'The Facts of Life' Cast: Where Are They Now?

The Diff'rent Strokes spin-off premiered in 1979, introducing audiences to housemother Edna Garrett and four young women at an all-girls boarding school. Here's what the Eastland favorites have been up to since the beloved sitcom ended in 1988

Michele Corriston

Updated on March 4, 2023 06:14PM EST

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Charlotte Rae as Edna Garrett

Charlotte Rae played housemother Edna Garrett, the character who tied the spin-off to Diff'rent Strokes, on The Facts of Life until season 8, when Cloris Leachman was cast as her character's sister. Mrs. G mentored the girls and worked as the school's dietician. In 1982, Rae earned an Emmy nomination for outstanding lead actress for her role on the series.

In addition to starring in a slew of TV movies and voicing characters in video games after The Facts of Life concluded, Rae also starred on the big screen in Nowhere (1997), You Don't Mess with the Zohan (2008), Love Sick Love (2012) and Ricki and the Flash (2015). Her final regular gig was voicing "Nanny" on the animated 101 Dalmations: The Series, which aired from 1997-98. She also appeared on several episodes of ER in 2008. Rae published her autobiography, The Facts of My Life, in 2015.

The actress died from bone cancer in 2018 at the age of 92, a little over a year after revealing her diagnosis in April 2017.

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Mindy Cohn as Natalie Green

As student Natalie Green, Mindy Cohn was an early role model for body positivity. Today, she's an LGBTQ rights advocate and is recognized by a whole new generation for voicing Velma on the Scooby-Doo cartoons.

But she stepped away from show business for health reasons: In October 2017, she revealed exclusively to PEOPLE that she secretly battled breast cancer for five years.

"I was frustrated and enraged. I couldn't control any of this. I couldn't fix it," she said.

Cohn also added that she's ready to return to the spotlight, telling PEOPLE, "I think I'm a good actress, and I have a lot to offer. I'm excited to see what I get to do next!"

What was next were the films Holiday Dirt (2017), You Light Up My Christmas (2019), A Nice Girl Like You (2020) and the short Kill Cat Oakland (2021).

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Kim Fields as Dorothy "Tootie" Ramsey

Playing Dorothy "Tootie" Ramsey, Kim Fields made braces cool — and got into plenty of trou-ble with her penchant for gossip.

From 1993-98, the actress appeared on Fox's Living Single and gave reality TV a try during season 8 of The Real Housewives of Atlanta. She also competed on Dancing with the Stars in 2016 and has starred on the Netflix sitcom The Upshaws since its premiere in 2021.

Fields is also known for her work behind the camera, directing episodes of Nickelodeon's Taina and Kenan and Kel, as well as Meet the Browns, All the Queen's Men, House of Payne, Haus of Vicious and The Upshaws.

Fields shares two sons — Sebastian and Quincy — with husband Christopher Morgan. Her sister, Alexis, is also an actress most known for Moesha, Sister, Sister and All American.

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Lisa Whelchel as Blair Warner

Lisa Whelchel first appeared on two episodes of Diff'rent Strokes as the preppy and snobby Blair Warner and later reprised the role on The Facts of Life from 1979-88.

In 1984, Whelchel was nominated for a Grammy for her Christian music album, All Because of You. She also came in second place on Survivor: Philippines in 2012 and works as a motivational speaker.

The child star returned to acting in 2013, starring in Tyler Perry's A Madea Christmas (2013). Whelchel has since appeared in rom-coms such as For Better or for Worse (2014), Hearts of Spring (2016), Falling for Christmas (2016) and You Light Up My Christmas (2019).

Whelchel has three children with ex-husband and pastor Steven Cauble. Seven years after her divorce from Cauble, she wed psychologist Pete Harris in December 2019.

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Nancy McKeon as Joanna Marie "Jo" Polniaczek

A season 2 addition, Joanna Marie "Jo" Polniaczek made an unforgettable entrance aboard a motorcycle and immediately clashed with Blair — but she became an irreplaceable part of the group.

After The Facts of Life wrapped in 1988, Nancy McKeon starred on the series Can't Hurry Love, Style & Substance, The Division and Panic. Disney Channel fans will also recognize McKeon as Demi Lovato's character's mom, Connie Munroe, from Sonny with a Chance. Beyond her TV credits, McKeon appeared in the 2019 holiday film You Light Up My Christmas with Facts of Life costars Fields, Cohn and Whelchel.