How a Hollywood Star Became a Doctor of Neuroscience: Mayim Bialik's Breaker of Stereotypes

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

A Hollywood star and doctor of neuroscience, a feminist and religiously religious Jew, a cat lover and twice a mother, and also a vegan, writer and director: the image of Mayim Bialik seems to consist of countless clichés, which she easily breaks. But speaking in seemingly contradictory hypostases, she is perceived surprisingly harmoniously, and for this, probably, she receives recognition and love from viewers all over the world - first of all those who are familiar with the Big Bang Theory.

Jewish girl, young actress and up-and-coming student

Mayim Khaya Bialik was born on December 12, 1975 in San Diego, California. In the late thirties, Mayim's relatives, both on the father's side and on the mother's side, emigrated from Europe to America. Some later, in the seventies, moved to Israel.

Parents - Barry Bialik and Beverly, nee Winkleman, worked at school, and the name Mayim (translated from Hebrew - "water") gave their daughter in honor of her grandmother Miriam - slightly changing it for ease of pronunciation in English. A distant relative of the family was the famous Jewish poet Chaim Nachman Bialik.

Mayim was brought up in the traditions of Reform Judaism, but later began to adhere to the orthodox trend.

Life in California gave the girl the opportunity to try her hand at films and television shows. At the age of twelve, she took part in the filming of the horror film Pumpkinhead, played the young Bette Midler in the film On the Beach.

She began to appear in cameo roles in TV series, voiced cartoon characters. In 1991, Mayim Bialik was offered to participate in two new shows at once - "Blossom" and "Molloy" (in the latter she played with Jennifer Aniston). Blossom, a series about a teenage girl starring Mayim, proved to be a successful project and was filmed until 1995, unlike Molloy, which was closed after several episodes were filmed.

The role of "clumsy girlfriend" brought the girl one role after another, she often participated in the filming of episodes and played minor roles in Hollywood TV shows, in addition to acting in films. In 1994, eighteen-year-old Mayim was invited to appear in Woody Allen's film Don't Drink Water. But the shooting did not occupy all the girl's thoughts. Mayim studied well and graduated from high school with enough results to become a student at Harvard, where she was invited. True, the girl did not want to move to the east coast of the United States and became a student at the University of California.

From film set to laboratories and back

Her studies gradually developed into scientific activity - in 2007 Mayim Bialik defended her dissertation on the study of Prader-Willi syndrome and received a doctorate in neurobiology. A little earlier, in 2003, Bialik married Michael Stone, a Mormon who converted to Judaism. In the marriage, two sons were born - Miles and Frederick. The marriage with Stone lasted until 2013, after which the couple divorced.

With the advent of children, it turned out to be quite difficult to combine scientific work and family, but participation in the filming, on the contrary, easily fit into the schedule of the young mother, and Mayim decided to return to the business that brought her success in childhood. Moreover, invitations to auditions and to the set came themselves - you didn't have to chase roles. So the career of an actress became the main work of Mayim Bialik, despite the fact that she herself feels very comfortable both in the status of a scientist and in the scientific community.

In 2010, 34-year-old Mayim was invited to the TV series "The Big Bang Theory" - about scientists who in a peculiar way perceive reality and behave on the basis of theoretical knowledge about the world rather than relying on their own experience. Bialik played the role of Amy Farah Fowler, also a Ph. D., who first appeared at the end of season three. In the story, as a result of an experiment conducted by Howard and Raj, she turns out to be the ideal candidate proposed by the dating system as a couple to Sheldon Cooper, a theoretical physicist. To get used to the role of Amy for the actress, it seemed, was not a big deal. “Mayim is the only one on set who knows what she’s talking about,” said her co-star Jim Parsons, who played Sheldon.

At first, Amy was supposed to become a “female version” of Sheldon, who also reduces relationships between people to scientific algorithms and models, devoid of empathy skills, with zero experience of friendship and love relationships, and therefore funny. Later it turned out that Mayim Bialik's character is much deeper and more multifaceted, she still makes the viewer laugh, but not so much with her own absurdity, but with that irony that sets off the inability of other characters to everyday life and to relationships with the opposite sex. The pair of Sheldon and Amy, by analogy with other star alliances, acquires their own name - Shaimi, and Amy Farah Fowler becomes one of the main characters of the series. And for some reason it is obvious that she is the smartest in this company.

Filming in "The Big Bang Theory" not only brought Mayim Bialik nominations for an Emmy and several other awards, thanks to the project all the actors became a friendly company, spent time together outside of filming. Mayim has also known Johnny Galecki, who plays Leonard, since she was fourteen. Bialik maintains a particularly close relationship with Melissa Rausch ("Bernadette") and Jim Parsons.

The role became important for the actress also because the difficulties with communication, on which the plot of the series is based, is well known to her - due to her peculiar appearance, which does not fit into the traditional American canons of beauty, she herself experienced similar problems - painfully reacting to critical reviews after the release of films and TV series with her participation. Including this is now talking about the adult Mayim Bialik, an accomplished actress and, undoubtedly, an attractive woman.

Mayim Bialik outside of work - what is she like?

Bialik considers himself a feminist - and calls the problem of objectification and objectification of women a serious evil of the modern world - the scandal with Harvey Weinstein showed what Hollywood reality is based on. In general, Mayim devotes a lot of attention to acute social issues, she even created a resource on the Internet where the problems of the modern world are discussed - Grok nation. The intellect and serious education of the actress make her an interesting and authoritative figure for the readers of the site (“grok” is a slang term meaning deep understanding, immersion in a topic). Mayim shares his life attitudes in books as well. To date, four have been released - two are co-authored with a pediatrician and concern the upbringing of children; the actress is a supporter of natural parenting. Mayim Bialik has also written a book on growing up for girls and a collection of vegan recipes.

The actress herself adheres to a vegan philosophy and brings up her sons accordingly. At the same time, all Jewish traditions are observed in her family, including the rules regarding food restrictions and Shabbat. Filming the TV show allows Mayim to spend Saturday nights with her family. Religious beliefs dictate certain rules in clothing, Bialik wears, as a rule, modest dresses, so she perceives the need to appear at social events in designer outfits as a rather burdensome duty. The actress speaks Hebrew and from time to time she and her sons visit relatives in Israel.

The filming of the series "The Big Bang Theory" was completed in 2019, and one can only guess what path Mayim Bialik's career will take. In any case, there is information that she will act as a director on the set of a feature film, in which special emphasis will be placed on the topic of psychiatric deviations. By the way, like many other actors, Bialik almost never watches films with his participation.

Another star with an atypical appearance and unique charisma: Barbra Streisand.