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WHATEVER HAPPENED TO MINDY COHN?


Byline: Greg Hernandez

Staff Writer

Mindy Cohn Mindy Cohn (born May 20, 1966 in Los Angeles, California) is a Jewish-American actress[1] best known for her role as Natalie Green on the TV show The Facts of Life.[2] She currently resides in Beverly Hills, CA.  long ago faced this fact of life: Some people will always think of her as Natalie Green.

But since "The Facts of Life" ended its nine-year run back in 1988, the 41-year-old Cohn has continued to make a living as a working actress and still dreams of bigger and better roles.

She's been the voice of Velma on the "Scooby-Doo" cartoons for nearly a decade and has a part in the upcoming feature film "Sex and Death 101," starring Simon Baker and Winona Ryder.

But many casting directors haven't been able to see past her indelible portrayal of the quick-witted Natalie, who lived with Blair, Jo, Tootie and Mrs. Garrett at that boarding school during most of the '80s.

"Ultimately, I want people to be able to see me, that I'm an actor," Cohn said in an interview this week. "Sometimes people see me with whatever label, and I've not yet been able to show what I can do. That's the exciting part. I still have the tenacity and the hunger, and my patience is going to pay off.

"My motto in life is 'The best is yet to come."'

The Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850.  native got the role in "Sex" the old-fashioned way: She auditioned. She plays Trixie, the confidante con·fi·dante  
n.
1. A woman to whom secrets or private matters are disclosed.

2. A woman character in a drama or fiction, such as a trusted friend or servant, who serves as a device for revealing the inner thoughts or intentions
 and best friend of Baker's character.

"She's the only character in the movie that Simon doesn't have sex with!" she said. "She goes on this adventure and remains the voice of reason. It was a really easy card to play once you meet Simon Baker."

Despite her fame, Cohn considers herself to be just like any other working actress in L.A. -- always looking for Looking for

In the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with.
 the next good role.

"I still love it," she said of her acting career. "On-camera stuff, it's very spotty, but I've definitely been able to do two to three things a year to keep me viable. As an actor, my voiceover career had never made me feel unemployed for the past seven years."

She could just cash in on her "Facts" background, but Cohn wants new challenges: "That's why I turn down those VH1 shows like 'I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here,' 'Celebrity Fit Club' and 'The Surreal Life.' The compliment of that is people still remember me 25 years later and actually like what they see. It's an amazing amount of money to do these shows. ... The issue is longevity and holding out for things I'm proud of and excited about. I don't want to play Mindy Cohn on television."

But she did join former co-stars Charlotte Rae Charlotte Rae (born April 22 1926) is an American actress and singer known for her portrayal of Edna Garrett in the sitcoms Diff'rent Strokes and The Facts of Life, in which she appeared from 1979 until 1986. , Lisa Whelchel Lisa Diane Whelchel (born May 29, 1963 in Littlefield, Texas, raised for most of her childhood in Fort Worth, Texas), is an American actress best known for her role in the television series The Facts of Life as the preppy and wealthy Blair Warner.  and Kim Fields Kim Victoria Fields (born May 12, 1969 in New York, New York) is an American actress.

Fields was discovered by an acting agent for the sitcom The Facts of Life after appearing in a commercial for Mrs. Butterworth's pancake syrup.
 for a 2001 reunion movie. (Nancy McKeon Nancy Justine McKeon (born April 4, 1966) is an American actress. Biography
Early life & career
McKeon was born in Westbury, New York to a show business family; she and her brother Philip did numerous commercials at the insistence of their parents, Don and
 had a scheduling conflict.)

"We all never got paid and still don't get paid for DVDs and reruns," Cohn said. "So the consensus was that this was going to be a very big payday for us, and we had earned it. So if the script was halfway decent, we could have a kick in the pants, have an adventure together and get a big payday. It really was that we felt we were owed."

greg.hernandez(at)dailynews.com

818-713-3758

CAPTION(S):

2 photos

Photo:

(1 -- 2; 1 color only) Mindy Cohn as boarding-school student Natalie Letisha Sage Green Noun 1. sage green - the color of sage leaves
green, viridity, greenness - green color or pigment; resembling the color of growing grass
 in television's "The Facts of Life," above, and today, below.
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Publication:Daily News (Los Angeles, CA)
Date:Mar 12, 2008
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