About
Melinda Heather Cohn (born May 20, 1966) is an American actress and comedian. She starred as Natalie Green in the sitcom The Facts of Life from 1979 to 1988, 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. Cohn appeared on VH1’s List of “100 Greatest Kid Stars”.
Melinda Heather Cohn was born in Los Angeles in 1966 and was raised Jewish.
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; 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. 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). 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…
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Bio and photo via Wikipedia, used under Creative Commons licensing.