Anyone who has watched The Big Bang Theory will know that the long-running
comedy had a stellar cast, including the always hilarious Melissa Rauch.
Appearing as Bernadette Rostenkowski during her time on the comedy series,
Rauch charmed viewers, impressed those behind the scenes, and found herself nominated for both
a People's Choice Award and multiple Screen Actors Guild Awards alongside her castmates.
Rauch was originally supposed to just be a one-time guest role, but she made such an
impression that she was invited back to officially join the cast in 2009.
Rauch stuck around until the show wrapped up in 2019. Fans watched as Bernadette went on a
journey from being a single episode love interest for Howard Wolowitz into one of
the most memorable and hilarious members of the show's impressive ensemble of characters.
At the same time, viewers also watched as Rauch herself grew from an unknown
performer into one of the most recognizable stars on television. Granted, that was far
from the beginning of the transformation that Rauch has been through over the years.
While Melissa Rauch is a star these days, she was seemingly destined for a career in the spotlight.
Born in Marlboro, New Jersey in 1980, Rauch said that she has always been interested in performing,
even as a child. She started honing her impressions after her parents mentioned
some people make a living doing it, and continued on into acting from there.
If you follow the star on Instagram, you will know that she often shares photos of herself as a child
and it's not unusual for the images to show hints of her future profession. For instance,
in February 2019, she posted an adorable shot of herself striking a pose for the camera.
She captioned that the photo was a DIY production of Little Shop of
Horrors that she performed in the basement of her childhood home,
complete with homemade scenery and the young Rauch wearing, as she wrote:
"a silk nightgown...as ya do in Jerz."
Speaking of Jerz, Melissa Rauch is happy to share that she was born and raised in New Jersey.
Fans of The Big Bang Theory will know that her character has quite the distinctive accent.
However, that's not the way that the actor really speaks. Long before playing Bernadette,
Rauch actually learned to drop those telling aspects of her voice.
"My dad got free bagels, which in New Jersey like,
that's the greatest sign of respect, to get a free bagel."
After graduating from high school, Rauch attended Marymount Manhattan College in New York City,
where she studied theater. While college was not far from home, her New Jersey accent apparently
became an issue. She explained on the podcast At Home with Linda & Drew Scott that she was told she
wouldn't be able to perform Shakespeare because of how she sounded. She actually took dialect
classes so she could retrain her voice and lose the accent, but she also claims that when she gets
angry or upset it comes roaring back. "Oh come on Howard! Be realistic!"
Rauch took her new voice talents to the stage, and was equally happy acting in dramatic plays as she
was performing stand-up comedy. However, even with her impressive pedigree as a classically-trained
actor, her career in show business was not an immediate success. Speaking with Entertainment
Tonight, Rauch had almost given up on acting when she landed her role on The Big Bang Theory.
She even said she was at the unemployment office the day before she got her audition for the show.
Of course, the rest is history: Rauch stuck with The Big Bang Theory for years
and established herself as a force to be reckoned with in the entertainment industry.
However, The Big Bang Theory isn't the only place you've seen – or heard – Melissa Rauch.
Rauch worked small roles on series like The Office and True Blood, and she has also done
her fair share of voice work. One of her most noteworthy voice performances comes as the
title character in the film Batman and Harley Quinn, where she brings her Jersey accent back.
"Never mind! Some boy scout you turned out to be!"
Rauch also landed a role in 2019's The Laundromat,
starring none other than Hollywood icon Meryl Streep. Rauch posted
about the experience on Instagram, sharing a photo of herself and the legend, and said:
"They say to never meet your heroes [...] but in this case, working with and being in
the presence of […] Meryl Streep was nothing short of a dream come true."
From performing in her basement to working alongside Meryl Streep,
Melissa Rauch's transformation continues to impress.
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