When it comes to sitcom household names, Mayim Bialik is definitely among the most well-known. Whether you came to love her as Blossom in the ’90s or Amy Farrah Fowler in the 2010s, there is no denying that Bialik has shown her talent when it comes to making us laugh. However, Bialik is so much more than just a television star.
With a PhD under her belt, she has shown that she is interested in much more than just the glitzy world of Hollywood. “If I had not gone to college, I might have kept acting and been happy like that,” she revealed in 2017 (via National Geographic). “But I loved going to UCLA and doing something that was very challenging academically. It was exciting to get my PhD.” Now, if you’re curious just how a scientist ended up also being a face of television comedy, here’s how Mayim Bialik’s life changed over the years. And don’t worry, we wouldn’t be Glam if we didn’t sprinkle some fashion and beauty into our analysis, too!
1990-1999: Mayim Bialik becomes Blossom and embraces quirky ’90s fashion
Mayim Bialik entered the spotlight as a child actor in the ’80s, but it wasn’t until her portrayal of Blossom in the Fox sitcom of the same name in the early ’90s that Bialik became a recognized star. “I read the ‘Blossom’ script and it was the first script I had ever read where I laughed out loud,” the actor revealed in 2016 (via Yahoo! Entertainment). “You could tell in that first script, a very unusual sense of humor and it really suited my sense of humor.”
At the time, Bialik was a teen exploring everything that ’90s fashion had to offer — including neon dresses and feathery accessories. Speaking of her upbringing to The Jerusalem Post in 2012, Bialik said, “My parents were not at all observant; they raised me in a Reform congregation, which actually was a very positive experience. There were some remnants of my mom’s Orthodoxy, but for the most part we were a traditional Reform family.”
Early on in her career, Bialik fought for what she believes in. In fact, in 1991 she admitted jokes about a flat chest that made the script for an episode of “Blossom” didn’t sit well with her — which is why she voiced her opinion to executive producer Don Reo. “I gave him a piece of my feminist mind,” she said (via Entertainment Weekly). “Flat-chested jokes are lame-o. It’s important for young women to have positive role models. Blossom is someone who is smart and interested in things other than shopping and boys. She represents how girls are and how they should be.”
2000-2005: Mayim Bialik gets married, welcomes her first child, and keeps it low-key
On August 31, 2003, Mayim Bialik married Michael Stone in a ceremony in Pasadena, California. While not much is known about the wedding, Bialik opened up about it to Vulture in 2018. “My wedding in real life was very unusual, because I’m an unusual person, so I’m actually not big on vows,” she revealed. “I think if you want to say something intimate to your partner, just do it privately. The whole notion of vows to me was, in real life, I was like, ‘Ugh, who wants to say all those things in front of other people?'”
Bialik — who earned her bachelor’s degree in neuroscience, Jewish studies, and Hebrew from UCLA in 2000 — gave birth to the couple’s first son Miles in 2005. “My husband and I met in college and we had our first son in grad school after we got married. We fell in love with parenting and with being parents, and specifically with me being the primary caregiver,” she revealed to The Jerusalem Post in 2012.
During this period, we got to see Bialik attend a couple of red-carpet events, often accompanied by her husband. For them, she usually stuck to classic black dresses but always ensured there was a bit of quirkiness to them — whether because of the material’s texture or a subtle addition of floral print.
2010-2011: Mayim Bialik returns to acting and continues to experiment with bold colors
2010 was the year that changed Mayim Bialik’s daily routine as she was cast as Dr. Amy Farrah Fowler on the sitcom “The Big Bang Theory.” This was the role that brought her a steady job, salary, and fame across the globe for almost a decade. In a candid conversation with radio host Ira Flatow, Bialik reflected on her decision to give acting another chance. “When our younger son was almost two, I auditioned for ‘Big Bang Theory,’ but even still I wasn’t made a regular until kind of end of last season, and a sitcom schedule happens to be very friendly,” she revealed (via NPR). “But at least in those early months and years of nursing and sleeping and all that stuff, I was absolutely able to be home with them, and I couldn’t have done that the same way had I stayed in academia.”
Of course, with the success of the sitcom, Bialik was now attending industry events more often, and whenever she would show up to red carpets, her choice of dress was sophisticated yet fun. Bialik wasn’t one to shy away from bright colors or fun sequins, and it became clear that while she may be known for her academic degrees and acting, the star loved a good fashion moment, too.
