Meredith Dawn Salenger is an American actress identified by her performances while a teenager. Her best known role was the title role in the 1985 Disney film The Journey of Natty Gann. Salenger was born and raised in Malibu, California. As a child she enjoyed performing in front of her family and friends. Her mother took her to her first acting class when she was eight years old. Her first role was a small part as a 'singing and dancing orphan' in the feature film Annie directed by John Huston. Salenger also did a number of television advertisements. Salenger's first starring role was in the... Disney film The Journey of Natty Gann costarring John Cusack and Ray Wise, the first US movie to win the gold award at the Moscow Film Festival. The film also garnered her "Best Actress in a Drama" at the Youth in Film Awards for her portrayal of the tomboyish Natty Gann. After starring in four more films by the time she was eighteen years old, including A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon, she left Hollywood for Harvard to further her education. Salenger attended Harvard University 1988-1992 and graduated cum laude with a degree in psychology.
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