Mayim Bialik was raised in Los Angeles as a Reform Jew. Beginning her acting career as a child, she played a young version of Bette Midler 's character in the 1988 film Beaches, and went on to star in her own television show, Blossom, from 1990 to 1995. Bialik then pursued a Ph.D. in neuroscience from UCLA and returned to acting, coincidentally playing neuroscientist Amy Farrah Fowler on The Big Bang Theory from 2010 to 2019.

American actress Mayim Hoya Bialik was born in San Diego, California, on December 12, 1975, to first-generation Jewish-American parents who raised her in Reform Judaism. She grew up in Los Angeles, and attended both public and religious schools.

Acting Career

'Pumpkinhead,' 'MacGyver,' 'Beaches'

Bialik began acting in the late 1980s. Her first acting job, in the horror film Pumpkinhead, was followed by numerous guest appearances on some of the most well-known shows of the 1980s and '90s, including MacGyver, The Facts of Life and Webster. In 1988 Bialik played Bette Midler's character as a young girl in the film Beaches, and she later appeared in a music video for the song "Liberian Girl," by Michael Jackson.

'Blossom'

Bialik's breakout role was that of Blossom, the main character on the TV show of the same name. From 1990 to 1995, Bialik enjoyed Blossom's success, as the show garnered high ratings: Her character, Blossom, was known as "the quirky girl with the signature flower hat."

After Blossom ended, Bialik did some voice-over work for cartoons and appeared as a guest star on several television shows, including Curb Your Enthusiasm, Fat Actress, Saving Grace and What Not To Wear.

'The Big Bang Theory'

Rededicating herself to acting, Bialik appeared in the season 3 finale of The Big Bang Theory in 2010, before joining the regular cast of the hit sitcom for season 4. Her character of neurobiologist Amy Farrah Fowler, the girlfriend and eventual wife of Jim Parsons' Sheldon Cooper, mirrored Bialik's real-life educational interests. Her performance on the show garnered her several Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.

Education

After her run on Blossom, Bialik took a step back from acting to focus on her school work: She attended the University of California, Los Angeles, despite gaining acceptance to both Harvard and Yale, in order to stay close to her parents and remain on the West Coast. Bialik earned a bachelor's degree in neuroscience, Hebrew and Jewish studies in 2000, and then went on to the university's Ph.D. program in neuroscience, which she completed in 2007.