‘The Facts of Life’ Cast: What the Iconic Cast Is Up to 37 Years Later

Charlotte Rae, who played beloved housemother Edna Garrett on The Facts of Life, sadly passed away in 2018 after a battle with bone cancer. However, many of the show’s younger stars have continued their acting careers, appearing in various television shows and movies.

The Facts of Life, a spinoff of Diff’rent Strokes, became a major hit in the 1980s. It focused on the lives of girls at the all-girls boarding school Eastland and featured several memorable characters. The show launched three spinoff television movies: The Facts of Life Goes to Paris, The Facts of Life Down Under and The Facts of Life Reunion.

Rae portrayed Edna Garrett from the show’s inception until Season 8, where Cloris Leachman joined the cast as her sister. Edna mentored the girls while working as the school’s dietitian.

In 1982, Rae received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress for her performance. After The Facts of Life, Rae starred in various TV movies and films, including Nowhere (1997) and You Don’t Mess with the Zohan (2008). Her last regular role was voicing Nanny in 101 Dalmatians: The Series (1997-1998).

Rae released her autobiography, The Facts of My Life, in 2015.

She died at 92 in 2018, prompting heartfelt tributes from her former costars.

Mindy Cohn took on the role of Natalie Green, becoming an early advocate for body positivity.

Today, she champions LGBTQ+ rights and is widely recognized for voicing Velma in the Scooby-Doo cartoons. However, Cohn stepped back from the spotlight for health reasons after secretly fighting b—– cancer for five years.

“I was frustrated and enraged. I couldn’t control any of this. I couldn’t fix it,” she shared.

Now, Cohn is excited to return to the screen, having recently starred in A Nice Girl Like You (2020) and other films.

Lisa Whelchel, who originated her character in Diff’rent Strokes, reprised her role on The Facts of Life from 1979 to 1988.

In 1984, she earned a Grammy nomination for her Christian album, All Because of You. Following her second-place finish on Survivor: Philippines in 2012, she transitioned to motivational speaking.

Whelchel returned to acting in 2013 with A Madea Christmas and has appeared in several rom-coms, including You Light Up My Christmas (2019).

She is a mother of three and remarried psychologist Pete Harris in December 2019.

After portraying Joanna Marie ‘Jo’ Polniaczek, Nancy McKeon joined the cast of Can’t Hurry Love, Panic, The Division, Sonny with a Chance and Panic. She then reunited with Fields, Cohn and Whelchel in You Light Up My Christmas.

She shares two children with Marc Andrus.