Why President Hagemeyer From Young Sheldon Looks So Familiar
Fans of the sitcom "Young Sheldon" may remember sharing a laugh when Sheldon (Iain Armitage) informed university benefactor Gary O'Brien (David Foley) that everyone just wants his money. While this startling admission might've put the furniture salesman's donation to East Texas Tech in jeopardy, everyone, including President Hagemeyer, was delightfully surprised when he went ahead with it anyway.
President Hagemeyer is a recurring character on "Young Sheldon," and her first appearance was to set up that crucial dinner with Sheldon, Sheldon's father, George Cooper (Lance Barber), and Gary O'Brien in an attempt to use Sheldon to get money for her school. Later, Sheldon likewise manipulates her to the point that she has the university install a second phone line in the Cooper household when Sheldon refuses to ride in a car after getting into an accident.
East Texas Tech has a memorable, humorous president who adds charm to "Young Sheldon" with a few different appearances in Seasons 4, 5, and 6. She's played by actor Wendie Malick. Before she reached "Young Sheldon," however, Malick made her mark in quite a few different projects. Here are her most famous ones to date.
Wendie Malick was Mitch's ex-wife on Baywatch
Wendie Malick surfaced on the set of NBC's "Baywatch" in 1989 and remained there until 1994 as a recurring character, Mitch Buchannon's (David Hasselhoff) ex-wife, Gayle Buchannon. Gayle and Mitch are high school sweethearts who eventually find that they no longer understand each other since Gayle started seeing Mitch's lifeguarding, which eats up most of his schedule, as a detriment to their family. While Gayle is a businesswoman with her own busy schedule, she can maintain a balance between work and family that Mitch can't seem to manage.
Mitch is proud to continue lifeguarding despite her concerns, so at the start of the series, they've already parted ways and share custody of their son, Hobie (Brandon Call). While Mitch has flings with other leading ladies on the show, he eventually does come back to Gayle. The pair is ready to marry again, but when Mitch abandons Gayle at the altar to save a drowning swimmer, Gayle calls it quits for good.
She's a huge fan of singing chipmunks
One of Wendie Malick's most memorable film roles is that of Dr. Rubin in "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel," which follows the events of the first film, "Alvin and the Chipmunks," and introduces the Chipmunks to their female counterparts, the Chipettes, another group of chipmunk singers. The Chipettes are recruited by Ian Hawke (David Cross), the first film's antagonist, who seeks to use them to reestablish his career. All the while, the Chipmunks are without their adoptive father, Dave (Jason Lee), after he is injured at a concert that leaves him in a hospital. Under the watch of Dave's cousin, Toby (Zachary Levi), the Chipmunks enroll in high school, a new nightmare for the boys.
Malick stars as Dr. Rubin, the chipmunks' new principal at West Eastman High School, who is so obsessed with the Chipmunks that she has them tattooed on her arm. After the Chipmunks get into a fight with bullies, Dr. Rubin offers them a deal: If they participate in Battle of the Bands, she won't suspend them. "Go Eagles!" she loudly exclaims after they agree to participate.
The contest has a cash prize that is conveniently large enough to save the school's music program, so the situation is a win-win for Malick's character. Although the live-action-and-CGI series produced two more films, neither of them did as well as the first two (via Box Office Mojo), and the rights for the chipmunks are currently on the market.
Malick stole the show as Katie's mom on American Housewife
Those who enjoyed the sitcom "American Housewife," starring Katy Mixon as Katie Otto, may recall Wendie Malick as Kathryn, Katie's mother. Kathryn's antics reminiscing about her stewardess days, her inability to speak appropriately to her grandchildren, and her odd relationship with Greg (Diedrich Bader), Katie's husband, made her endlessly hilarious for viewers, although she is more simultaneously exasperating and infuriating for Katie especially. Audiences couldn't help but watch when Kathryn showed up to make things just the slightest bit worse.
Kathryn tries to connect with her daughter and her daughter's family but sometimes struggles since she can't see beyond her sphere. When trying to connect with Katie's youngest, Anna-Kat (Julia Butters), Kathryn laments a lack of understanding. "The blond one's pretty, and the boy loves money, and those things are in my wheelhouse," she says, remarking on her similarities with Katie's other two kids but not even bothering to refer to them by name. "That was me in my prime," she says proudly in another scene as she gives Oliver (Daniel DiMaggio) a framed photo of herself for Christmas.
In the show's run from 2016 to 2021, fans could spot Malick making herself the star scene after scene. Audiences certainly eat Wendie Malick up, and it's well deserved.