Mary Jo Catlett

**Mary Jo Catlett**, born September 2, 1938, is a respected American actress known for her expansive career across stage and screen. She is most known for her role on the animated series SpongeBob SquarePants, where she provides the voice for the character Mrs. Puff. Her career started in the theater, where she first originated the role of Ernestina in the 1964 Broadway production of Hello, Dolly! and later made a name for herself playing Pearl Gallagher, the third housekeeper on the popular sitcom Diff'rent Strokes. Born in Denver, Colorado, Catlett started her career performing in various plays and eventually directed a company of Pirates of Penzance. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, she appeared in Off-Broadway and Broadway musicals, allowing her to showcase her talent for lighthearted, humorous roles. She received Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards in 1978 and 1980, a nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Musical at the Ovation Awards in 1995, and a Daytime Emmy Award nomination in 1990. In 1998, she gained even more popularity when she joined the cast of SpongeBob SquarePants and has voiced Mrs. Puff in every season of the cartoon and in all of the theatrical SpongeBob films and video games. She also received an Annie Award nomination in 2001 for her voice-over work as Mrs. Puff.