Godmother of two of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt's children

Mindy Cohn | Biography 2021

Velma Dinkley in the 'Scooby-Doo' franchise

• By Ojasbi
• Update : July 04, 2021

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Melinda Heather Cohn popularly known as Mindy Cohn, is an American actress best known for her appearance in the TV series, The Facts of Life (1979-1988). She is also well-known for her voice performance in What's New, Scooby-Doo? (2002) and The Boy Who Could Fly (1986). 

In 2017, she revealed she battled cancer for five years. 

Who is Mindy Cohn?

Cohn is an actress and a voice artist noteworthy for her appearances on The Facts of Life (1979-1988), The Second Half (1993-1994), Suddenly Susan (1999), The Kids from Room 402 (2000-2001). She also voiced the lead character Velma Dinkley in Scooby-Doo (2002-present) franchise. Her acting career was kicked started by Charlotte Rae, one of her co-stars in The Facts of Life. Rae was the one who discovered and mentored Cohn in acting.

Cohn is a good friend to Angelina Jolie's brother, James Haven, and is the godmother of two of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt's children. She is also a cancer survivor and a founding member of the WeSpark cancer support center.

Early life and education

Cohn was born on 20 May 1966, in Los Angeles, California, to Jewish parents, Ina Cohn, and Nat Cohn. She attended Westlake School for Girls in Bel Air. As a middle schooler, she was enamored of the singer, Shaun Cassidy.

Her mother believed daughters needed to receive the greatest education possible. Therefore, a significant portion of her real estate lawyer's earnings was invested in her daughter's schooling. Cohn was neither popular nor a nerd, but somewhere in the middle.

She never thought she would pursue acting as a career, as her performance experience as a child had been a complete ordeal, which she referred to as her bat mitzvah. She was so terrified walking up in front of people, even in front of her family that she felt dizzy and nauseous on her way up to the orator's podium.

“If you had asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I probably would’ve said a doctor because I wanted to help people and I have a knack for doing just that”, she told HuffPost in 2013.

Cohn graduated from Loyola Marymount University with a degree in cultural anthropology.

Early Career

Cohn’s career as an actress levitated when she was in her teenage years and was noticed by actress Charlotte Rae. Rae discovered Cohn when Rae and the makers of The Facts of Life (1979-1988) were on a research trip at Westlake School in Holmby Hills, California where Cohn was studying. Through her breakthrough role of Natalie Green, Cohn made a space for herself in the entertainment industry.

Alongside ‘The Facts of Life’

Alongside her portrayal as Natalie Green on The Facts of Life, she reprised the same character in a few shows including Diff'rent Strokes (1980-1081), the TV movie, The Facts of Life Goes to Paris (1982), and as well in another TV movie The Facts of Life Down Under in 1987. She also played in Table Settings in 1982 and the episode, ‘Episode dated 30 September’ of the TV series Friday Night (1983). In 1985, she appeared as Janie Blakemore on Double Trouble and worked in The Boy Who Could Fly as Geneva a year after that.

Similarly, she made her guest appearance as Rosa Banducci and Sal's Wife on 21 Jump Street in 1987 and 1988 respectively, and as Bunny Lembeck on Charles in Charge in 1988.

Later career

After the end of The Facts of Life, she continued her TV appearance through projects like Dream On (1991), The Second Half (1993-1994), Suddenly Susan (1999), The Kids from Room 402 (2000-2001), Under the Gun (2002), Dexter's Laboratory (2003), Swing (2003), and The Third Wish (2005). She also had a reunion with The Facts of Life cast in the TV series, The Wonderful World of Disney in its episode 'The Facts of Life Reunion' in 2001. 

Additionally, she was also featured on The Secret Life of the American Teenager (2012), Bones (2014), in The Middle (2014), You Light Up My Christmas (2019), A Nice Girl Like You (2020), and a short, Kill Cat Oakland (2021) where she will appear as the character Barb. 

She further acclaimed her stature as a voice artist in the TV series The Chimp Channel in 1999, voicing the character Candy Yuponce.

'Scooby-Doo'

Cohn is recognized for her voice performance as Velma Dinkley in the Scooby-Doo franchise. 

After several reincarnations, A Scooby-Doo! Christmas premiered in 2002, launching Mindy Cohn's performance as Velma Dinkley's voice actress. She also voiced the character in Scooby-Doo!: The Glowing Bug Man, a video game released in the same year. 

Up until the present (2021), Cohn has voiced for several Scooby-Doo shows. A few of those include: A Scooby-Doo! Christmas (2002), Scooby-Doo and the Loch Ness Monster(2004), Scooby-Doo! Pirates Ahoy! (2006), Scooby-Doo!: Fright Camera Mystery! (2007), Chill Out, Scooby-Doo! (2007), Scooby-Doo and the Goblin King (2008), Scooby-Doo! Abracadabra-Doo ( 2010), Scooby-Doo and the Samurai Sword(2009), Scooby-Doo! Legend of the Phantosaur (2011), Scooby-Doo! Camp Scare(2010), Scooby-Doo! and the Safari Creatures (2012), Scooby-Doo! And Kiss: Rock and Roll Mystery (2015) and A Scooby-Doo Valentine Bouquet (2021). 

She also holds the voice credit for the TV series, What's New, Scooby-Doo? (2002-2006) and Shaggy & Scooby-Doo Get a Clue! (2006-2008). She was acknowledged with a 'Daytime Emmy Award' in 2002 for her performance on the animated series What's New Scooby-Doo?

Cohn also voiced for the franchise’s video game, namely, Scooby-Doo: The Scary Stone Dragon (2003), Scooby-Doo! Mystery Mayhem (2004), Scooby-Doo: Who's Watching Who (2006), Scooby-Doo!: Frights Camera Mystery! (2007), Lego Dimensions (2015), and many more.

'The Facts of Life'

One of the most iconic 1980s television shows, The Facts of Life (1979-1988) is a spin-off of the immensely popular Diff'rent Strokes, centered on the lives of young ladies as they transitioned into adulthood under Mrs. Garrett's direction. The cast of The Facts of Life was entirely women. While this may not seem significant today, in the 1980s, it was considered revolutionary.

Starring Mrs. Garrey as Charlotte Rae and Natalie Green as Mindy Cohn, The Facts of Life had nine seasons and 201 episodes. At that time, it was the longest-running sitcom in NBC history. In fact, that it lasted longer than its predecessor, Diff'rent Strokes. 

Cohn did not audition for her part, instead, the producers went to several high schools and interviewed students, one of them was Cohn. She was highly adored by Rae and this very show enhanced her visibility in the entertainment industry.

'The Facts of Life' reunion

Nancy McKeon, Mindy Cohn, Lisa Whelchel along with Kim Fields, and other cast members of The Facts of Life reunited in You Light Up My Christmas, a Christmas film that premiered on Lifetime in 2019. Kim Fields, the executive producer and star of the holiday program, was the one who encouraged the women to join the group, referring to them as her sisters.

Possible Reboot

While no official announcement has come, casts of The Facts of Life are eyeing a comeback of the show. Lisa Whelchel who plays Blair Warner expressed her enthusiasm towards its reboot.

Awards And Nomination

Cohn was nominated for several Behind the Voice Actors Awards (BTVA) including the 2012 'BTVA Special/DVD Voice Acting Award' for 'Best Vocal Ensemble in a TV Special/Direct-to-DVD Title or Short' in Scooby-Doo! Legend of the Phantosaur (2011), which she shared with her other co-stars, the 2013 'BTVA Television Voice Acting Award' for 'Best Vocal Ensemble in a Television Series - Comedy/Musical' in Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated (2010), another 2013's  'BTVA Special/DVD Voice Acting Award' for 'Best Female Vocal Performance in a TV Special/Direct-to-DVD Title or Short' in Scooby-Doo! Music of the Vampire (2012) and the 2014 'BTVA Special/DVD Voice Acting Award' for 'Best Vocal Ensemble in a TV Special/Direct-to-DVD Title or Short' in Scooby-Doo! Mask of the Blue Falcon (2012).

She won the 'Daytime Emmy Award' in 2002 for her performance on the animated series What's New Scooby-Doo?

Cancer

Cohn was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2012.

Cohn told People about the morning she was diagnosed with cancer.

“I was walking around my neighborhood in Los Angeles and I suddenly got so tired. I couldn't take it any longer. I texted my friend Helen Hunt and said, 'Something's wrong with me.' This was before Uber was a thing. 'I'm in need of assistance.'"

She went to her doctor thereafter and was eventually diagnosed with cancer. She kept the information confidential for a long period. For five years she went through a tough battle of a double mastectomy, chemotherapy, and radiation. “I remained optimistic”, she shared to People. However, despite the difficult ride, she conquered the disease and is leading a healthy life right now. 

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