One Of The Facts Of Life's Biggest Stars Wasn't Even An Actor When She Was Cast
In 1979, the tight-knit, all-girl students of Eastland Academy won the hearts of millions. And among the core cast of "The Facts of Life" was a real-life student who, on one fateful day, unexpectedly scored a life-changing role on the nostalgic '80s sitcom.
Mindy Cohn had no professional acting experience whatsoever before she played bubbly aspiring journalist Natalie Green. She didn't even audition for the role. Cohn just so happened to be at the right place at the right time, as she was plucked straight out of her normal life at Westlake School in Los Angeles.
Before filming the pilot of "The Facts of Life," star Charlotte Rae and some of the show's producers visited the campus to find out what real-world private school girls were actually like. Cohn was assigned to give them a guided tour — and, clearly, she made an impression. As director John Bowab recalled in an Entertainment Weekly retrospective on the series, "Charlotte and Norman Lear went to Westlake to find out how girls that age act, and Mindy was so funny that Charlotte said, 'That girl should be on the show!'"
Cohn landing the role of Natalie was 'dumb luck'
"Facts of Life" producer Jerry Mayer, who was present for Cohn's tour, agreed that discovering her was "strictly dumb luck." "We got in touch with her mother," he explained, "and her mother said, 'Fine,' and the rest is history."
Co-star Julie Piekarski, who played Sue Ann Weaver on "The Facts of Life", likened this story to old Hollywood lore. "Talk about a show business moment like they had in the olden days, like Lana Turner being discovered at a soda fountain or whatever," she told Entertainment Weekly, adding that Cohn's trademark "quick wit" won over the room. "Her humor, her comebacks and one-liners — that is Mindy ... She had us laughing all the time."
Cohn played Natalie for all nine seasons of "The Facts of Life," and she reprised the role in all three made-for-TV movies: "The Facts of Life Go to Paris," "The Facts of Life Down Under," and "The Facts of Life Reunion." After the show ended in 1988, Cohn continued acting with guest spots on shows like "21 Jump Street" and "Charles in Charge"; she also voiced Velma Dinkley in the "Scooby-Doo" franchise for over a decade, and, more recently, appeared in Apple TV's "Palm Royale" before its cancellation in 2026.