Editing Melanie Chartoff

{{short description|American actress}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2020}}
{{Infobox person
| name          = Melanie Chartoff
| image         = Melanie Chartoff 80.jpg
| alt           = Chartoff looking forward at a camera
| caption       = Chartoff in 1980
| birth_name    = Melanie Barbara Chartoff
| birth_date    = {{Birth date and age|1948|12|15}}<ref>[http://voicechasers.com/database/showactor.php?actorid=1156 Profile], Voicechasers.com. Retrieved July 2, 2015.</ref>
| birth_place   = [[New Haven, Connecticut]], U.S.
| alma_mater    = [[Adelphi University]]
| occupation    = {{flatlist|
*Actress
*comedian
}}
| years_active  = 1976–present
| spouse        = {{marriage|Stan Friedman|2013}}
| website       = {{Official URL}}
}}
'''Melanie Barbara Chartoff''' (born December 15, 1948) is an American actress and comedian. Chartoff first became famous for her comedy work on the [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] series ''[[Fridays (TV series)|Fridays]]'' (1980–1982), and in the 1990s [[Fox Broadcasting|Fox]] [[sitcom]] ''[[Parker Lewis Can't Lose]]''. She voiced both Didi Pickles and Grandma Minka, Didi's mother on the [[Nickelodeon]] animated series ''[[Rugrats]]'' and ''[[All Grown Up!]]''.<ref name="imdb"/>

==Early life==
Chartoff was born on December 15, 1948, in [[New Haven, Connecticut]], and attended [[West Haven High School]]. She went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts from [[Adelphi University]]. Chartoff is Jewish.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.haaretz.com/us-news/jewish-insider-s-daily-kickoff-december-15-2017-1.5628773|title = Jewish Insider's Daily Kickoff: December 15, 2017|newspaper = Haaretz}}</ref>

==Career==
Her first Broadway appearances were in [[Galt MacDermot]]'s space opera ''Via Galactica'' (1972), directed by Peter Hall, and The Young Vic's ''[[Scapino (play)|Scapino]]'', starring [[Jim Dale]] (1974).{{citation needed|date=September 2023}}

Chartoff's first TV role came in 1976 when she played a nurse on ''[[Search For Tomorrow]]'', after which she appeared in the 1978 motion picture ''[[American Hot Wax]]''. She first became a nationally known figure on [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]'s ''[[Fridays (TV series)|Fridays]]'', which was ABC's attempt to create its own version of ''[[Saturday Night Live]]''. Chartoff immediately stood out on the series, partly thanks to her regular role as the anchor on the show's fake newscasts, but also due to her comedic skills (particularly an impression of [[Nancy Reagan]]). On one sketch, Melanie was cold-cocked on live TV when co-star [[Maryedith Burrell]] failed to pull her punch during a skit and chipped Chartoff's tooth.<ref name="imdb"/>

Between the demise of ''Fridays'' in 1982 and her return to a regular series in 1990 with ''[[Parker Lewis Can't Lose]]'' (in which she co-starred for three seasons as the high-strung Principal Grace Musso), Chartoff continued to work steadily on television throughout the 1980s, including appearances on ''[[Mr. Belvedere]]'', ''[[Wiseguy (TV series)|Wiseguy]]'', and ''[[St. Elsewhere]]'', as well as a recurring role on ''[[Newhart]]'' as Dr. Kaiser. She made two appearances on ''[[Seinfeld]]'', including one in the 1998 series finale in which four of her former ''Fridays'' co-stars were also involved (including [[Michael Richards]]). She appeared in the 2006 season finale of ''[[Desperate Housewives]]''.<ref name="imdb">{{IMDb name|153589|Melanie Chartoff}}</ref>

In the Los Angeles premiere of Bill Finn and James Lapine's musical ''[[March of the Falsettos]]'' (1982), for which she won a [[Drama-Logue Award]], she played Trina. She played Mary Jane Wilkes in the [[La Jolla Playhouse]] premiere of ''[[Big River (musical)|Big River]]'' (1984). At [[South Coast Repertory]] she appeared in the world Premiere of ''On the Jump''. She played Dot in the West Coast premiere of ''[[Sunday in the Park with George]]'' at San Francisco's [[American Conservatory Theater]] (1986).{{citation needed|date=September 2023}}

===Inventing===
In 1991, Chartoff and fellow voice actor [[Michael Bell (actor)|Michael Bell]] conceived the Grayway Rotating Drain, a device that recycles shower and sink  [[greywater]] to flush toilets in the home. In 1992 they collaborated with Ronald K. Ford who applied for, and in 1994 received a patent on the product .<ref>*{{US patent|5274861}}, "Gray water recycling system" (Jan. 4, 1994)
</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.graywayrotatingdrain.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180805144936/http://www.graywayrotatingdrain.com/ |url-status=live |archive-date=5 August 2018 |title=GRAYWAY ROTATING DRAIN - Graywater Recycling Device |website=graywayrotatingdrain.com |via=archive.org |access-date=23 September 2018 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://members.aol.com:80/graywaydrain2003/questions.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031118183540/http://members.aol.com/graywaydrain2003/questions.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=18 November 2003|title=Grayway FAQ|publisher=AOL|access-date=23 September 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=IO1HAAAAIBAJ&pg=5228,4455295&dq=melanie+chartoff&hl=en|title=Melanie Chartoff is also an inventor|newspaper=[[Record-Journal]]|date=1992-09-28|access-date=July 2, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=/netahtml/PTO/search-bool.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&co1=&d=PTXT&s1=5,274,861.PN.|title=United States Patent: 5274861 - Gray water recycling system|author=|date=|website=uspto.gov|access-date=23 September 2018}}</ref>

===Voice acting and other projects===
Chartoff's first voice-over work was a guest role on ''[[Challenge of the Superfriends]]''. She has continued her work as an in-demand voice actress and also takes occasional TV and stage roles. Chartoff works as a coach to both actors and non-actors to make them more charismatic in public performances.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Charismatizing|first=Melanie|last=Chartoff|url=https://charismatizing.com/|access-date=June 9, 2020|publisher=Charismatizing.com}}</ref> In 2005, she interviewed [[Laraine Newman]] for ''[[Autograph Collector Magazine|Autograph Collector]]'' magazine. Chartoff writes for ''[[The Huffington Post]]'', ''[[The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles|The Jewish Journal]]'', ''[http://www.defenestrationmag.net Defenestration Magazine]'', and ''[[Funny Times (newspaper)|The Funny Times]]''. She performs her original material at such Los Angeles venues as Comedy Central's "Sit n' Spin," "Tasty Words," and "I Love a Good Story."{{citation needed|date=September 2023}}

===''Rugrats''===
From 1991 to 2008, Chartoff voiced Didi Pickles and her mother Grandma Minka on the Nickelodeon series ''[[Rugrats]]'', for which she won a [[Daytime Emmy Award|Daytime Emmy]]. She continued to voice Didi on the ''Rugrats'' spin-off series, ''[[All Grown Up!]]''. For the [[Rugrats (2021 TV series)|2021 revival series of the same name]], Chartoff was replaced by actress [[Ashley Spillers]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.screenrant.com/rugrats-reboot-ashley-spillers-tommy-dewey-interview/|title=Ashley Spillers & Tommy Dewey Interview: Rugrats|last=Hullender|first=Tatiana|date=May 26, 2021|publisher=Screen Rant|accessdate=August 23, 2021}}</ref>

===Awards===
Aside from Drama-Logue and Daytime Emmy Awards, she was awarded by the City of Hope for creating and producing the yearly event Halloween for Hope to benefit children's cancer research and received a Certificate of Appreciation from the Mayor of Los Angeles for her concerts for the homeless. Chartoff is listed in Who's Who in California, and Who's Who in American Colleges and Universities.{{citation needed|date=September 2023}}

==Personal life==
On July 5, 2013, Chartoff married psychologist Stan Friedman, her longtime boyfriend.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://registry.theknot.com/melanie-chartoff-stan-friedman-july-2013-ca/7052242|title=melanie chartoff and stan friedman Wedding Registry|website=The Knot|access-date=November 18, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hitberry.com/actress-melanie-chartoff-and-husbad-stan-friedman-married-last-year-already-fighting-like-old-married-couple|title=Actress Melanie Chartoff and husband Stan Friedman, married last year, alreading fighting like old married couple!!!|website=HitBerry|date=September 27, 2015|access-date=November 18, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.jewishjournal.com/culture/meant2be/ready-play-role/|title=She was ready to play this role|website=Jewish Journal|date=June 16, 2017|first=Melanie|last=Chartoff|access-date=November 18, 2023}}</ref>

== Filmography ==

=== Film ===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!Year
!Title
!Role
!Notes
|-
|1978
|''[[American Hot Wax]]''
|Debbie
|Film debut
|-
|1979
|''[[Can You Hear the Laughter? The Story of Freddie Prinze]]''
|Fan
|Television film, uncredited
|-
|1982
|''Having It All''
|Dace
|Television film
|-
|1985
|''[[Doin' Time (film)|Doin' Time]]''
|Linda Libel
|
|-
| rowspan="2" |1986
|''[[Stoogemania]]''
|Beverly
|
|-
|''Hardesty House''
|Judy Werner
|Television film
|-
|1987
|''[[Kenny Rogers as The Gambler, Part III: The Legend Continues]]''
|Deborah
|Television film
|-
|1993
|''[[Wind in the Wire (film)|Wind in the Wire]]''
|unknown role
|Television film
|-
|1997
|''Plato's Run''
|Stephanie
|[[Direct-to-video]]
|-
|1998
|''[[The Rugrats Movie]]''
|Didi Pickles, Minka
|Voice<ref name="btva">{{cite web |title=Melanie Chartoff (visual voices guide) |url=http://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/Melanie-Chartoff/ |access-date=October 30, 2023 |publisher=Behind The Voice Actors}} A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.</ref>
|-
| rowspan="2" |2000
|''Big Brother Trouble''
|Frances Dobson
|
|-
|''[[Rugrats in Paris: The Movie]]''
| rowspan="3" |Didi Pickles
|Voice<ref name="btva" />
|-
|2001
|''[[All Growed Up|The Rugrats: All Growed Up]]''
|Voice, television film
|-
|2003
|''[[Rugrats Go Wild]]''
|Voice<ref name="btva" />
|-
|2006
|''[[Dr. Dolittle 3]]''
|Black and White Hen
|Voice, direct-to-video<ref name="btva" />
|-
|2012
|''And Out, Into the Bright Sky''
|unknown role
|Short film
|-
|2017
|''[[Alexander IRL]]''
|Maureen Finn
|
|}

=== Television ===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!Year
!Title
!Role
!Notes
|-
|1976
|''[[Search for Tomorrow]]''
|Nancy Craig
| Television debut
|-
|1973
|''[[The Doctors (1963 TV series)|The Doctors]]''
|Nurse (uncredited)
|Episode: "#1.2824"
|-
| rowspan="3" |1978
|''[[Wonder Woman (TV series)|Wonder Woman]]''
|Nadia
|Episode: "Screaming Javelins"
|-
|''[[The Tony Randall Show]]''
|Ginny
|Episode: "Adios, Mr. Chips"
|-
|''[[Richie Brockelman, Private Eye]]''
|Police-Woman Ronnie
|Episode: "Escape from Caine Abel"
|-
|1978–1980
|''[[Challenge of the Superfriends]]''
|Additional voices
|16 episodes
|-
|1980–1982
|''[[Fridays (TV series)|Fridays]]''
|Various
|54 episodes
|-
|1983
|''[[Oh Madeline]]''
|unknown role
|Episode: "Sisters"
|-
| rowspan="2" |1985
|''[[Mr. Belvedere]]''
|Detective Wentworth
|Episode: "What I Did for Love"
|-
|''[[St. Elsewhere]]''
|Kate Larson
|Episode: "Fathers and Sons"
|-
| rowspan="2" |1986
|''[[The Love Boat]]''
|Betty Bell
|Episode: "Hippies and Yuppies/Frat Wars/Return of the Lambdas"
|-
|''[[Fresno (miniseries)|Fresno]]''
|Desiree DeMornay
|Miniseries; 5 episodes
|-
|1987
|''[[Take Five (TV series)|Take Five]]''
|Laraine McDermott
|Recurring role, 6 episodes
|-
|1987–1990
|''[[Newhart]]''
|Dr. Mary Kaiser
|Recurring role, 5 episodes
|-
|1988
|''[[Wiseguy (TV series)|Wiseguy]]''
|Lillah Warfield
|Recurring role, 3 episodes
|-
|1989
|''[[The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!]]''
|Tawny Tyler
|Episode: "Adee Don't/Karate Koopa"
|-
|1990
|''[[The Fanelli Boys]]''
|Becky
|Episode: "Pilot"
|-
|1990-1993
|''[[Parker Lewis Can't Lose]]''
|Principal Grace Musso
|72 episodes
|-
|1991–2004
|''[[Rugrats]]''
|Didi Pickles, Minka Kropotkin, additional voices
|Voice, 155 episodes<ref name="btva" />
|-
|1993
|''[[Married... with Children]]''
|Laurie Diamond, Attorney
|Episode: "Un-Alful Entry"
|-
|1994
|''[[Living Single]]''
| Madeline Flayvin
|Episode: "They've Gotta Have It"
|-
|1994, 1998
|''[[Seinfeld]]''
|Robin
|2 episodes
|-
|1996–1998
|''[[Weird Science (TV series)|Weird Science]]''
|Marcia Donnelly
|recurring role; 5 episodes
|-
|1996–1999
|''[[Jumanji (TV series)|Jumanji]]''
|Aunt Nora Shepherd
|Voice, 22 episodes
|-
|1998
|''[[Ally McBeal]]''
|Joanne Poole
|Episode: "Happy Trails"
|-
| rowspan="2" |2000
|''[[Touched by an Angel]]''
|Connie Burger
|Episode: "Bar Mitzvah"
|-
|''[[Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child]]''
|Grape Fox
|Voice, episode: "Aesop's Fables: A Whodunit Musical"
|-
|2001
|''[[JAG (TV series)|JAG]]''
|Senator Anne Pick
|Episode: "Ambush"
|-
| rowspan="4" |2002
|''[[Taina (TV series)|Taina]]''
|Sasha Simmons
|Episode: "Desperately Seeking Agent"
|-
|''[[The Zeta Project]]''
|Lead Scientist
|Voice, episode: "Cabin Pressure"<ref name="btva" />
|-
|''Body & Soul''
|Colleen McKinney
|Episode: "Letting Go"
|-
|''[[Half & Half]]''
|Bridget
|Episode: "The Big in with the in Crowd Episode"
|-
|2003–2008
|''[[All Grown Up!]]''
|Didi Pickles, Minka Kropotkin
|Voice, 32 episodes
|-
|2005
|''[[Unfabulous]]''
|Health Teacher
|Episode: "The Little Sister"
|-
|2006
|''[[Desperate Housewives]]''
|Sally
|Episode: "Remember (Part 1)"
|-
|2007
|''[[Tak and the Power of Juju (TV series)|Tak & the Power of Juju]]''
|Chief Tina-Tina
|Voice, episode: "The Three Chiefs"
|-
|2010
|''[[No Ordinary Family]]''
|Iris Mitchell
|Episode: "Pilot"
|-
|2014
|''Extraordinary Faith''
|
|Director/Consulting Producer
Television Documentary; 2 episodes
|-
|2015
|''[[Switched at Birth (TV series)|Switched at Birth]]''
|Producer
|Episode: "There Is My Heart"
|-
|2018
|''[[OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes]]''
|Sunshine
|Voice, 4 episodes<ref name="btva" />
|}

=== Video games ===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!Year
!Title
!Role
!Notes
|-
| rowspan="2" |1998
|''[[Rugrats Adventure Game]]''
| rowspan="3" |Didi Pickles
|<ref name="btva" />
|-
|''[[Rugrats: Search for Reptar]]''
|
|-
|1999
|''[[Rugrats: Studio Tour]]''
|<ref name="btva" />
|}

==References==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==External links==
* {{IMDb name|153589|Melanie Chartoff}}
* [https://patents.google.com/patent/US5274861 Patent 5274861 information]
* [https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-09-27-re-160-story.html "Actress Stars as Inventor"], ''Los Angeles Times''. Retrieved July 2, 2015.
*[http://www.theatermania.com/content/show.cfm/section/synopsis/show/132062 Profile], TheaterMania.com. Retrieved July 2, 2015.

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chartoff, Melanie}}
[[Category:1948 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Actresses from New Haven, Connecticut]]
[[Category:Adelphi University alumni]]
[[Category:American sketch comedians]]
[[Category:American stage actresses]]
[[Category:American television actresses]]
[[Category:American voice actresses]]
[[Category:American women comedians]]
[[Category:Daytime Emmy Award winners]]
[[Category:Jewish American actresses]]
[[Category:American women inventors]]
[[Category:20th-century American actresses]]
[[Category:21st-century American actresses]]
[[Category:20th-century American comedians]]
[[Category:21st-century American comedians]]
[[Category:20th-century American inventors]]
[[Category:21st-century American Jews]]
[[Category:Comedians from Connecticut]]
[[Category:Jewish American comedians]]
[[Category:Jewish women comedians]]