Melissa Rauch was just a kid when she got hooked on comedy, and she would mimic stars she saw on TV, like Whoopi Goldberg and Don Knotts. As she grew older, Rauch spent most of her free time doing community theater, attending theater camp, and making up shows in her basement with her brother, Ben.

Rauch began writing and performing standup, but her first real success came with her one-woman show, “The Miseducation of Jenna Bush.” The coming-of-age story was a huge success, and it earned her awards at comedy festivals.

Her show caught the eye of an agent, and Rauch eventually moved to Los Angeles. A day before her audition for “The Big Bang Theory,” she was at the unemployment office, but we all know she nailed the audition and wound up with much more than a guest spot.