Melinda Clarke
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This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. (February 2012) |
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This article relies on references to primary sources. (January 2011) |
| Melinda Clarke | |
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 Clarke at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival |
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| Born | Melinda Patrice Clarke April 24, 1969 Dana Point, California, U.S. |
| Other names | Mindy Clarke |
| Occupation | Actress, voice actress |
| Years active | Since 1989 |
| Spouse(s) | Ernie Mirich (m. 1997; separated); 1 child |
Melinda Patrice Clarke (born April 24, 1969)[1] is an American actress who has primarily worked in television. Clarke is best known for playing Faith Taylor on the daytime drama Days of Our Lives, the manipulative and cunning Julie Cooper-Nichol on The O.C., and the professional dominatrix Lady Heather on CSI. As of 2010, she portrays Amanda on the action-thriller television series Nikita. She was added as a recurring character on Vegas in 2013.
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Early life [edit]
Clarke was born in Dana Point, California, the daughter of Patricia Lewis, a ballet dancer, and John Clarke, an actor who was an original cast member of the daytime soap opera Days of Our Lives.[2] One of three siblings, Clarke's sister, Heidi, died in 1994 of a malignant heart tumor. She has a brother, Joshua.[3]
Career [edit]
Clarke appeared on the daytime soap opera Days of Our Lives as Faith Taylor (where her father was a senior cast member), and starred on Soldier of Fortune, Inc. for both of its seasons. She also guest starred on Xena: Warrior Princess as the Amazon chieftain Velasca, Firefly as the brothel madam Nandi, Charmed as the Siren, and has had six appearances on CSI where she played the dominatrix, Lady Heather. She also appeared in the Seinfeld episode "The Muffin Tops", playing Jerry's girlfriend who likes anything hairless.
She appeared on the Fox drama The O.C. as Julie Cooper, a cunning socialite who marries for money. Her character in the show is mainly portrayed as a manipulative, morally wrong woman, but as the show progresses the reasons behind her choices are explained. She was originally billed as a guest star in the first few episodes, and due to fan response was offered a series regular contract; Clarke accepted the role and her character became an integral part of the show's storylines. As well as starring on The O.C., she has appeared on HBO's hit series Entourage as a fictionalized version of herself, married to Malcolm McDowell's Terrance McQuewick. Clarke also appeared as the Devil's girlfriend in The CW's 2007 series Reaper. She also auditioned for the role of "Number Six" on SCI-FI's smash hit Battlestar Galactica but the role ultimately went to Tricia Helfer.[4]
In 2010, she appeared on The CW show The Vampire Diaries as Kelly Donovan.[5] Other projects included a TV movie She Drives Me Crazy, which was produced by her former The O.C. co-star Kelly Rowan. She appeared as a guest star on Chuck, another series from The O.C. creator Josh Schwartz. She plays Amanda, a series regular role, on The CW's drama Nikita.
She lent her voice to several voice acting projects, voicing Alexa in The Animatrix: Matriculated, Sofia Ivanescu in the video game Mission Impossible: Operation Surma, Madame Macmu-Ling in Avatar: The Last Airbender, and Charlene in King of the Hill. She has volunteered as an actress with the Young Storytellers Foundation.[citation needed]
Personal life [edit]
Clarke married Ernie Mirich in Dana Point, California on June 28, 1997; they have one child. The couple are now separated.
Filmography [edit]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Out for Blood | Laura | |
| 1992 | Hot Under the Collar | Monica | |
| 1993 | Young Goodman Brown | Faith Brown | |
| 1993 | Return of the Living Dead 3 | Julie Walker | |
| 1995 | Return to Two Moon Junction | Savannah Delongpre | |
| 1996 | Mulholland Falls | Cigarette Girl | |
| 1996 | La lengua asesina | Candy | |
| 1997 | Critics and Other Freaks | Mrs. M | |
| 1997 | Spawn | Jessica Priest | |
| 2002 | .com for Murder | Agent Williams | |
| 2002 | Cold Sweat | Starring | |
| 2003 | The Animatrix | Alexa (voice) | Segment: "Matriculated" |
| 2004 | Dynamite | Beta |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989–1990 | Days of Our Lives | Faith Taylor | 17 episodes |
| 1991 | Jake and the Fatman | Angel Alexander | Episode: "Every Time We Say Goodbye" |
| 1994 | The George Carlin Show | Christy | Episode: "George Helps Sydney" |
| 1994 | Heaven Help Us | Lexy Monroe | 10 episodes |
| 1996 | Strange Luck | Lola Vale | Episode: "Lightning Strikes" |
| 1997 | Soldier of Fortune | Margo Vincent | TV movie |
| 1997 | Xena: Warrior Princess | Velasca | Episode: "The Quest" Episode: "A Necessary Evil" |
| 1997 | Seinfeld | Alex | Episode: "The Muffin Tops" |
| 1997 | Nash Bridges | Karen Decker | Episode: "Out of Chicago" |
| 1997 | Sliders | Allasandra | Episode: "This Slide of Paradise" |
| 1997–1999 | Soldier of Fortune, Inc. | Margo Vincent | 11 episodes |
| 2000 | The Pretender | Miss Eve | Episode: "Meltdown" |
| 2000 | Nash Bridges | Insp. Abby Gordon | Episode: "End Game" |
| 2001 | Star Trek: Enterprise | Sarin | Episode: "Broken Bow: Part 2" |
| 2001 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Lady Heather | Episode: "Slaves of Las Vegas" |
| 2002 | First Monday | Episode: "Pilot" | |
| 2002 | Charmed | Siren | Episode: "Siren Song" |
| 2002 | Everwood | Sally Keyes | Episode: "Till Death Do Us Part" |
| 2002–2003 | The District | Det. Olivia Cahill | 5 episodes |
| 2003 | Tremors | Dr. Megan Flint | Episode: "Night of the Shriekers" |
| 2003 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Lady Heather | Episode: "Lady Heather's Box" |
| 2003 | Firefly | Nandi | Episode: "Heart of Gold" |
| 2003 | Mission: Impossible – Operation Surma | Sofia Ivanescu (voice) | Video game |
| 2003-2007 | The O.C. | Julie Cooper | 90 episodes |
| 2005 | Entourage | Melinda Clarke | Episode: "The Bat Mitzvah" |
| 2006 | Entourage | Melinda Clarke | Episode: "Strange Days" |
| 2006 | Avatar: The Last Airbender | Madame Macmu-Ling (voice) | Episode: "The Tales of Ba Sing Se" |
| 2006 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Lady Heather | Episode: "Pirates of the Third Reich" |
| 2007 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Lady Heather | Episode: "The Good, the Bad and the Dominatrix" |
| 2007 | She Drives Me Crazy | Blithe Meacham | TV movie |
| 2007 | Reaper | Mimi | Episode: "Ashes to Ashes" |
| 2008 | King of the Hill | Charlene (voice) | Episode: "Untitled Blake McCormick Project" |
| 2008 | Chuck | Sasha Banacheck | Episode: "Chuck Versus the Seduction" |
| 2008 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Lady Heather | Episode: "Leave Out All the Rest" |
| 2008 | Eli Stone | Dr. Lee | Episode: "Owner of a Lonely Heart" Episode: "Two Ministers" |
| 2009 | Eli Stone | Dr. Lee | Episode: "Sonoma" |
| 2009 | Entourage | Melinda Clarke | Episode: "Scared Straight" |
| 2010 | Ghost Whisperer | Donna | Episode: "Old Sins Cast Long Shadows" |
| 2010 | The Vampire Diaries | Kelly Donovan | 4 episodes |
| 2010–present | Nikita | Amanda | Main role |
| 2011 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Lady Heather | Episode: "Unleashed" |
| 2011 | Entourage | Melinda Clarke | 3 episodes |
| 2012 | Nikita: Codebreaker | Amanda | Video game |
| 2013 | Vegas | Lena Cavallo | Recurring |
References [edit]
- ^ According to the State of California. California Birth Index, 1905–1995. Center for Health Statistics, California Department of Health Services, Sacramento, California. At Ancestry.com
- ^ Profile at FilmReference.com
- ^ Melinda Clarke Biography at Yahoo! Movies
- ^ Battlestar Galactica: The Official Companion
- ^ Ausiello, Michael (January 8, 2010). "'Vampire Diaries' exclusive: Melinda Clarke is the mom from hell!". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved April 13, 2010.
External links [edit]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Melinda Clarke |
- Melinda Clarke at the Internet Movie Database
- Melinda Clarke at Memory Alpha (a Star Trek wiki)
- Melinda Clarke on Twitter
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