released on September 14, 2010. The film was released seven months after the release of Scooby-Doo! Abracadabra-Doo. The 15th direct-to-video Scooby-Doo film, the film sold 53,389 units in its first week and as of January 2013, it has sold approximately 194,000 units.

<i>Scooby-Doo! Music of the Vampire</i> 2012 American film

Scooby-Doo! Music of the Vampire is a 2012 direct-to-DVD animated musical comedy horror film, and the seventeenth entry in the direct-to-video series of Scooby-Doo films. This installment is notable for being the first of the films to be a musical. The film was released to rent through Amazon Video and iTunes on December 22, 2011. It was released on DVD and Blu-ray on March 13, 2012. It premiered on Cartoon Network on March 3, 2012.

<i>Big Top Scooby-Doo!</i> 2012 American film

Big Top Scooby-Doo! is a 2012 direct-to-DVD animated comedy mystery film, the eighteenth entry in the direct-to-video series of Scooby-Doo films. The DVD was released on October 9, 2012, by Warner Home Video, and made its TV premiere on September 8, 2012, on Cartoon Network in the United States.

<i>Scooby-Doo! Mask of the Blue Falcon</i> 2013 American film

Scooby-Doo! Mask of the Blue Falcon is a 2013 American animated superhero comedy mystery film, and the nineteenth entry in the direct-to-video series of Scooby-Doo films. The film is a crossover that features the Blue Falcon and Dynomutt. It was produced and completed in 2012, and released on February 26, 2013 by Warner Premiere.

<i>Scooby-Doo! Mecha Mutt Menace</i> 2013 American film

Scooby-Doo! Mecha Mutt Menace is the fourth direct-to-DVD special based on Scooby-Doo, released on September 24, 2013 on the 13 Spooky Tales: Ruh-Roh Robot DVD. The special features a giant robotic dog menacing the Scooby gang.

<i>Scooby-Doo! and the Beach Beastie</i> 2015 American film

Scooby-Doo! and the Beach Beastie is the sixth direct-to-DVD special produced by Warner Bros. Animation, based upon the Scooby-Doo Saturday morning cartoons. It was released on May 5, 2015, on the Scooby-Doo! 13 Spooky Tales: Surf's Up Scooby-Doo DVD.

<i>Scooby-Doo! and Kiss: Rock and Roll Mystery</i> 2015 film by Spike Brandt and Tony Cervone

Scooby-Doo! and Kiss: Rock and Roll Mystery is a 2015 direct-to-DVD animated crossover comedy mystery film, and the twenty-fifth entry in the direct-to-video series of Scooby-Doo films. It was released digitally on July 10, 2015, and was released on DVD and Blu-ray on July 21, 2015. The design of the film is inspired by Jack Kirby's comics.

<i>Lego Scooby-Doo! Haunted Hollywood</i> 2016 American film

Lego Scooby-Doo! Haunted Hollywood is a 2016 animated comedy mystery film. It is the twenty-sixth entry in the direct-to-video series of Scooby-Doo films, and the first based on the Scooby-Doo brand of Lego. The first trailer was released on February 23. The film was released on DVD, Blu-ray and digitally on May 10. This is the first non-TV Scooby-Doo themed production to feature Kate Micucci as the voice of Velma Dinkley, following Mindy Cohn's retirement from the role in 2015, with Micucci having assumed the role in Be Cool, Scooby-Doo! the same year.

<i>Daphne & Velma</i> 2018 American film

Daphne & Velma is a 2018 American direct-to-video comedy mystery film directed by Suzi Yoonessi. The film is a spin-off of the Scooby-Doo franchise featuring the title characters Daphne Blake and Velma Dinkley. The film is produced by Ashley and Jennifer Tisdale's Blondie Girl Productions along with Blue Ribbon Content. It premiered at the Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo (C2E2) on April 7, 2018, and was released on DVD, Blu-ray, and Digital HD on May 22, 2018, by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment.

<i>Velma</i> (TV series) American animated television series

Velma is an American adult animated comedy mystery television series based on the character Velma Dinkley from the Scooby-Doo franchise. Developed and created by Charlie Grandy for HBO Max, it stars executive producer Mindy Kaling as the voice of the titular character, with Sam Richardson, Constance Wu and Glenn Howerton in supporting roles. Grandy also serves as the showrunner of the series. It revolves around Velma Dinkley and the other human members of Mystery Inc. before their official formation, making it the first television series in the franchise to not feature the character Scooby-Doo.

<i>Trick or Treat Scooby-Doo!</i> 2022 American film

Trick or Treat Scooby-Doo! is a 2022 American animated direct-to-video supernatural horror comedy mystery film produced by Warner Bros. Animation and distributed by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment. It is the thirty-seventh direct-to-video Scooby-Doo film and was released digitally on October 4, 2022, and was released on DVD on October 18, 2022.

References

  1. ↑ "This Weeks Picks". The Washington Post. 2004-03-07. p. Y03.
  2. ↑ "Mindy Cohn: From voice of Scooby-Doo's Velma to 'Worst Cooks in America'". TODAY.com. October 7, 2016. Retrieved December 7, 2021.
  3. ↑ "VH1 Names Gary Coleman the Greatest Kid Star". prnewswire.com. 2005-06-05.
  4. ↑ Cohn, Mindy (July 7, 2013). "Why Me? Why Now? Why Not?". HuffPost . Retrieved December 7, 2021.
  5. ↑ Molly Snyder Edler (11 December 2002). "Milwaukee Talks Charlotte Rae". www.onmilwaukee.com. Archived from the original on 2018-04-04. Retrieved 2007-06-23.
  6. ↑ Morales, Natalie. Behind Closed Doors: The Facts of Life, NBC, 8 March 2020.
  7. ↑ "Facts of Life remain the Same". Toronto Star. 2001-11-18. p. D02.
  8. ↑ "Why Me? Why Now? Why Not". Huffington Post.com. May 7, 2013. Retrieved November 20, 2016.
  9. ↑ "Home & Family's "Facts of Life" Reunion". Hallmark Channel.com. February 15, 2016. Retrieved November 20, 2016.
  10. ↑ Greg Hernandez (2008-03-11). "Mindy Cohn: Greg catches up w/Natalie from "The Facts of Life"". dailynews.com. Retrieved 2015-09-21.
  11. ↑ "Bell, Book and Candle".
  12. ↑ Traveller's Tales. Lego Dimensions . Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. Scene: Closing credits, 4:45 in, Voiceover Talent.
  13. ↑ "Facts of Life Star Mindy Cohn Reveals Secret Five-Year Breast Cancer Battle".
  14. ↑ Voss, Brandon (July 8, 2010). "No Shrinking Violet". The Advocate . Here Media . Retrieved September 14, 2015.
  15. ↑ Paull, Anthony (March 3, 2011). "Mindy Cohn: Proud to be a 'fag hag'". Pride Source Media Group. Retrieved December 7, 2021.
  16. ↑ "ABC Presskit for "The Facts of Life Reunion" movie" . Retrieved 2007-06-23.
  17. ↑ "Our Founders". Archived from the original on May 23, 2007. Retrieved June 23, 2007.
  18. ↑ Jason Dietz, Metacritic Features Editor (August 12, 2019). "TV Premiere Dates (2019-20) - Metacritic". Metacritic . Retrieved November 21, 2019.
  19. ↑ Melanie Goodfellow, "Enrico Colantoni & Mindy Cohn Join Cast Of ‘Mother Father Sister Brother Frank’ As Ontario Shoot Kicks Off". Deadline Hollywood , March 7, 2023.
  20. ↑ "Interview: Five Questions for Actress Mindy Cohn - She Talks about her New Role in Brad Forenza's Around the Sun Podcast, The Facts of Life and a New Venture" . Retrieved 2023-03-10.
  21. ↑ "30th Daytime Emmy Awards". Washington Post. 2003-05-01. p. Y06.
  22. ↑ Eisner, Ken (2007-06-20). "Sex and Death 101". www.variety.com. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved 2007-06-23.
  23. ↑ Lewis, Errol (2023-04-13). "Winners of 'The 13th Annual Indie Series Awards' Announced; 'Chateau Laurier' and 'Studio City' Take Home Most Trophies". Soap Opera Network. Retrieved 2023-10-29.
Preceded by Voice of Velma Dinkley
2002–2015, 2017 [ citation needed ]		Succeeded by
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.