The Facts of Life

Background:

First coming to the attention of public as a Mouseketeer on “The New Mickey Mouse Club” (1977-1978), Lisa Whelchel became famous for playing the rich and preppy Blair Warner on the television sitcom “The Facts of Life” (1979-1988), from which she picked up three Young Artist nominations. One of VH1's “100 Greatest Kid Stars,” she has recreated the role in three TV films. However, since the demise of the show in 1988, the skilled ventriloquist has put her acting career on the back burner and traded it for life as a minister's wife and full-time mother. A devoted Christian follower, Whelchel has penned many books of advice and reports that supply guidance on diverse subjects which she senses should be covered in a way suited to the teachings of Jesus, including “Creative Correction” (2000), “The Facts Of Life And Other Lessons My Father Taught Me” (2001), “So You're Thinking About Homeschooling” (2003) and “Taking Care of the Me in Mommy” (2006).

Whelchel has been married to Steven Cauble, who is an associate pastor with Church on the Way in Van Nuys, California, since 1988. The couple and their three children now live in Southern California. She has home schooled all of her children.

“I think the greatest benefit to having a big family, especially a family with five or more children, is that it's harder to be selfish. In today's prosperous world, it's hard to teach our children sacrifice.” Lisa Whelchel

Whelchel is a licensed pilot.

Shy Girl

Childhood and Family:

Daughter of Jimmy and Jenny Whelchel, Lisa Diane Whelchel was born on May 29, 1963, in Fort Worth, Texas. A very timid girl, she was brought to an acting course by her secretary mother at age 7 in order to overcome the problem and it soon paid off. Lisa has a brother named Cody and a half-brother named Casey, both of whom are younger.

On July 9, 1988, Lisa was married to Steven Cauble, an associate pastor. They welcomed their first child, son Tucker Stephenson, on January 17, 1990. Their second child and first daughter, Haven Katherine Hill, was born on September 26, 1991. Their next daughter, Clancy Elizabeth, was born on November 12, 1992.

Christian Priesthood

Career:

An extremely shy as a young, 7-year-old Lisa Whelchel attended acting classes as a way to come out of her shell. Eventually, at age 13, she broke into the small screen as a Mouseketeer on the syndicated series “The New Mickey Mouse Club.” She went on to appear as Cathy Connelly in a 1978 episode of “Family” and Robin Lapp on two episodes of “Disneyland” (1979). By age 16, she had added film acting to her endeavors by playing the supporting roles of Jody on the Joe Camp family movie “The Double McGuffin” and Halina on an independent drama starring Alan Arkin, “The Magician of Lublin”(both 1979).

It was also in 1979 that Whelchel enjoyed her huge breakthrough when she won a starring role on the comedy series “The Facts of Life,” opposite Kim Fields, Mindy Cohn and Charlotte Rae, among others. As the preppy and affluent Blair Warner, she received two consecutive Young Artist nominations for Best Young Actress in a Comedy Series in 1983 and 1984 and another nomination in 1982 for Best Young Comedienne - Motion Picture or Television.

While working on the long-running sitcom, Whelchel still found time pursuing other projects. In 1980, she made her TV-movie debut in Ron Howard's “Skyward,” starring Bette Davis, and then costarred as Jill Moore in the made-for-TV-film drama “Twirl” (1981), with Erin Moran. The latter film brought Whelchel a Young Artist nomination for Best Young Actress in a Television Special. In the 1982 comedy/Western telepic “The Wild Women of Chastity Gulch,” she was cast in the supporting role of Amy Cole. From 1983 to 1985, she had a recurring role on the sitcom “The Love Boat,” playing Caroline.

In addition, Whelchel reprised her popular TV role as Blair Warner on two episodes of the Gary Coleman sitcom “Diff'rent Strokes” (1979, 1981), and in two TV films, “The Facts of Life Goes to Paris” (1982) and “The Facts of Life Down Under” (1987). However, her acting career subsequently ended following the cancellation of “The Facts of Life” in 1988.

On the height of her TV success, Whelchel launched a Christian pop album called “All Because of You” (1984). A moderate hit, it peaked at No. 17 on the Billboard Contemporary Christian charts and was nominated a Grammy for Best Inspirational Album. Some songs featured on the album include “Cover Me Lord,” “Good Girl” (“Why be a good girl? Be a good girl!”) and “Just Obey.”

Whelchel returned to acting in 1992 to portray Sara Coleman on the sequel film “Where the Red Fern Grows: Part 2,” which went straight to video release. It would take almost a decade for her to have another acting gig. In 2001, she rejoined her “Facts of Life” co-stars such as Nancy McKeon and Charlotte Rae for the reunion TV film “The Facts of Life Reunion.”

During her off from acting, Whelchel, who became a born-again Christian when she was 10 years old, had dedicated her time to chase of the teachings of Christian religion. In 2000, she established Momtime Ministries, a spiritual network of mothers groups who gather weekly to “provide and refresh and encourage” one another.

Whelchel's religious activities, many of which she has done with her pastor husband, have continued until now. She has even produced several books of anecdotes and advice that give counseling on various topics ranging from motherhood and child nurture. Her first book, “Creative Correction,” about child discipline, was released in October October 2000 and has since sold more than 80,000 copies and netted a Gold Medallion nomination in the category of Family and Parenting. It was followed by “The Facts Of Life And Other Lessons My Father Taught Me” in 2001 and “So You're Thinking About Homeschooling” in April 2003. Other books include “How to Start Your Own Mom Time,” “Taking Care of the Me in Mommy” (2006), “The Busy Mom's Guide to Prayer,” “ The Busy Grandma's Guide to Prayer” and “Speaking Mom-ese: Moments of Peace & Inspiration in the Mother Tongue from One Mom's Heart to Yours.”

Also a constant advocate of homeschooling, Whelchel has also allocated her time to raise her family and home school her children.

In 2008, Whelchel became a speaker in the Local Women's Conference, which was held at the First Baptist Church in Bowling Green from February 22 to 23. She explained, “I share my stories about everyday stuff from raising kids, to hard times in marriage, to weight issues. Just things that women deal with.”

Awards:
---