Background
Salenger was born and raised in Malibu, California, the daughter of Dorothy, an interior designer, and Gary Salenger, a dentist.
Salenger was born and raised in Malibu, California, the daughter of Dorothy, an interior designer, and Gary Salenger, a dentist.
Salenger attended Harvard University from 1988 to 1992, and graduated cum laude with a degree in psychology.
She is best known for her title role in the 1985 film The Journey of Natty Gann. Her family is Jewish. She received certificates in "Court-Based Mediation of Family Law Matters" and "Mediating the Litigated Case" from the Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution at Pepperdine University School of Law in 2009 and 2011, respectively.
She works as a mediator for the Agency for Dispute Resolution in Beverly Hills, California, when she is not filming.
As a child, Salenger 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.
After starring in four more films by her eighteenth birthday, including A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon, she left Hollywood for Harvard to further her education.
Salenger resumed her acting career upon her return to Hollywood. Recent credits include Lake Placid and The Third Wheel. Salenger has also appeared in independent films, including Quality Time and Sparkle & Charm.
Other major roles include The Kiss (1988) and Dream a Little Dream (1989).
Salenger appeared in a 1998 episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Salenger appeared in two episodes of Dawson"s Creek in 2002 as film critic Amy Lloyd, and guest-starred on Cold Case playing victim Sloane Easton on the episode "Ravaged".
Salenger had a cameo in the Disney film Race to Witch Mountain in 2009, where she played a television reporter named Natalie Gann. She also appeared as Lisa Sanders in the Nick at Nite series Hollywood Heights, as well as several characters in Mad and Robot Chicken television series.
Salenger recently finished filming 80 episodes of a one-hour drama called Hollywood Heights.
She can be seen opposite Elias Koteas in Jake Squared along with Virginia Madsen and Jennifer Jason Leigh.
She also recorded a song entitled "Flow Through Maine" with Koishii and Hush. And she appeared as a background member of the Counting Crows video for "Hanging Around".