Melissa Ivy Rauch was born in Marlboro, New Jersey, to Susan and David Rauch. She has a brother, Ben, and was raised in a Jewish household. Rauch attended Marymount Manhattan College in New York City, where she received a BFA degree. While going to school, Melissa performed stand-up comedy around Manhattan, and soon made a name for herself on the N...
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Melissa Ivy Rauch was born in Marlboro, New Jersey, to Susan and David Rauch. She has a brother, Ben, and was raised in a Jewish household. Rauch attended Marymount Manhattan College in New York City, where she received a BFA degree. While going to school, Melissa performed stand-up comedy around Manhattan, and soon made a name for herself on the NYC comedy scene. Her one-woman show, "The Miss Education of Jenna Bush", in which she portrayed Jenna Bush, the former President's daughter, garnered critical acclaim and played to sold-out audiences (Outstanding Solo Show and TheaterMania's Audience Favorite Award--New York International Fringe Festival/HBO's US Comedy Arts Festival).Melissa resides in Los Angeles, California, with Winston Rauch (born Winston Beigel), her husband and writing partner. Show less «
When I was out of work when I first moved to L.A., one of the first things my husband and I did was ...Show more »
When I was out of work when I first moved to L.A., one of the first things my husband and I did was buy season's passes to Disney, and whenever I was bummed out about work, we would go to Space Mountain, and it was like a physical injection of anti-depressants. Show less «
I knew from a young age that I wanted to perform. I went to an arts camp called Brookdale Arts Camp,...Show more »
I knew from a young age that I wanted to perform. I went to an arts camp called Brookdale Arts Camp, in New Jersey, from the time I was 6, and then I was a counselor there through high school. Show less «
I was kind of like the Rhea Perlman of the bar. I was like "Carla" on Cheers (1982). People were mor...Show more »
I was kind of like the Rhea Perlman of the bar. I was like "Carla" on Cheers (1982). People were more afraid of me. There was a point where I got a little surly. There were only so many chicken wings I could serve before losing the smile on my face. Show less «
We must take down the carnies. I think we need to start a campaign to defeat their scamming ways. I ...Show more »
We must take down the carnies. I think we need to start a campaign to defeat their scamming ways. I never win the boardwalk basketball game. Show less «
[on receiving scripts for The Big Bang Theory (2007)'s fifth season] I was waiting on my doorstep fo...Show more »
[on receiving scripts for The Big Bang Theory (2007)'s fifth season] I was waiting on my doorstep for the first script to arrive, like it was Christmas morning! Not that I celebrate, or anything - but if this little Jewish girl knew what Christmas felt like, I'm sure it would be very close. Show less «
My fear is that, had I stayed in Jersey, I would have become Snooki because I'm just a bottle of hai...Show more »
My fear is that, had I stayed in Jersey, I would have become Snooki because I'm just a bottle of hair dye away. Show less «
My first waitress job was at Johnny Rockets in New Jersey, and then I waited tables at a sports bar.
My first waitress job was at Johnny Rockets in New Jersey, and then I waited tables at a sports bar.
I love an arcade. I love a boardwalk game. But I also love a rollercoaster. Though I think the rolle...Show more »
I love an arcade. I love a boardwalk game. But I also love a rollercoaster. Though I think the rollercoaster love comes from the fact that it took a really long time for me to reach the height requirement, so I promised myself very early on that when I reach that, I will not take it for granted. Show less «
I was a theater dork in high school and did all the plays. My theater teacher in high school, Janet ...Show more »
I was a theater dork in high school and did all the plays. My theater teacher in high school, Janet Spahr, was absolutely incredible and mentored me throughout school. She taught me a lot about relying on my instincts. Show less «