# Meredith Salenger

Meredith Salenger (born March 14, 1970) is an American actress. Her credits include the 1985 film The Journey of Natty Gann, as the title character, and the 1989 teen comedy Dream a Little Dream.

## Early life

Salenger was born and raised in Malibu, California, the daughter of Dorothy, an interior designer, and Gary Salenger, a dentist. She is Jewish; her family was originally from Austria and Russia.
Salenger enrolled at Harvard University and graduated cum laude with a degree in psychology in 1992. She received certificates in "Court-Based Mediation of Family Law Matters" and "Mediating the Litigated Case" from the Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution at Pepperdine University School of Law in 2009 and 2011, respectively. She works as a mediator for the Agency for Dispute Resolution in Beverly Hills, California, when she is not filming.

## Career

Salenger's first starring role was in the Disney film The Journey of Natty Gann. After starring in four more films by her eighteenth birthday, including A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon, The Kiss (1988) and Dream a Little Dream (1989), she left Hollywood for Harvard to further her education.
Salenger resumed her acting career upon her return to Hollywood with credits including Lake Placid and The Third Wheel. Salenger has also appeared in independent films, including Quality Time and Sparkle & Charm.
Salenger appeared in a 1998 episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. She also recorded a song titled "Flow Through Me" with Koishii and Hush; and she appeared as a background member of the Counting Crows video for "Hanging Around".
Salenger appeared in two episodes of Dawson's Creek in 2002 as film critic Amy Lloyd, and guest-starred on Cold Case playing victim Sloane Easton on the episode "Ravaged". Salenger had a cameo in the Disney film Race to Witch Mountain in 2009, where she played a television reporter named Natalie Gann.
Salenger has performed the voices of several characters in Cartoon Network's Star Wars: The Clone Wars, including Jedi Padawan Barriss Offee and Ione Marcy during the second season, Che Amanwe Papanoida during the third season, and Pluma Sodi during the fourth season. She also appeared as Lisa Sanders in the one-hour Nick at Nite drama series Hollywood Heights which lasted 80 episodes, as well as several characters in Mad and Robot Chicken television series. In addition, Salenger voiced a Nightsister ghost in a season three episode of Star Wars Rebels. She can be seen opposite Elias Koteas in Jake Squared along with Virginia Madsen and Jennifer Jason Leigh.
In November 2024, it was announced that Salenger and her husband Patton Oswalt would produce the short film Sardinia.

## Personal life

Salenger and comedian Patton Oswalt were engaged in July 2017, marrying on November 4 of that year.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1982 | Annie | Orphan #2 | |
| 1985 | The Journey of Natty Gann | Natty Gann | |
| 1988 | A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon | Lisa Bentwright | |
| 1988 | The Kiss | Amy Halloran | |
| 1989 | Dream a Little Dream | Lainie Diamond | |
| 1991 | Edge of Honor | Alex | |
| 1994 | Dead Beat | Donna | |
| 1995 | Village of the Damned | Melanie Roberts | |
| 1995 | Venus Rising | Maria | Video |
| 1997 | Sparkle and Charm | Gwen | |
| 1998 | Sour Grapes | Degan | |
| 1998 | No Code of Conduct | Rebecca Peterson | |
| 1998 | Bug Buster | Veronica Hart | |
| 1999 | Matters of Consequence | Reiko | |
| 1999 | Lake Placid | Sharon Gare | |
| 2001 | Good Advice | Amy | |
| 2001 | My Best Friend's Wife | Ami Meyer | |
| 2002 | The Third Wheel | Sara | |
| 2006 | The Work and the Glory III: A House Divided | Caroline Mendenhall | |
| 2008 | My Apocalypse | Susan Stone | |
| 2009 | Race to Witch Mountain | Natalie Gann | |
| 2011 | The Lamp | Lisa Walters | |
| 2017 | Lego DC Super Hero Girls: Brain Drain | Lashina | Voice, direct-to-video |
| 2017 | An American Dog Story | Daniella | |
| 2018 | The Second Coming of Christ | Dr. Clea | |
| 2018 | Lego DC Super Hero Girls: Super-Villain High | Lashina | Voice, direct-to-video |
| 2018 | Teen Titans Go! To the Movies | Supergirl | Voice |
| 2019 | The Secret Life of Pets 2 | Cat Lady | Voice |
| 2020 | Jelly Bean | Mom | Short |
| 2022 | The Prank | Julie Palmer | |
| 2024 | Sardinia | N/A | Executive producer |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1986 | My Town | Amber Wheeler | TV series |
| 1986 | The Last Frontier | Tina Adamson | TV film |
| 1988 | April Morning | Ruth Simmons | TV film |
| 1993 | Tales from the Crypt | Mona | Episode: "House of Horror" |
| 1995 | Legacy of Sin: The William Coit Story | Robin Coit | TV film |
| 1996 | Pier 66 | Kate Kelly | TV film |
| 1996 | L.A. Firefighters | Michelle Goldstein | 3 episodes |
| 1996 | The Sentinel | Amber | Episode: "Ice Man" |
| 1997 | Poltergeist: The Legacy | Emma Scott | Episode: "Dark Angel" |
| 1998 | Buffy the Vampire Slayer | Grace Newman | Episode: "I Only Have Eyes for You" |
| 1999 | Chicks | Nic | TV film |
| 2000 | H.U.D. | Mason Noble | TV film |
| 2001 | Resurrection Blvd. | Jane Ensler | 3 episodes |
| 2002 | Dawson's Creek | Amy Lloyd | 2 episodes |
| 2004–05 | Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go! | Aurora Six | Voice, 2 episodes |
| 2005 | Cold Case | Sloane Easton | Episode: "Ravaged" |
| 2005 | Out of the Woods | Linda | TV film |
| 2005 | Close to Home | Diane Walker | Episode: "Under Threat" |
| 2007 | Life | Leslie Stark | Episode: "Tear Asunder" |
| 2008 | The Cleaner | Cristina Alvarez | Episode: "Let It Ride" |
| 2008 | House Poor | Meredith | TV series |
| 2009 | 24 | Linda Gadsen | Episode: "Day 7: 10:00 p.m.-11:00 p.m." |
| 2009–2013 | Star Wars: The Clone Wars | Barriss Offee, additional voices | Voice, recurring role |
| 2010 | Men of a Certain Age | Jessica | Episode: "Same as the Old Boss" |
| 2011 | Damages | Jessica Lowry | 2 episodes |
| 2011, 2018 | Robot Chicken | Jeannie, Jyn Erso, Malika Meerkat | Voice, 2 episodes |
| 2011–2013 | Mad | Various | Voice, recurring role |
| 2012 | Hollywood Heights | Lisa Sanders | Main role |
| 2013 | Anger Management | Meredith | Episode: "Charlie Loses It at a Baby Shower" |
| 2013 | Jodi Arias: Dirty Little Secret | Jennifer Willmott | TV film |
| 2016 | Grey's Anatomy | Daphne | Episode: "My Next Life" |
| 2016 | The Perfect Daughter | Julie Cahill | TV film |
| 2016 | Star Wars Rebels | Nightsister Ghost Kanan | Voice, episode: "Visions and Voices" |
| 2017 | Sleepovers | Barbara | TV film |
| 2018 | Daredevil | Lily Ellison | Episode: "No Good Deed" |
| 2018 | Into the Dark | Rose Tooms | Episode: "Flesh & Blood" |
| 2019 | My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic | Clear Sky | Voice, episode: "Common Ground" |
| 2019 | Happy! | Antonia De Sica | Episode: "Five Chicken Fingers and a Fun" |
| 2019 | Will & Grace | Lucy | Episode: "The Chick or the Egg Donor" |
| 2020 | Home Movie: The Princess Bride | Count Rugen | Episode: "Chapter Nine: Have Fun Storming the Castle" |
| 2021 | M.O.D.O.K. | Brandi, Whitney Frost | Voice, 2 episodes |
| 2024 | Star Wars: Tales of the Empire | Barriss Offee | Voice, 3 episodes |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Category | Title of work | Result |
| 1986 | Young Artist Award | Best Starring Performance by a Young Actress - Motion Picture | The Journey of Natty Gann | Won |
| 1988 | Saturn Award | Best Supporting Actress | The Kiss | Nominated |
| 1989 | Young Artist Award | Best Young Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama | A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon | Nominated |