Meredith Salenger

Meredith Salenger
Meredith Salenger, March 2008
Born	Meredith Dawn Salenger (1970-03-14) March 14, 1970 (age 46) Malibu, California, U.S.
Education	Harvard University
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1982 – present

Meredith Dawn Salenger (born March 14, 1970) is an American actress. She is best known for her title role in the 1985 film The Journey of Natty Gann and the 1989 teen comedy, Dream a Little Dream.

Salenger was born and raised in Malibu, California, the daughter of Dorothy, an interior designer, and Gary Salenger, a dentist. Her family is Jewish.

Salenger attended Harvard University from 1988 to 1992, and graduated cum laude with a degree in psychology. She received certificates in "Court-Based Mediation of Family Law Matters" and "Mediating the Litigated Case" from the Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution at Pepperdine University School of Law in 2009 and 2011, respectively. She works as a mediator for the Agency for Dispute Resolution in Beverly Hills, California, when she is not filming.

As a child, Salenger enjoyed performing in front of her family and friends. Her mother took her to her first acting class when she was eight years old. Her first role was a small part as a 'singing and dancing orphan' in the feature film Annie, directed by John Huston. Salenger also did a number of television advertisements.

Salenger's first starring role was in the Disney film The Journey of Natty Gann, co-starring John Cusack and Ray Wise, the first movie to win her Best Actress in a Drama award at the Young Artist Awards for her portrayal of Natty Gann. After starring in four more films by her eighteenth birthday, including A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon, she left Hollywood for Harvard to further her education.