This Scooby-Doo Star Got Their First Acting Gig On A Classic '80s Sitcom In An Unusual Way

Mindy Cohn might not be an actress everyone recognizes on sight, but her voice is one of the most well-known on television. Since 2002, Cohn has voiced Velma Dinkley in various animated Scooby-Doo projects. Cohn was first cast as the classic cartoon character in "What's New, Scooby-Doo?" and later portrayed her in several direct-to-video animated movies, the 2010 series "Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated," and even one episode of "Batman: The Brave and the Bold." However, she got her start in the popular 1980s sitcom, "The Facts of Life."

Cohn played Natalie Green on "The Facts of Life" across the show's entire run from 1979 to 1988. The NBC series, a spin-off of "Diff'rent Strokes," followed the housekeeper Edna Garrett (Charlotte Rae) from that series as she became the house mother of an all-girls boarding school dormitory. Cohn's Natalie was a sweet but cynical voice of reason among the series' teenage cast. Prior, however, Cohn had never acted at all. In fact, it was a chance encounter with the show's creative team that landed Cohn in show biz.

While many actors fight tooth and nail to land their first major role, Mindy Cohn happened to be in the right place at the right time. In an oral history of "The Facts of Life" published by EW, director John Bowab, executive producer and writer Jerry Mayer, and Sue Ann Weaver actress Julie Piekarski Probst, reflected on their first meeting with the adolescent actress during a research trip at Los Angeles' Westlake School.

Mayer recalled the producers' visit, which they had undertaken to better understand how young girls behaved. It was here that they first encountered Cohn. "Mindy was the student who was showing us around, and she was so cute and had kind of a Jewish sense of humor," he recalled. "So we said, 'Hey, she'd be great as one of the girls!'" The team got the approval of Cohn's mother shortly after, with Mayer adding, "But it was strictly dumb luck." 

Explaining what made Cohn so perfect for the role of Natalie, Probst said, "We all loved her right away. Her humor, her comebacks and one-liners—that is Mindy." Cohn's quick wit and astute attitude enhanced her character and kept the team laughing throughout. She would even made a comeback for a 2021 reunion featured in "Live in Front of a Studio Audience."