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Meredith Dawn Salenger is an American actress. Her credits include the 1985 film ''
The Journey of Natty Gann ''The Journey of Natty Gann'' is a 1985 American adventure film directed by Jeremy Paul Kagan, produced by Walt Disney Pictures and released by Buena Vista Distribution. The film introduced Meredith Salenger and also starred John Cusack, Lainie ...
'', as the title character, and the 1989 teen comedy '' Dream a Little Dream''.


Early life and education

Salenger was born and raised in Malibu, California, the daughter of Dorothy, an interior designer, and Gary Salenger, a dentist. She is Jewish; her family was originally from Austria and Russia. Salenger attended
Santa Monica High School Santa Monica High School, officially abbreviated to SaMoHi, is located in Santa Monica, California. Founded in 1891, it changed location several times in its early years before settling into its present campus at 601 Pico Boulevard. It is a part o ...
and enrolled at
Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...
from 1988 to 1992, and lived in Mower Hall during her freshman year, where Tanya Selvaratnam was one of her roommates. Salenger graduated cum laude with a degree in
psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries between ...
. She received certificates in "Court-Based Mediation of Family Law Matters" and "Mediating the Litigated Case" from the Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution at
Pepperdine University School of Law The Pepperdine University Rick J. Caruso School of Law (formerly Pepperdine University School of Law) is the law school of Pepperdine University, a private research university in Los Angeles County, California. The school offers the Juris D ...
in 2009 and 2011, respectively. She works as a mediator for the Agency for Dispute Resolution in Beverly Hills, California, when she is not filming.


Career

As a child, Salenger enjoyed performing in front of her family and friends. Her mother took her to her first acting class when she was eight years old. Her first role was a small part as a 'singing and dancing orphan' in the feature film '' Annie'', directed by John Huston. Salenger also did a number of television advertisements. Salenger's first starring role was in the
Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
film ''
The Journey of Natty Gann ''The Journey of Natty Gann'' is a 1985 American adventure film directed by Jeremy Paul Kagan, produced by Walt Disney Pictures and released by Buena Vista Distribution. The film introduced Meredith Salenger and also starred John Cusack, Lainie ...
''. After starring in four more films by her eighteenth birthday, including '' A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon'', '' The Kiss'' (1988) and '' Dream a Little Dream'' (1989), she left Hollywood for Harvard to further her education. Salenger resumed her acting career upon her return to Hollywood with credits including '' Lake Placid'' and '' The Third Wheel''. Salenger has also appeared in independent films, including '' Quality Time'' and ''Sparkle & Charm''. Salenger appeared in a 1998 episode of '' Buffy the Vampire Slayer''. She also recorded a song titled "Flow Through Me" with Koishii and Hush; and she appeared as a background member of the
Counting Crows Counting Crows is an American rock band from San Francisco, California. Formed in 1991, the band consists of guitarist David Bryson, drummer Jim Bogios, vocalist Adam Duritz, keyboardist Charlie Gillingham, David Immerglück, bass guitarist M ...
video for "Hanging Around". Salenger appeared in two episodes of ''
Dawson's Creek ''Dawson's Creek'' is an American teen drama television series about the lives of a close-knit group of friends in the fictional town of Capeside, Massachusetts, beginning in high school and continuing into college that ran from 1998 to 2003. T ...
'' in 2002 as film critic Amy Lloyd, and guest-starred on ''
Cold Case A cold case is a crime, or a suspected crime, that has not yet been fully resolved and is not the subject of a current criminal investigation, but for which new information could emerge from new witness testimony, re-examined archives, new or r ...
'' playing victim Sloane Easton on the episode "Ravaged". Salenger had a cameo in the Disney film ''
Race to Witch Mountain ''Race to Witch Mountain'' is a 2009 American science fiction adventure thriller film directed by Andy Fickman, starring Dwayne Johnson in the lead role, with AnnaSophia Robb, Alexander Ludwig, Ciarán Hinds, and Carla Gugino. The latest in a se ...
'' in 2009, where she played a television reporter named Natalie Gann. Salenger has done the voices of several characters in Cartoon Network's '' Star Wars: The Clone Wars'', including
Jedi Jedi (), Jedi Knights, or collectively the Jedi Order are the main heroic protagonists of many works of the '' Star Wars'' franchise. Working symbiotically alongside the Old Galactic Republic, and later supporting the Rebel Alliance, the Jedi ...
Padawan Barriss Offee and Ione Marcy during the second season, Che Amanwe Papanoida during the third season, and Pluma Sodi during the fourth season. She also appeared as Lisa Sanders in the one-hour Nick at Nite drama series '' Hollywood Heights'' which lasted 80 episodes, as well as several characters in '' Mad'' and '' Robot Chicken''
television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed be ...
. In addition, Salenger voiced a
Nightsister ''The Courtship of Princess Leia'' is a 1994 science fiction novel by American writer Dave Wolverton, part of the Star Wars franchise. It continued the streak of ''New York Times'' Bestsellers, which started with 1991's ''Heir to the Empire''. ...
ghost in a season three episode of ''
Star Wars Rebels ''Star Wars Rebels'' is an American 3D animated science fiction television series produced by Lucasfilm Animation and set in the ''Star Wars'' universe. It takes place over a decade after '' Episode III: Revenge of the Sith'' and progressing ...
''. She can be seen opposite
Elias Koteas Elias Koteas (; el, Ηλίας Κοτέας; born March 11, 1961) is a Canadian actor. He is known for playing Alvin "Al" Olinsky in the ''Chicago'' franchise, as well as appearing in lead and supporting roles in numerous films. He won the Cana ...
in '' Jake Squared'' along with
Virginia Madsen Virginia Gayle Madsen (born September 11, 1961) is an American actress and film producer. She made her film debut in ''Class'' (1983), which was filmed in her native Chicago. After she moved to Los Angeles, director David Lynch cast her as Pr ...
and
Jennifer Jason Leigh Jennifer Jason Leigh (born Jennifer Leigh Morrow; February 5, 1962) is an American actress. She began her career on television during the 1970s before making her film breakthrough as Stacy Hamilton in '' Fast Times at Ridgemont High'' (1982). Sh ...
.


Personal life

Salenger and comedian
Patton Oswalt Patton Peter Oswalt (born January 27, 1969) is an American stand-up comedian, actor and writer. He is known as Spence Olchin in the sitcom ''The King of Queens'' (1998–2007) and for narrating the sitcom '' The Goldbergs'' (2013–present) as ...
were engaged in July 2017. They married on November 4, 2017.


Filmography


Film


Television


Awards and nominations


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Salenger, Meredith American child actresses American film actresses American television actresses Living people People from Malibu, California Harvard University alumni Pepperdine University School of Law alumni Actresses from Los Angeles County, California 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses American people of Russian-Jewish descent American people of Austrian-Jewish descent Year of birth missing (living people)