Melissa Rauch

Melissa Ivy Rauch (; born June 23, 1980) is an American actress. She is well known for playing Bernadette Rostenkowski-Wolowitz on the CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory from 2009 to 2019, for which she was nominated for the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in 2013. She starred in and executive produced three seasons of the revival of Night Court.

Rauch's other acting credits include playing Tina on the American remake of Kath & Kim and Summer on the HBO fantasy horror drama True Blood. Rauch also starred in, co-wrote, and co-produced the 2015 sports comedy-drama film The Bronze and provided the voice of DC character Harley Quinn in the 2017 animated film Batman and Harley Quinn. Rauch also had supporting roles in I Love You, Man (2009), Ice Age: Collision Course and Flock of Dudes (both 2016), and Ode to Joy (2019). In 2019, Rauch played Meryl Streep's daughter in the feature film The Laundromat directed by Steven Soderbergh.

Early life Rauch was born to David and Susan Rauch in Marlboro Township, New Jersey. She is Jewish. She developed an interest in acting at a young age. After seeing her first Broadway shows with her family, she would try to recreate them in her basement for hours at a time. Rauch earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in acting and graduated from Marymount Manhattan College in New York City in 2002.

Career Some of Rauch's early work was as a regular contributor to VH1's Best Week Ever television show.

In 2009, Rauch began playing the recurring role of Bernadette Rostenkowski, a co-worker of Penny's at The Cheesecake Factory who began to date Howard Wolowitz, in the third season of CBS's The Big Bang Theory. The following season, her character became Howard's fiancée, and Rauch was promoted to a series regular. The characters married in the season five finale. In December 2011, Rauch and fellow cast members of The Big Bang Theory received the first of six nominations for the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series.

Other acting credits include True Blood (in which she had a recurring role in 2010 as Summer, a girl who likes Hoyt), The Office, the American remake of the Australian TV series Kath & Kim, Wright v Wrong, and the film I Love You, Man.

Rauch is also part of the comedic stage show The Realest Real Housewives cast with Casey Wilson, June Diane Raphael, Jessica St. Clair and Danielle Schneider. The show began running at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in 2011.

Rauch co-wrote and co-produced the film The Bronze, in which she starred as Hope Ann Greggory, a bronze medal-winning gymnast clinging to her glory days of 12 years earlier. It opened the 2015 Sundance Film Festival. Variety said: "Rauch, who co-wrote the screenplay with her husband Winston, has never carried a film before. But she delivers the best breakthrough comedic performance by an actress since Melissa McCarthy in Bridesmaids".

In 2017, Rauch voiced Harley Quinn in the animated film Batman and Harley Quinn and she voiced Light Thief in "Light Riders" from Blaze and the Monster Machines.

She starred in the Night Court revival series playing Judge Abby Stone, the daughter of Judge Harold T. Stone and Gina Stone from the original Night Court series. Season 1 premiered on NBC on January 17, 2023, and was co-produced by Rauch and her husband Winston Rauch, in association with Warner Bros. Television Studios and Universal Television. The show was cancelled after 3 seasons.

Stand Up Melissa did her first standup set at age seven in a local New Jersey talent show and then started pursuing stand up professionally in NYC at the age of 18. She toured clubs and colleges nationally and was named "Best College Comedian" by Jamie Foxx and Carson Daly on MTV prior to landing her role on The Big Bang Theory.

Personal life Rauch is married to writer Winston Rauch , who collaborated with her on The Miss Education of Jenna Bush and other projects. She announced her 2017 pregnancy by writing an essay in Glamour, where she reflected on a miscarriage she had previously suffered.

The voices she uses for portraying the character Bernadette on The Big Bang Theory were inspired by experiences growing up in a "house of screamers". She usually portrays Bernadette using a "sweet, high-pitched purr", and switches to an "eerie, haranguing imitation" of Mrs. Wolowitz in interactions with Mrs. Wolowitz. Both are "very different" from Rauch's real voice.

Filmography

Film Year Title Role Notes 2006 Delirious Megan 2009 I Love You, Man Jogger The Condom Killer Audra Shot and also producer Adventureland Woman in diner Uncredited 2013 In Lieu of Flowers Carrie 2014 Are You Here Marie 2015 The Bronze Hope Ann Greggory Also writer and executive producer 2016 Ice Age: Collision Course Francine Voice, cameo Flock of Dudes Jamie 2017 Batman and Harley Quinn Harley Quinn / Dr. Harleen Quinzel Voice, direct-to-video Miss Macabre Episode: "Something Wicked This Way Substitutes" The Hotwives of Orlando Calliope Episode: "Say You, Séance" 2015 Sofia the First Fairy Tizzy Voice, 2 episodes Scooby-Doo! and the Beach Beastie Kiki Voice, television film 2017 Star vs. the Forces of Evil Baby Voice, episode: "Baby" Marvel's Ant-Man Wasp Voice, 2 episodes Blaze and the Monster Machines The Light Thief Voice, episode: "Light Riders" 2019 Black Monday Shira 2 episodes Robot Chicken Betty Spaghetty, Rainbow Brightstar Voice, episode: "Molly Lucero in: Your Friend's Boob" 2020 Animaniacs Marie Antoinette Voice, episode: "France France Revolution" 2022 Firebuds Beth Bayani Voice, 3 episodes Celebrity Jeopardy! Herself Contestant 2023–2025 Night Court Judge Abby Stone Main role and also executive producer2026Stuart Fails to Save the UniverseAlternate Bernadette RostenkowskiEpisode: "Spoiler: Bert Is Magic"

Awards and nominations