Biography
Who is Lisa Whelchel?
Early life and acting start
Lisa grew up in Texas. She performed in local plays to manage her shyness. At age 12, she learned Disney Studios was auditioning for The New Mickey Mouse Club. She wrote a personal letter of appeal to the casting director. She also had teachers write letters to help her. She traveled to California and performed a ventriloquism routine for her audition. She became a Mouseketeer and appeared on the show from 1977 to 1978.
Career highlights
Lisa Whelchel portrayed Blair Warner in The Facts of Life for a period of nine years. She also appeared as this character on Diff'rent Strokes. In 2001, she returned to the role for a movie called The Facts of Life Reunion. On March 7, 2004, she performed the theme song with Charlotte Rae at the 2nd Annual TV Land Awards.
She attended the 9th Annual TV Land Awards in New York City on April 10, 2011, with co-stars Nancy McKeon and Mindy Cohn. In 2021, she reenacted a season three episode called Kids Can Be Cruel on Live in Front of a Studio Audience. She sang the theme song during that broadcast.
Music and writing
In 1984, Lisa released a Christian pop album called All Because of You. The record reached number 17 on the Billboard Contemporary Christian charts. She received a Grammy nomination for Best Inspirational Performance. She wrote the title song of the album. Other songs included Just Obey and Good Girl. Lisa also appeared in a music video for Steve Taylor titled Meltdown (at Madame Tussaud's).
Books and speaking
Lisa wrote several books on motherhood, spirituality, and homeschooling. One title is So You're Thinking About Homeschooling. She also wrote The Facts of Life: And Other Lessons My Father Taught Me. In 2000, she published Creative Correction with Tyndale House Publishers. She founded Momtime Ministries in 2000 to support mothers through weekly meetings.
In 2026, she began writing a Substack about her spiritual path. She discussed attending a 30-day silent retreat and ayahuasca ceremonies. She also wrote about walking the Camino de Santiago.
Reality TV and personal life
Lisa joined the Tandang tribe on Survivor: Philippines in 2012. She tied for second place and won 100,000 dollars as the fan favorite. In November 2012, she announced she had West Nile fever. She co-hosted episodes of The Jeff Probst Show in 2013. Since 2019, she has hosted the MeTV series Collector's Call. As of 2026, this show is in its seventh season.
Lisa married Steven Cauble on July 9, 1988. He was a pastor at The Church on the Way in Van Nuys. They had three children before divorcing in March 2012. In 2019, Lisa married psychologist Pete Harris. She has one stepson from this marriage. She previously dated musician Steve Taylor.
Birthday and age
Lisa Whelchel was born on May 29, 1963, which makes Lisa 63 years old today. That birthday falls under the Gemini sign. Lisa shares the date with 33 other famous people.
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