Mayim Bialik '00

From 1991 to 1995, Mayim Bialik '00 played the eponymous role on NBC's Blossom, where she explored life's issues with slightly older and more experienced friend Six. Although “This week on a very special episode of Blossom …” became a standard punch line, the show earned wide respect for mixing drama with comedy in a frank exploration of weighty topics, such as substance abuse and having sex for the first time.

When Blossom ended, Bialik enrolled at UCLA to study neuroscience. She took a break from live acting, though she did voice work on some animated series, including Johnny Bravo, Hey Arnold and Kim Possible.

In 2005, Bialik took time out of her graduate studies in neuroscience to step in front of the cameras again, playing a fictionalized version of herself on Kirsty Alley's pseudo-reality Showtime series, Fat Actress. Bialik stole the show in a two-episode story arc, in which she reminds Alley that she is a genius by figuring out Alley's digital security code. Bialik tells Alley about the Koi Theory of weight loss – a body shrinks to fit miniature surroundings – which turns out to be part of an evil genius revenge scheme.

Bialik first gained attention and critical praise playing a childhood version of Bette Midler's character in the 1988 film Beaches. Episodes of Fat Actress, including Bialik's hysterical two-episode star turn, are currently available on DVD. She also starred in the feature film Kalamazoo?, released in 2005.