Things You Didn’t Know About The Big Bang Theory's Melissa Rauch

#1 Bernadette And Melissa Rauch Had The Same First Job

Melissa Rauch, like many in her field, worked as a waitress before she made it big as an entertainer. Because acting careers generally start out slowly and can be difficult to accommodate with a 9-5 gig, waiting tables offers a decent wage and in many cases a somewhat flexible schedule. Rauch worked for a couple of restaurants in her early adulthood, including an unnamed sports bar and a Johnny Rockets in New Jersey.When we all met Bernadette for the first time, she had yet to start her cushy, high-earning job with the pharmaceutical company and she was working with Penny at the Cheesecake Factory to put herself through graduate school. This is one way in which Bernadette's life mirrors that of the actress who plays her.

#2 Her Place Of Birth

The main characters on the show come from all over the United States and of course, one foreigner. Raj is that foreigner, hailing from New Delhi, India. Leonard is from New Jersey, Penny is from Nebraska, and Sheldon is from Texas. The homes of these characters add to the comedic potential of the show, with Penny telling stories from back home from time to time, Raj and his family having hilarious arguments via Skype and of course, Sheldon and his ongoing complaints against the creationists and religious people in his hometown, including his own mother.

Among main cast members, Bernadette is one of only three from California, despite the show taking place there. The other two are Amy and Howard. Bernadette comes from Yorba Linda, a beautiful suburb in Orange County in southern California.

#3 Her Age Is Unknown

In the case of many of the characters, we know exactly how old they are. Leonard is currently 36, born on May 17th, 1980 and Sheldon is the same age, but a few months older, having been born in January. Raj and Howard were both born in 1981, but nobody is sure what exact day Howard was born. Penny is widely believed to have been born on December 2nd, 1985 (although we still don't know Penny's maiden name), but with regard to Bernadette, no birthday has been determined. The closest we can come up with is that she was born sometime in the mid 1980s: not before 1984 though, and likely not born after 1987.

#4 Her Mother Has No Name

We met Bernadette's father in the fifth season of the show, and while we know his name is Mike, and he is a rugged outdoorsman and former police officer, we never actually learn his wife's name. She will likely forever be known as Mrs. Rostenkowski.

#5 She’s Catholic And Melissa Rauch Is Jewish

Bernadette was raised Catholic and married Howard, a Jewish man, while Melissa Rauch is herself Jewish. When asked about how she prepped to try out for the role of Bernadette, Rauch indicated that outside of making her voice a little higher (more on that later) she also tried to wear a large crucifix to the audition.

#6 The Pregnancy Storyline Was Spur Of The Moment

During a writing session, Steve Molaro suggested that Bernadette mention her pregnancy in passing to a rabbit around the end of the episode they were writing (The Valentino Submergence). Molaro just threw the idea out there, but the entire roomful of writers and staff loved it, as did creator Chuck Lorre, so they went ahead with it.

#7 Melissa Rauch Liked The Show Before She Was Cast

. During the first two seasons of The Big Bang Theory, she was a regular viewer and when she found out that she had been accepted for an audition she was understandably overjoyed. She said that she identified with the character and that when she received an email saying that she had been invited to audition she "let out a little scream". She has said of The Big Bang Theory that "there's not a ton of stuff [television shows] that he loves, and it was a show that he absolutely loved".

#8 A Few Things She Doesn’t Like

There are some very interesting things that Bernadette can't stand. Three of the most notable are children, puppies and most science fiction.

#9 We Only Know One Of Her Siblings Names (She Has Five)

Mike and Mrs. Rostenkowski had a total of six children. Only two of them are named: Bernadette and Joey. Bernadette only mentioned this brother because when she had to take care of her siblings throughout her youth, one of her major problems was that Joey would not stop spitting in the other kids' mouths. While a family reunion with all of these people could make for an interesting episode or two, there is no indication that we'll meet any more of Bernadette's family anytime soon.

#10 Her Voice

She has said that the inspiration for her voice on the show was her own mother, who is not that high pitched but does have a sweet and innocent tone. Bernadette's voice was originally Rauch's choice and not that of the producers of the show.

Of course, while Bernadette's normal voice is incredibly cute and sweet, we've all heard those times when she gets angry and starts to shout. It is a credit to Melissa Rauch's acting ability that she can take a smiling, pleasant character and turn her into a feisty whirlwind of fury so quickly. Her shout sounds impressively similar to Howard's mother, enough to terrify him, anyway. Much like Bernadette's normal speaking voice was inspired by her mother, the tone Rauch uses when her character is yelling at Howard (or another member of the gang) is inspired by her father's more harsh, gravelly method of speaking.