Early life

Bialik was born in San Diego, California, to Barry (died 2015) and Beverly (née Winkleman) Bialik. Israel's national poet, Hayim Nahman Bialik, is Bialik's first cousin, three times removed. Three of her four grandparents emigrated from Poland, Czechoslovakia, and Hungary. Bialik was raised as a Reform Jew. Her first name is the Hebrew word for water.

Bialik attended Walter Reed Junior High School (now Walter Reed Middle School) and graduated from North Hollywood High School in North Hollywood, California, as part of the class of 1993. At the end of Blossom, she chose to attend UCLA, although she also had been accepted at both Harvard and Yale. She stated that she wanted to stay close to her parents and did not want to move to the East Coast. She earned a B.S. degree in neuroscience, with minors in Hebrew and Jewish studies, and went on to study for a doctorate in neuroscience. She took a break from studies in 2005 to return to acting. Bialik earned her Ph.D. in 2007, her dissertation being an investigation of hypothalamic activity in patients with Prader-Willi syndrome, titled "Hypothalamic regulation in relation to maladaptive, obsessive-compulsive, affiliative, and satiety behaviors in Prader-Willi syndrome."

Career

Bialik started her career as a child actress in the late 1980s. Her early roles included the horror film Pumpkinhead (1988), her first acting job, and guest appearances on The Facts of Life and Beauty and the Beast. It was for her Beauty and the Beast work, in which she played a sewer-dwelling girl named Ellie who had about 10 lines of dialogue, that Bialik obtained her Screen Actors Guild (SAG) card. She appeared in three episodes of MacGyver as Lisa Woodman. She appeared in Beaches (1988), playing Bette Midler's character as a young girl. She also appeared in the video for the song "Liberian Girl" by Michael Jackson. In 1990, Bialik was tied to two television pilots, Fox's Molloy and NBC's Blossom. Molloy at first produced six episodes for a tryout run, followed by the shooting of the pilot special for Blossom. The latter actually aired two weeks before Bialik's Fox series and ultimately garnered higher ratings than it.

When Molloy folded after its six episodes, Blossom premiered as a mid-season replacement on January 3, 1991, and aired until May 22, 1995. She had a major part in the Woody Allen comedy film Don't Drink the Water in 1994. On September 8, 1992, Bialik was a celebrity contestant guest in the episode "Disturbing The Heavenly Peace," the first episode of the second season of the game show "Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego?". Between 1995 and 2005, Bialik mostly did voice-over work for cartoons, such as The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest, Disney's Recess and Kim Possible, Cartoon Network's Johnny Bravo, and Nickelodeon's Hey Arnold. She appeared in the feature film Kalamazoo? (2005) and appeared in three episodes of the HBO comedy series Curb Your Enthusiasm as Jodi Funkhouser, the lesbian daughter of a friend of Larry David. Bialik also made guest appearances as a fictionalized version of herself in the series Fat Actress and made a guest appearance in an episode of Saving Grace.

She had a recurring role as the high school guidance counselor in ABC Family's The Secret Life of the American Teenager. In 2009, Bialik was nominated by Clinton Kelly for a makeover on TLC's What Not To Wear. She joined the cast of The Big Bang Theory as Dr. Amy Farrah Fowler. Her first appearance was in the season 3 finale as a potential love interest for the character of Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons). In Season 4, she began as a recurring character playing Sheldon's "friend that's a girl, but not a girlfriend." Beginning with Season 4, Episode 8, she became part of the main cast. Amy is a neurobiologist, which is a field related to Bialik's real-life academic career in neuroscience. Bialik's performance in The Big Bang Theory earned her Emmy Award nominations in 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015 for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. Bialik was one of seven actresses who had a "quirky" personality to audition for the role. Prior to her joining the cast, in the episode "The Bat Jar Conjecture", Raj suggests recruiting the real-life Bialik to their Physics Bowl team, saying "You know who's apparently very smart is the girl who played TV's Blossom. She got a Ph.D. in Neuroscience or something." She is cast as one of the guest stars on the Steve Carell 2014 improvisational sketch show Riot.

In August 2014, Bialik began hosting a revival of Candid Camera on TV Land alongside Peter Funt. On March 6, 2012, her book, Beyond the Sling: A Real-Life Guide to Raising Confident, Loving Children the Attachment Parenting Way, was released.

Personal life

Bialik married Michael Stone on August 31, 2003, in a Victorian-themed ceremony that included traditional Jewish wedding customs. Stone was born into a Mormon family and converted to Judaism. Several years later, his mother converted to Judaism as well. Bialik and Stone have two sons, Miles Roosevelt Bialik Stone (b. 2005) and Frederick Heschel Bialik Stone (b. 2008). In 2010, Bialik returned to television so that she could spend more time with her children and stated "I'm glad that I completed my PhD and I'm very proud of it, but the life of a research professor would not have suited my needs in terms of what kind of parenting I wanted to do." In November 2012, her marriage ended in divorce.

In a 2012 interview, Bialik stated she sees herself as an "aspiring Modern Orthodox". Bialik has also described herself as a "staunch Zionist". During the July-August 2014 Israeli operation in Gaza, she reportedly donated money to the IDF for armored vests. She has appeared in several YouTube cameos as Blossom and Amy Farrah Fowler asking questions about Jewish beliefs. The videos are produced by Allison Josephs, Bialik's Judaism study partner, whom she encountered with the help of Partners in Torah. She has stated that she has vaccinated her children and is for the practice. Bialik is a celebrity spokesperson for the Holistic Moms Network.

Bialik is a vegan and a founding member of the Shamayim V'Aretz Institute, a Jewish organization that advocates for the ethical treatment of animals.

She stated on The Late Late Show with James Corden that she identified herself as a feminist.

Other works and writings

In August 2015, Bialik launched her own lifestyle website, GrokNation, which caters to women and includes wide-ranging topics such as religion, popular culture, parenting, and Hollywood. Bialik also mentioned on her interviews that her website's title was in reference to the classic 1961 sci-fi novel Stranger in a Strange Land and was derived from the word 'grok' which means to fully grasp something in the deepest way possible.

Bialik has also written two books with pediatrician Jay Gordon. Beyond the Sling is about attachment parenting, while Mayim's Vegan Table contains over one hundred vegan recipes written by Bialik.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1988	Beaches	Young Cecilia "CC" Carol Bloom
1988	Pumpkinhead	Wallace kid
1990	The Kingdom Chums: Original Top Ten	Petey	Voice
1994	Don't Drink the Water	Susan Hollander
2005	Kalamazoo?	Maggie Goldman
2011	Chicago 8, TheThe Chicago 8	Nancy Kurshan
2011	The Dog Who Saved Halloween	Medusa	Voice
2012	Scooby-Doo! Music of the Vampire	Maria	Voice
2014	Stan Lee's Mighty 7	Lady Lightning	Voice
2015	The Flight Before Christmas	Stephanie Michelle Hunt

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1987	Beauty and the Beast	Ellie	"No Way Down" (Season 1, Episode 4)
1988	Facts of Life, TheThe Facts of Life	Jennifer Cole	"The Beginning of the Beginning" (Season 9, Episode 23) "The Beginning of the End" (Season 9, Episode 24)
1988-89	Webster	Frieda	Recurring role (Season 6)
1989-1990	Empty Nest	Laurie Kincaid	"The R.N. Who Came to Dinner" (Season 2, Episode 8) "Harry Knows Best" (Season 3, Episode 11)
1989-90	MacGyver	Lisa Woodman	"Cease Fire" (Season 5, Episode 4) "Twenty Questions" (Season 5, Episode 19) "Hearts of Steel" (Season 6, Episode 4)
1990	Doogie Howser, M.D.	Candace	"Ask Dr. Doogie" (Season 2, Episode 3)
1990	Molloy	Molloy Martin	Lead role
1990	Murphy Brown	Natalie	"I Want My FYI" (Season 2, Episode 16)
1990	The Earth Day Special	Herself	Television special
1990-95	Blossom	Blossom Russo	Lead Role
1993	The Hidden Room	Jillie	"Jillie" (Season 2, Episode 6)
1994-95	John Larroquette Show, TheThe John Larroquette Show	Rachel	"The Book of Rachel" (Season 2, Episode 8) "Rachel and Ton" (Season 2, Episode 21) "Rachel Redux" (Season 3, Episode 3)
1995-96	Adventures of Hyperman, TheThe Adventures of Hyperman	Brittany Bright	Voice; Main role
1996 1999	Hey Arnold!	Maria	Voice; "6th Grade Girls/The Baseball" (Season 1, Episode 5) "Dinner for Four/Phoebe Skips" (Season 4, Episode 5)
1996	Aaahh!!! Real Monsters	Cindy	Voice; "Wake Me When It's Over" (Season 3, Episode 12)
1996	Real Adventures of Jonny Quest, TheThe Real Adventures of Jonny Quest	Lucy / Julia	Voice; "Assault on Questworld" (Season 1, Episode 8) "The Alchemist" (Season 1, Episode 12)
1997; 2000	Recess	Kirsten Kurst	Voice; "The Break-In" (Season 1, Episode 1) "The Girl Was Trouble" (Season 2, Episode 9) "The Ratings Game" (Season 3, Episode 16)
1997	Johnny Bravo	Tour Guide	Voice; "Going Batty" (Season 1, Episode 11)
1997	Extreme Ghostbusters	Girl in Future	Voice; "Ghost Apocalyptic Future" (Season 1, Episode 18)
1998	Welcome to Paradox	Rita	"Alien Jane" (Season 1, Episode 7)
2001-02	Lloyd in Space	Mean Cindy	Voice; Recurring role (Season 1-2)
2003	7th Heaven	Cathy	"Dick" (Season 7, Episode 20)
2004	Kim Possible	Justine Flanner	Voice; "Partners" (Season 2, Episode 22)
2005	Katbot	Paula	Voice; Recurring role
2005	Fat Actress	Herself	"The Koi Effect" (Season 1, Episode 3) "Holy Lesbo Batman" (Season 1, Episode 4)
2005; 2007	Curb Your Enthusiasm	Jodi Funkhauser	"The Bowtie" (Season 5, Episode 2) "The Ida Funkhouser Roadside Memorial" (Season 6, Episode 3) "The TiVo Guy" (Season 6, Episode 7)
2009	Saving Grace	Esther	"Mooooooooo" (Season 3, Episode 5)
2009	Bones	Genie Gormon	"The Cinderella in the Cardboard" (Season 4, Episode 20)
2009	'Til Death	Herself	"The Break-Up" (Season 4, Episode 13) "Merit Play" (Season 4, Episode 19) "Baby Steps" (Season 4, Episode 32)
2010	The Secret Life of the American Teenager	Dr. Wilameena Bink	Recurring role (Season 2-3)
2010	Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?	Herself / Expert	Season 8
2010-present	Big Bang Theory, TheThe Big Bang Theory	Dr. Amy Farrah Fowler	Main role (Season 4-present) Guest role (Season 3)
2013	Untitled Web Series About a Space Traveler Who Can Also Travel Through Time	B.O.O.T.H.	Voice; "Second Season Prequel" (Season 2, Episode 7)
2014	Candid Camera	Host	Season 38

Web

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2016	YidLife Crisis	Chaya	"The Double Date" (Season 2, Episode 3)

Video games

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2003	X2: Wolverine's Revenge	Bush Pilot / May Deuce	Voice

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Nominee	Result
1988	Young Artist Award	Best Young Actress in a Motion Picture Comedy or Fantasy	Beaches	Won
1990	Young Artist Award	Best Young Actress Guest Starring in a Television Series	Empty Nest	Nominated
1992	Young Artist Award	Best Young Actress in a New Television Series	Blossom
1993	Young Artist Award	Outstanding Young Comedian in a Television Series
2012	Primetime Emmy Award	Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series	The Big Bang Theory
	Online Film Critics Society	Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series		Won
	Screen Actors Guild Award	Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series		Nominated
	Satellite Award	Best Supporting Actress - Series, Miniseries or Television Film
2013	Primetime Emmy Award	Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
	Online Film Critics Society	Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series		Won
	Screen Actors Guild Award	Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series		Nominated
		Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series
2014	Primetime Emmy Award	Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
	Screen Actors Guild Award	Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
	Online Film Critics Society	Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
	Critics' Choice Television Awards	Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
	Young Hollywood Awards	Best On-Screen Couple }
	TV Guide Awards	Favorite Duo }
2015	Critics' Choice Television Awards	Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
	Primetime Emmy Award	Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
2016	Critics' Choice Television Awards	Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series		Won

Written works

• Bialik, Mayim; Jay Gordon (Introduction) (2012). Beyond the Sling: A Real-Life Guide to Raising Confident, Loving Children the Attachment Parenting Way. Touchstone. ISBN 978-1451662184.
• Bialik, Mayim; Jay Gordon (2014). Mayim's Vegan Table: More Than 100 Great-Tasting and Healthy Recipes from My Family to Yours. Da Capo Lifelong Books. ISBN 978-0738217048.

Charities

Mayim Bialik supports the following charitable cause: Cancer.

[ Source: Wikipedia ]