Melissa Rauch

About Melissa Rauch

American actress and comedian. She is best known for her role as Bernadette Rostenkowski-Wolowitz on the CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory.

Rauch was born in Marlboro Township, New Jersey, and went to Frank Defino Central Elementary School in Marlboro, NJ, the daughter of Susan and David Rauch. She developed an interest in acting while attending Marlboro High School. Rauch has a bachelor of fine arts degree in acting from Marymount Manhattan College.

In 2009, Rauch began playing the recurring role of Bernadette, the girlfriend of Howard Wolowitz, in the third season of TV'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 was nominated as part of The Big Bang Theory cast for the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series.

Rauch has been a participant in VH1's Best Week Ever television show. Other acting credits include True Blood, on which she had a recurring role in 2010 as Summer, a girl who likes Hoyt, and The Office. Rauch also appeared on the American remake of the Australian TV series Kath & Kim. She also appeared in Wright v. Wrong and in the film I Love You, Man.

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

Rauch is married to writer Winston Beigel, who collaborated with her on The Miss Education of Jenna Bush and other projects.

As of January 2025, Melissa has amassed 2.4 million followers on her Instagram platform.