Melanie Chartoff
| Melanie Chartoff | |
|---|---|
Melanie Chartoff in 1980
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| Born |
December 15, 1950 New Haven, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Adelphi University |
| Occupation | Actress, voice artist |
| Years active | 1976–present |
| Spouse(s) | Stan Friedman (m. July 5, 2013) |
| Website | Official website |
Melanie Chartoff (born December 15, 1950) is an American actress and voice artist. She first became famous for her comedy work on the ABC series Fridays (1980–82), and in the 1990s Fox sitcom Parker Lewis Can't Lose. She voiced both Didi Pickles and Grandma Minka on the two animated shows Rugrats and All Grown Up!.
Chartoff was born on December 15, 1950, in New Haven, Connecticut, and attended West Haven High School. She went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts from Adelphi University.
She guest starred on ABC Family's Switched at Birth (2015). Her first Broadway appearances were in Galt MacDermot's space opera, Via Galactica (1972), directed by Peter Hall, and The Young Vic's Scapino, starring Jim Dale (1974).
Chartoff's first TV role came in 1976 when she played a nurse on Search For Tomorrow, after which came an appearance in the 1978 motion picture American Hot Wax. She first became a nationally known figure on ABC's Fridays, which was ABC's attempt to create its own version of Saturday Night Live. She immediately stood out on the series, partly thanks to her regular role as the anchor on the show's fake newscasts, but also due to her comedic skills (particularly an impression of Nancy Reagan). On one sketch, she was cold-cocked on live TV when co-star Maryedith Burrell failed to pull her punch during a skit and chipped a tooth.
Between the demise of Fridays in 1982 and her return to a regular series in 1990 with Parker Lewis Can't Lose (in which she co-starred for three seasons as the high-strung Principal Grace Musso), Chartoff continued to work steadily on television throughout the 1980s, including appearances on Mr. Belvedere, Wiseguy, and St. Elsewhere, as well as a recurring role on Newhart as Dr. Kaiser. She made two appearances on Seinfeld, including one in the 1998 series finale in which four of her former Fridays co-stars were also involved (including Michael Richards). She appeared in the 2006 season finale of Desperate Housewives.
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