Mayim Bialik

Mayim Chaya Bialik ( ; born December 12, 1975) is an American actress, author, and former game show host. From 1991 to 1995, she played the title character of the NBC sitcom ''Blossom''. From 2010 to 2019, she played neuroscientist Amy Farrah Fowler on the CBS sitcom ''The Big Bang Theory'', for which she was nominated four times for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series and won the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in 2015 and 2017. Bialik shared hosting duties of ''Jeopardy!'' with Ken Jennings on a rotating basis between August 2021 and December 2023.

Early life and education

Mayim Chaya Bialik was born on December 12, 1975, in San Diego, California, to Beverly (née Winkleman) and Barry Bialik. Her family were Jewish immigrants who lived in the Bronx, New York City. Three of her four grandparents migrated from Poland, Czechoslovakia, and Hungary. After being raised as a Reform Jew, she described herself as Modern Orthodox Jewish in 2013. Bialik became a Bat Mitzvah and has called herself a "staunch Zionist". Her name, Mayim ("water" in Hebrew), originates in a family nickname of her great-grandmother, Miriam. The Hebrew-language poet Hayim Nahman Bialik was her great-great-great-granduncle.

Bialik graduated in 1993 from North Hollywood High School in Los Angeles, California. In acknowledgment of her acting commitments, she was granted a deferred acceptance and attended University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in neuroscience, with minors in Hebrew and Jewish studies, in 2000.

Bialik has said she did not have the grades needed for medical school. She went on to study for a doctorate in neuroscience. She took a break from studies in 2005 to return to acting. She returned to earn her PhD degree in neuroscience from UCLA in 2007 under Dr. James McCracken. Her dissertation was titled " Hypothalamic regulation in relation to maladaptive, obsessive-compulsive, affiliative and satiety behaviors in Prader–Willi syndrome".

Career

1987–2009: Child actress and other roles

Bialik started her career as a child actress in the late 1980s. Her early roles included the 1988 horror film '' Pumpkinhead'' (her first acting job) and guest appearances on '' The Facts of Life'' (two final-season episodes) and ''Beauty and the Beast''. In 1988 to 1989, she appeared in eight episodes of the sitcom '' Webster'' as Frieda, Webster's classmate. It was for ''Beauty and the Beast,'' where she played a sewer-dwelling girl named Ellie (with about ten lines of dialogue) that she obtained her Screen Actors Guild (SAG) card."How Did You Get Your SAG-AFTRA Card?" ''TV Guide''. January 13, 2014. p. 10. Bialik appeared in three episodes of ''MacGyver'' as Lisa Woodman. She appeared in ''Beaches'' (1988), playing Bette Midler's character as a young girl. Many reviews singled out her performance as a strong point in the film. She appeared in the music video for Michael Jackson's song " Liberian Girl". In 1990, she was tied to two television pilots, Fox's '' Molloy'' and NBC's ''Blossom''. ''Molloy'' produced six episodes for a tryout run, followed by the shooting of the pilot special for ''Blossom''. The latter aired two weeks before the Fox series and garnered higher ratings. When ''Molloy'' folded after its six episodes, ''Blossom'' premiered as a mid-season replacement on January 3, 1991, and aired until May 22, 1995.

On September 8, 1992, Bialik was a celebrity contestant guest in the episode "Disturbing The Heavenly Peace", the first episode of the second season of the PBS game show '' Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?'' She had a major part in the Woody Allen comedy film '' Don't Drink the Water'' in 1994. Between 1995 and 2005, she mostly did voiceover work for cartoons, such as '' The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest'', Disney's '' Recess'' and ''Kim Possible'', Cartoon Network's ''Johnny Bravo'', and Nickelodeon's ''Hey Arnold!''. She appeared in the feature film '' Kalamazoo?'' (2005) and in three episodes of the HBO comedy series ''Curb Your Enthusiasm'' as Jodi Funkhouser, the daughter of a friend of Larry David. The character transitioned to male in a later episode, going by the name Joey, and was recast to Chaz Bono. Bialik also made guest appearances as a fictionalized version of herself in the series ''Fat Actress'' and in an episode of '' Saving Grace''. Bialik had a recurring role as the high school guidance counselor in ABC Family's '' The Secret Life of the American Teenager''. In 2009, Clinton Kelly nominated her for a makeover on TLC's '' What Not to Wear''.

2010–2019: ''The Big Bang Theory''

She joined the cast of ''The Big Bang Theory'' as Dr. Amy Farrah Fowler in 2010. Her first appearance was in the season3 finale as a potential love interest for the character of Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons). In season 4, she began as a recurring character playing Sheldon's "friend that's a girl, but not a girlfriend." Beginning with the 8th episode of season4, she became part of the main cast. Amy is a neurobiologist, a field that is related to Bialik's real-life doctorate in neuroscience. Bialik's performance in ''The Big Bang Theory'' earned her Emmy Award nominations in 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015 for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. Bialik was one of seven actresses who had a "quirky" personality to audition for the role. Before she joined the cast, in the episode " The Bat Jar Conjecture", Raj suggests recruiting the real-life Bialik to their Physics Bowl team, saying "You know who's apparently very smart is the girl who played TV's ''Blossom''. She got a Ph.D. in neuroscience or something." She is one of the guest stars on the 2014 Steve Carell improvisational sketch show ''Riot''.

In August 2014, Bialik began hosting a revival of '' Candid Camera'' on TV Land along with Peter Funt. Her most recent movie appearance was in a Lifetime Christmas movie, '' The Flight Before Christmas''. In 2019, Bialik appeared in a commercial for IBM. On August 20, 2019, it was announced that she and her new production company, Sad Clown Productions, had signed exclusive contracts with Warner Bros. Entertainment. Mackenzie Gabriel-Vaught, a former executive at Chuck Lorre Productions, is Sad Clown's head of development. Sad Clown Productions, in conjunction with Jim Parsons's That's Wonderful Productions, BBC Studios, and Miranda Hart, executive-produces a starring vehicle for Bialik, '' Call Me Kat'', based on the British series '' Miranda''. A co-production of Warner Bros. and Fox Entertainment, it premiered on Fox on January 3, 2021, and was renewed for a second season in May 2021.

During her time on ''The Big Bang Theory'', Bialik wrote two books in addition to co-authoring two books with pediatrician Jay Gordon. ''Beyond the Sling'' is about attachment parenting, while ''Mayim's Vegan Table'' contains over 100 of Bialik's vegan recipes. Her third book, ''Girling Up'', is about the struggles of and ways in which girls grow up, showing the scientific ways in which their bodies change. Its successor, ''Boying Up'' (2018) analyzes the science, anatomy, and mentality of growing up as a boy, and the physical and mental changes and challenges boys face while transitioning from adolescence to adulthood.

2021–2023: ''Jeopardy!'' host and directorial debut

From May 31 to June 11, 2021, Bialik was a guest host of ''Jeopardy!'' On August 11, 2021, it was announced that she would host the series' future primetime specials and spinoffs. When executive producer Mike Richards resigned as host after one week, it was announced that Bialik would guest-host the show for three weeks. Her contract was extended to seven weeks; she would then alternate with Ken Jennings for the rest of the calendar year. On December 8, 2021, it was announced that Bialik and Jennings would continue to host the show for the rest of the 2021–22 season. On July 27, 2022, it was announced that Bialik and Jennings would be the show's permanent hosts in a job-sharing arrangement. In May 2023, Bialik competed as a contestant on an episode of '' Celebrity Wheel of Fortune'' against Vanna White and Ken Jennings. Bialik won $62,200 for Mental Wealth Alliance.

Bialik wrote and directed her first film, '' As They Made Us'' (2022), about a divorced mom juggling her family's needs and her own quest for love. Dustin Hoffman and Candice Bergen starred as well as Simon Helberg, Bialik's former ''The Big Bang Theory'' castmate. The film was expected to premiere in late 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic delayed filming. Ash Christian was attached to the project, but died in August 2020. Principal photography began in June 2021. The film was released on April 8, 2022.

In May 2023, it was announced that Bialik would temporarily leave ''Jeopardy!'' and would not serve as host for the rest of season 39 due to her support of the Writers Guild of America strike. Ken Jennings hosted the remainder of season 39 during Bialik's absence. In December 2023, it was announced that she would no longer host the syndicated version of ''Jeopardy!''

Advocacy and activism

Grok Nation

Bialik founded Grok Nation (originally styled "GrokNation") in August 2015 to facilitate conversations among people of different ages and backgrounds about issues. It aimed to engage readers in online conversations that lead to offline action, mobilizing them to change the world as a community. To '' grok'' means to understand in a profound manner. (The term comes from the 1961 science fiction novel '' Stranger in a Strange Land'' by Robert A. Heinlein.) Bialik had written on a similar idea for Jewish Telegraphic Agency–affiliated Jewish parenting site Kveller for five years. She announced and described her new creation on Kveller.

Along with former '' Sassy'' writer and editor Christina Kelly, Bialik relaunched Grok Nation as a women's lifestyle site in March 2018. The site ceased updates in March 2019, with new content shifting to Bialik's email newsletter.

Support of Israel

During the 2014 Gaza Conflict, she donated money to the Israel Defense Forces for armored vests. She has been vocal since the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel saying she was "speechless" amid the "exceptionally painful" Gaza war. She has also spoken up against antisemitism on college campuses in the United States. On November 6, 2023, Bialik and Noa Tishby stated that they were against calls for a ceasefire in the war between Israel and Palestine saying, "No country in the world would be asked to stop protecting itself under attack from all of its borders."

Veganism

Bialik is a vegan and a founding member of the Shamayim V'Aretz Institute, a Jewish organization that advocates the ethical treatment of animals. In 2017, she announced that she and vegan chef Ali Cruddas had opened Bodhi Bowl, a vegan restaurant in Los Angeles. It closed permanently in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

''The New York Times'' op-ed

After the Harvey Weinstein sexual misconduct allegations surfaced, Bialik wrote a ''New York Times'' op-ed in 2017 in which she described the entertainment industry as one "that profits on the exploitation of women... ndthe objectification of women". With regard to protecting herself from sexual harassment, Bialik wrote that she dressed modestly and did not act flirtatiously with men, adding, "In a perfect world, women should be free to act however they want. But our world isn't perfect. Nothing—absolutely nothing—excuses men for assaulting or abusing women. But we can't be naïve about the culture we live in." Bialik's article drew backlash from critics who said she was insinuating that modesty and a conservative wardrobe can guard one against sexual assault. Patricia Arquette tweeted, "I have to say I was dressed non-provocatively at 12 walking home from school when men masturbated at me. It's not the clothes." In response, Bialik said she regretted that the piece "became what it became" and participated in a Facebook Live event hosted by ''The New York Times'' to answer questions about it.

Personal life

In 2014, Bialik was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Boston University.

Marriage and family

Bialik married Michael Stone on August 31, 2003; they had a Victorian-themed ceremony that included traditional Jewish wedding customs. Stone, who was raised Mormon but left the church as an adolescent, converted to Judaism to marry Bialik. They have two sons together. Bialik returned to television in 2010, as opposed to continuing her scientific career, so she could spend more time with her children. Bialik and Stone announced their divorce in November 2012, and it was finalized six months later.

Religious beliefs

In a 2012 interview, Bialik called herself an "aspiring Modern Orthodox". She has also appeared in several YouTube cameos as Blossom and Amy Farrah Fowler, asking questions about Jewish beliefs. The videos are produced by Allison Josephs, Bialik's Judaism study partner, whom she met with the help of Partners in Torah. Bialik is a frequent contributor to the Jewish parenting website, '' Kveller''.

Vaccination beliefs

In a 2009 interview, Bialik said of her family: "We are a non-vaccinating family, but I make no claims about people's individual decisions. We based ours on research and discussions with our pediatrician, and we've been happy with that decision, but obviously there's a lot of controversy about it." In October 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, she said that though she had not received a vaccination in 30 years, she planned to be vaccinated against both the flu and the SARS-CoV-2 virus and that "As of today, my children may not have had every one of the vaccinations that your children have, but my children are vaccinated." Bialik has also said that her children were not vaccinated at the time of her 2012 book ''Beyond the Sling'', but that they have since received a "delayed" vaccination schedule.

Filmography

Film

Television

Web

Video games

Podcast

Written works

Non-academic

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* Bialik, Mayim (2017) ''Girling Up: How to be Strong, Smart and Spectacular.'' Philomel Books. .
* Bialik, Mayim (2018) ''Boying Up: How to be Brave, Bold and Brilliant.'' Philomel Books. .
*Bialik, Mayim (2021) ''Flash Facts''. DC Comics. .

Academic

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Awards and nominations

See also

* List of artists and entertainers with advanced degrees

References

Further reading

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External links

Grok Nation
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Mayim Bialik on kveller

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bialik, Mayim
1975 births
Living people
20th-century American actresses
20th-century American Jews
21st-century American actresses
21st-century American Jews
21st-century American non-fiction writers
21st-century American women writers
Actresses from San Diego
American animal welfare workers
American child actresses
American feminists
American film actresses
American game show hosts
American Modern Orthodox Jews
American neuroscientists
American television actresses
American voice actresses
American women neuroscientists
American women non-fiction writers
American women podcasters
American Zionists
Baalei teshuva
Film directors from California
Jewish American actresses
Jewish American non-fiction writers
Jewish American scientists
Jewish American film people
Jewish neuroscientists
Modern Orthodox Jewish feminists
North Hollywood High School alumni
University of California, Los Angeles alumni
Writers from San Diego