Mayim Bialik: “Having children helped me find the little girl inside me who believes in a dream”

Childhood and youth

Mayim Khoya Bialik was born on December 12, 1975 in the sunny city of San Diego, located in the southwestern United States in the state of California. The future actress grew up in an intelligent and religious family. It is known that Bialik’s nationality is determined by Ukrainian, Czechoslovak, Polish and Hungarian blood. The girl's father, Barry, served as the director of the local school, while her mother, Beverly, taught the children to read and write.

Actress Mayim Bialik

Mayim was raised under strict religious rules in the Bialik household, practicing Reform Judaism, but the family now adheres to Orthodoxy. The girl's mom and dad constantly watched how she studied her homework and forced her to clean the house. It is also worth noting that the actress's name is derived from a mispronunciation of her grandmother's name (Miriam) and is translated from Hebrew as “water.”

Bialik attended Walter Reed High School in North Hollywood. It is known that the girl loved to read; her favorite work was the novel “The Catcher in the Rye”, which was invented by Jerome Salinger. Mayim’s youth was calm and measured; unlike her peers, she did not know what parties and alcohol were.

Mayim Bialik in childhood and youth

Having received a high school diploma, the talented girl applied to the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), but was also accepted into the prestigious university - Harvard. However, since Bialik did not want to move to the East Coast, but wanted to be closer to her parents, she chose to continue her studies at UCLA, thereby choosing a completely non-creative path.

At university, Mayim studied subjects such as neuroscience, Hebrew and Jewish religion. The diligent student earned a bachelor's degree in neuroscience in 2000 and then continued to pore over university textbooks and lecture materials in graduate school.

Mayim Bialik in his youth

In 2007, the future actress defended her PhD in neuroscience. In her research paper, “Hypothalamic Regulation of Maladaptive, Obsessive-Compulsive, Affiliative, and Satisfying Behaviors in Prader-Willi Syndrome,” Bialik examined the functionality and activity of the hypothalamus in patients with this genetic abnormality.

Mayim Bialik - actress, doctor of neurobiology and writer rolled into one

Sitcoms are one of the most successful formats for television shows, and Friends is a perfect example of that. In addition to the brainchild of David Crane, “How I Met Your Mother” and “The Big Bang Theory” are also especially popular - the latter, by the way, ended only in 2020, becoming the most multi-episode show among sitcoms.

The series fell in love with the audience not only with its original idea and good humor, but also with its interesting characters. The excellent cast also played an important role in their popularity; I'm afraid Jim Parsons will always be Sheldon Cooper. But among these wonderful actors, we consider Mayim Bialik, who played Amy Fowler, to be the most amazing.

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The future actress was born into the family of an Orthodox Jew and an ordinary American girl in San Diego. It is California that will give Mayim a chance to become a star, because where else to start a film career if not in the very heart of American cinema.

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Already at the age of 12, Bialik appeared on the big screen, albeit in episodic roles. And in 1991, she received the main role in the series “Blossom,” which became successful and stayed on the air until 1995. This show gave her the role of a clumsy girl, which brought Mayim many roles in the future.

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Despite her successful career, the girl did not forget about her studies; moreover, she always studied excellently. After school, Mayim was invited to Harvard, but she did not dare to leave her hometown and entered the University of California.

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She devoted herself to her studies no less than to filming, so she soon managed to defend her dissertation and receive a doctorate in neurobiology. While studying, she met her first husband, and the couple soon had two sons. But in 2013, their family broke up.

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Bialik did not expect that combining scientific work and family would be so difficult. She also did not expect that she would be able to combine caring for children with filming much better, so she turned away from the path of science and returned to cinema. Moreover, her fame has not yet faded and roles constantly rained down as if from the sky.

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And already in 2010, Mayim was invited to “The Big Bang Theory.” She first appeared in season three as a potential match for Sheldon. It didn’t take her long to get used to the role; Parsons even joked that Mayim was the only person on the set who knew what she was saying.

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Amy Fowler was supposed to become the female version of Sheldon, but the writers soon realized that her character was much deeper and more multifaceted, and the audience loved her. That is why it was decided to make her a permanent hero.

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Off the set, Mayim is an extremely interesting person. She openly talks about her feminist views, the actress vehemently opposes the objectification of women. She also runs the website Grok Nation, where users can discuss any pressing social issues.

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Bialik writes books, four of which have been published so far: two on raising children, another on girls growing up, and the latest, a collection of vegan recipes. Mayim is a vegetarian and raises her sons accordingly.

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At home, they sacredly honor Jewish traditions, including those related to food or clothing. The actress prefers modest clothes, so, as she admitted, appearing in public in designer outfits is painful for her. Mayim also speaks Hebrew and often visits relatives in Israel.

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Now the actress is 43 years old, with the ending of “The Big Bang Theory” another chapter in her life has ended, and for now Mayim just wants to take a break. Although there are already rumors that she will receive the director’s chair in some new television project.

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Mayim easily breaks stereotypes about the stupidity of actresses, and also about the need to meet beauty standards in order to achieve success. It's hard to believe, but she was once insulted a lot because of her appearance. It's a shame that The Big Bang Theory has ended and we won't see Amy Fowler again, but we hope to check out Mayim Bialik's new role soon.

Movies

Mayim Bialik’s creative biography began back in 1988 with the horror film “Pumpkinhead” directed by Stan Winston. This chilling film tells the story of a father who, in order to avenge his murdered son, is ready to resort to the powers of black magic and turns to an insidious witch for help.

Mayim Bialik in the movie “On the Beach”

Also in 1988, Bialik played a fleeting role in the comedy “On the Beach,” the plot of which revolves around two girls of different social classes: one has a rich aristocratic family, and the other is a not very wealthy and vulgar girl who dreams of conquering the intricate world of show- business.

Two years later, the talented actress won the leading role in the comedy television series Blossom. This multi-part film immerses the viewer in the story of an average family: a single father, abandoned by his own wife to the mercy of fate, tries to adapt to a new life with his children. The heroine of the series, Blossom Russo, is the only girl in the family who, by observing her surroundings, constantly learns useful lessons that come in handy in life.

Mayim Bialik in the film "Don't Drink the Water"

In 1994, Bialik played in Woody Allen's comedy Don't Drink the Water. The story tells of the time when the race for world championship began - the Cold War. By coincidence, a simple Jewish family is mistaken for spies, so the main characters of the film, who have fallen into disgrace, are forced to hide in the American embassy.

Also, a significant part in the filmography of the short girl (Bialik’s height is 163 cm, weight – 61 kg) is made up of TV series. Mayim took part in such serial films as “The Facts of Life” (1979–1988), “Bones” (2005–2017), “Save Grace” (2007–2010), “Secret from My Parents” (2008–2013).

Mayim Bialik in the series "The Big Bang Theory"

Since 2007, Bialik began acting in the popular sitcom “The Big Bang Theory.” The plot of the series tells about the lives of four physicist friends who devote most of their time to science and do not know all the delights of relationships with the fair sex. But after the extravagant and naive blonde Penny (Kaley Cuoco) moves into the apartment opposite, the existence of these guys takes on new colors.

In The Big Bang Theory, Mayim played the role of Amy Farah Fowler, who works as a neuroscientist. Amy conducts experiments on primates and loves to play the harp. The funny part is that this slightly weird girl's boyfriend is Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons), who has no romantic or sexual interest.

Mayim Bialik and Jim Parsons

Mayim Bialik managed to work on the same set with such famous actors as Bill Prady, Johnny Galecki, Simon Helberg, Kunal Nayyar, Melissa Roich and Sarah Gilbert.

The talented actress also took part in the films “Kalamazoo?” (2006) “The Chicago 8” (2011), “The Dog Who Saved Halloween” (2011), “Stan Lee’s Mighty Seven” (2014), etc. Among other things, Mayim acted as a voice actor in famous animated series, for example, “Hey Arnold!”, “Johnny Bravo,” “Ghostbusters” and “Recess.”

Filmography

Personal life

Mayim Bialik is an open person; she easily gives interviews and delights fans with posts and photographs on Twitter and Instagram. It is known that on August 31, 2003, Michael Stone proposed marriage to Mayim. The actress agreed, after which the lovers had a Victorian-style wedding. Bialik’s husband comes from a family of Mormon followers, but later the man began to profess Judaism.

Mayim Bialik and husband Michael Stone

The couple had two sons. However, Stone and Bialik decided to go their separate ways and filed for an official divorce in the spring of 2013. It is also known that a year before the breakup with Michael, the actress was in a car accident, in which she severely injured her arm. We can say that the doctors did a magnificent job, because Mayim miraculously saved her fingers.

Mayim Bialik with family

The Big Bang Theory star admitted that she and her children are vegans. They do not eat not only meat, but also fish, milk, eggs and any other food related to animal origin. Bialik admitted that it was difficult for her to get her children ready for school: while other parents give their offspring snacks in the form of cheese curds or yoghurts, the actress should come up with a dairy-free lunch.

Among other things, despite her busy schedule, Mayim finds time to read and enjoys flipping through classic literature.

Filmography[ | ]

Another aspect of the actress

Like any child from a Jewish family, Mayim Bialik was not used to spending time in idleness. Despite the heavy workload on film sets, she studied diligently and graduated from high school with good grades. The doors of such prestigious educational institutions as Yale and Harvard opened for the gifted girl, but she did not want to be separated from her family and chose the University of California to continue her education.

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The girl successfully fit into the student environment and began studying the difficult specialty of neurologist. In 2000, Mayim Bialik defended her thesis with honors and graduated from the university with a bachelor's degree. This seemed not enough to her, and she continued her education in Los Angeles and worked on her scientific work. Seven years later, Mayim Bialik brilliantly defended her doctoral dissertation, the main topic of which was disorders in adolescents suffering from specific hereditary diseases.

Childhood on the set

The future doctor of science and actress was born in 1975 in San Diego, California. Mayim Bialik grew up in an intelligent Jewish family that adhered to Judaism, but not the Orthodox version. Her parents were engaged in teaching and documentary filmmaking.

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The cheerful girl came to the set at the age of 12 and has not left for long since then. She began working on television, playing in the series “The Facts of Life,” “Secret Agent McGuire,” and “Beauty and the Beast.” As a teenager, she had the opportunity to work with the famous comedian Bette Midler. In the film On the Beach, Mayim Bialik played Midler's character as a child.

In 1990, she began filming in two television series at once - Molloy and Blossom. The first project did not arouse much interest and was successfully closed after several episodes, but Blossom turned out to be more successful, lasting until 1995. All this time, a native of San Diego worked as one of the leading actresses of the project.

In 1994, Mayim Bialik's list of films was supplemented by a film by Woody Allen himself. The venerable director noticed a young, unconventional actress and invited her to play the role of Susan in his project “Don’t Drink the Water.”