Lisa Whelchel

Disney scouted the 12-year-old Lisa Whelchel as a Mouseketeer on The New Mickey Mouse Club during the late-’70s. After garnering a decent degree of exposure on Disney, she portrayed Blair Warner on the sitcom Facts of Life. The series experienced commercial success and even had a spinoff, Diff’rent Strokes. In 2001, she reprised her role on The Facts of Life Reunion.

Apart from her acting career, Welchel is also an accomplished singer. In 1984, she released her debut album, All Because of You. It garnered enough attention to get her Grammy nomination for Best Inspirational Performance. She has also authored ten books about religion, child discipline, motherhood, and homeschooling. One of her best-selling books is So You’re Thinking About Homeschooling.