The player is loading ...
Sign up for updates on guests, John's live stand-up dates, and live episodes!
Melanie Chartoff first became famous for her comedy work on the ABC series Fridays, and in the 1990s 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 Grow...
Melanie Chartoff first became famous for her comedy work on the ABC series Fridays, and in the 1990s 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!
She was a blast to have on Dystopia Tonight as we talked her early career, awkward hair dates, Larry David, stand-up comedy, acting, voiceover work, her family life, becoming an author. Looking for a defining role, her new book and more! Enjoy!
Thank you so much for listening. If you can please remember to like, subscribe, and review the podcast to help keep us going!
Actor/ Comedy Writer / Author / Voice Actor
Melanie Chartoff’s career as an actress and singer began early, onstage, with “Three Penny Opera” for Yale University, and the New London Opera Company, and in the children’s company at Long Wharf Theatre in her home town, New Haven, Connecticut. She backed up the Ronettes and the Crystals as a wholesome go go girl for Phil Spector, and backed up those experiences with a degree in Theater Arts and TV Directing from Adelphi University, and Hofstra, N.Y.
A student of the legendary Stella Adler, Chartoff soon appeared on Broadway in Galt MacDermott’s “Via Galactica,” and “Scapino,” with England’s Young Vic Company. She studied lyricism with Lehman Engle at BMI’s Musical Theater Workshop. Off-Broadway, she sang in Sondheim and Rodgers’ “Do I Hear a Waltz?” and was featured in the improv musical revue, “The Proposition.” She was a singing ingénue stand-up, goofing on glamour at the Improv Clubs of NY and LA. West Coast Premieres of “Sunday in the Park with George,” “March of the Falsettos,” “Big River,” and “Beyond Therapy” followed in Los Angeles.
When television called, she starred and wrote for ABC’s late night comedy show, Fridays, alongside Larry David and Michael Richards. She had starring and recurring roles on the Newhart Show, Married with Children, Seinfeld, Wise Guy, Allie McBeal, Parker Lewis Can’t Lose, and the animated Jumanji. She co-hosted the syndicated What’s Hot What’s Not with Fred Willard, and Dick Clark’s special Where Are They Now?
Chartoff’s voice is recognizable for more than singing. She shares an Emmy and a Star on the Holl…
Read More
