Melinda Clarke

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Melinda Clarke
Clarke in 2011
Born
Melinda Patrice Clarke

(1969-04-24) April 24, 1969 (age 54)
Upland, California, U.S.[1]
Other namesMindy Clarke
OccupationActress
Years active1989–present
Known for
Spouses
Ernie Mirich
​
​
(m. 1997; div. 2005)​
Adam Farmer
​
(m. 2015)​
Children1
Parent

Melinda Patrice "Mindy" Clarke (born April 24, 1969)[2] is an American actress. She is known for portraying Faith Taylor on the soap opera Days of Our Lives (1989–1990), Julie Cooper on Fox's teen drama series The O.C. (2003–2007),[3] Lady Heather on CBS's crime drama series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2001–2015)[4] and Amanda on the action thriller series Nikita (2010–2013).[5][6]

Early life[edit]

Clarke was raised in Dana Point, California.[7] She is the daughter of actor John Clarke. One of three siblings, Clarke's sister, Heidi, died in 1994 of a malignant heart tumor.[8]

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 in the television series Soldier of Fortune, Inc. 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 dominatrix Lady Heather. She also appeared in the Seinfeld episode "The Muffin Tops", playing Jerry's girlfriend who likes anything hairless. In 1993, she played a lead role in the horror film Return of the Living Dead 3.[9]

Clarke at the Comic-Con Nikita panel session held at the San Diego Convention Center on July 12, 2012

She portrayed Julie Cooper in the teen drama series The O.C., that aired on the Fox network from August 5, 2003, to February 22, 2007, running a total of four seasons.[10][11][12] Clarke's character Julie Cooper was often characterized as devious and selfish,[13] with USA Today calling her a "shallow vixen".[14] However, she revealed a more vulnerable side of herself a number of times during the series. Clarke was originally billed as a guest star in the first few episodes in which she appeared, but 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.[3]

In July 2009, Entertainment Weekly placed Clarke's The O.C. character Julie Cooper at No. 3 on their list of "21 Top TV Bitches".[15] In January 2021, Vogue wrote about the fashion choices on The O.C., commenting: "Speaking of the Coopers, I also want to end by saying Julie Cooper (Melinda Clarke), Marissa's mom, is so underrated during this whole series. First of all, she's gorgeous. Secondly, she commands every single room she walks into, whether it's in a pink Juicy Couture tracksuit or a groovy, off-the-shoulder top. Clearly Marissa got all her fashion sense from her."[16]

As well as starring on The O.C., she has appeared on HBO's comedy-drama series Entourage as a fictionalized version of herself, married to Malcolm McDowell's character Terrance McQuewick.[17][18] Clarke portrayed Blithe Meacham in the television film She Drives Me Crazy (2007), which was produced by Kelly Rowan. She had guest roles in several television shows, including Chuck (2007), Reaper (2007) and Ghost Whisperer (2010). In 2010, she appeared on The CW show The Vampire Diaries as Kelly Donovan, a mother who discovers her daughter has died.[19][20] Los Angeles Times praised her performance as Kelly by saying: "In a scene without any dialogue, Clarke made Kelly's grief believable and powerful."[21]

Clarke at the Comic-Con panel session held at the San Diego Convention Center on July 19, 2013

In 2010, she landed one of the main roles in The CW's action drama series Nikita as Helen "Amanda" Collins.[22] Clarke's character was the main antagonist in the show's third and fourth season.[23] The series concluded after four seasons on December 27, 2013.[24][25] She has 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.

In April 2021, Clarke and her former The O.C. co-star Rachel Bilson launched a weekly podcast titled Welcome to the OC, Bitches![26][27][28] The podcast focuses on the hosts and guests re-watching and discussing episodes of The O.C.[27][29] In August 2021, the podcast was named one of "7 Top Celebrity Podcasts You Should Subscribe To Right Now" by Bustle.[30] In December 2023, Clarke announced that she is launching a new podcast, Beyond the OC, hosted by Clarke and her daughter.[31]

Public image[edit]

Two action figures have been made of Clarke. The first was for her role as Jessica Priest in Spawn (1997) and the second was for her role as Velasca from the television series Xena: Warrior Princess (1997).[32] In August 2005, TV Guide ranked her at No. 5 on their list of "TV's Top Ten Scene Stealers".[33] Clarke has often portrayed characters that are tough, manipulative and villains.[34][35][36] In 2011, she said that fans and viewers of Nikita wanted her character Amanda to be "evil" and "as bad as possible".[37] Clarke described her The O.C. character Julie Cooper by saying: "You believe your character's truth—and her truth was maintaining this beautiful façade. Physically and monetarily. But ultimately she is an outsider, and that's what Josh has explained is the biggest theme of this show: everyone is really an outsider. They were one, or they become an outsider, or they feel like an outsider."[38]

During her career, Clarke has appeared in magazine covers and pictorials such as In Touch Weekly,[39] Fangoria and Regard magazine.[40]

Personal life[edit]

Clarke was married to Ernie Mirich from 1997 to 2005,[41] and they have a daughter born in 2000.[42][43] In September 2015, Clarke married Adam Farmer in a ceremony held in Dana Point, California.[44][41]

Filmography[edit]

Film[edit]

Year Title Role Notes
1992 Hot Under the Collar Monica
1992 Out for Blood Laura
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 Killer Tongue Candy
1997 Critics and Other Freaks Mrs. M.
1997 Soldier of Fortune Margo Vincent Television film
1997 Spawn Jessica Priest
2002 Cold Sweat Starring
2002 .com for Murder Agent Williams
2003 The Animatrix Alexa (voice) Segment: "Matriculated"
2004 Dynamite Beta
2007 She Drives Me Crazy Blithe Meacham Television film
2014 How Divine! Chelsea Kirk Television film

Television[edit]

Year Title Role Notes
1989–1990 Days of Our Lives Faith Taylor 130 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[45] Lexy Monroe Main role;
1996 Strange Luck Lola Vale Episode: "Lightning Strikes"
1997 Xena: Warrior Princess Velasca 2 episodes
1997 Nash Bridges Karen Decker Episode: "Out of Chicago"
1997 Seinfeld Alex Episode: "The Muffin Tops"
1997 Sliders Allasandra Episode: "This Slide of Paradise"
1997–1999 Soldier of Fortune, Inc. Margo Vincent Main role
2000 The Pretender Miss Eve Episode: "Meltdown"
2000 Nash Bridges Abby Gordon Episode: "End Game"
2001 Star Trek: Enterprise Sarin Episode: "Broken Bow: Part 2"
2001–2015 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Lady Heather Recurring role
2002 First Monday Unknown Episode: "Pilot"
2002–2003 The District Olivia Cahill Recurring role (seasons 2–3)
2002 Charmed Siren Episode: "Siren's Song"
2002 Everwood Sally Keyes Episode: "Till Death Do Us Part"
2003 Tremors Megan Flint Episode: "Night of the Shriekers"
2003 Firefly Nandi Episode: "Heart of Gold"
2003–2007 The O.C. Julie Cooper Main role
2004 50 Most Wicked Women of Primetime Herself / co-host E! television special
2005–2011 Entourage Herself 6 episodes
2006 Avatar: The Last Airbender Madame Macmu-Ling Voice; Episode: "The Tales of Ba Sing Se"
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"
2008–2009 Eli Stone Dr. Lee 3 episodes
2009 Hell's Kitchen Herself Episode: "13 Chefs Compete"
2010 Ghost Whisperer Donna Episode: "Old Sins Cast Long Shadows"
2010–2013 Nikita Helen "Amanda" Collins Main role
2010, 2017 The Vampire Diaries Kelly Donovan Recurring role (season 1); guest role (season 8)
2013 Vegas Lena Cavallo Recurring role
2014 Dallas Tracey McKay 2 episodes
2016 Gotham Grace Van Dahl 3 episodes
2018 Swedish Dicks Rebecca Glos Episode: "It Had to Be Lou"
2023 Fantasy Island Amber Graham Episode: "#Happy"

Video games[edit]

Year Title Role Notes
2003 Mission: Impossible – Operation Surma Sofia Ivanescu Voice
2012 Nikita: Codebreaker Amanda

Podcast series[edit]

Year Title Role Notes
2021 Movies That Changed My Life Guest Episode: "Rachel Bilson and Melinda Clarke: All That Jazz and Dirty Dancing"
2021–2023 Welcome to the OC, Bitches! Co-host 46 episodes
2023 Beyond the OC Co-host

Music videos[edit]

Year Title Artist Notes
1995 "Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman?" Bryan Adams

Awards and nominations[edit]

Year Award/Festival Category Nominated work Result
1990 Young Artist Awards Best Young Actress in a Daytime Drama Days of Our Lives Nominated
1994 Fangoria Chainsaw Awards Best Actress Return of the Living Dead 3 Won
1996 Sitges Film Festival Best Actress Killer Tongue Won

References[edit]

  1. ^ "The Shower with Amanda Righetti". Welcome to the OC, Bitch. October 19, 2021. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021.
  2. ^ "Today in History". The Intelligencer Journal. The Associated Press. April 24, 2012. p. A2. Actress Melinda Clarke is 43.
  3. ^ a b Cohen, Anne. "We Still Owe Melinda Clarke For Bringing Us Julie Cooper". www.refinery29.com. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
  4. ^ Gardner, Jessica (December 13, 2022). "The O.C. Cast: Where They Are Today". MovieWeb. Retrieved December 29, 2022.
  5. ^ "Exclusive: Melinda Clarke Reflects on The O.C., Dishes on The Vampire Diaries and Nikita". TeenDramaWhore. May 9, 2010. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
  6. ^ "Putting the Fun into Dysfunctional, Melinda Clarke Reflects on 5 of Her Most Memorable Characters | the TV addict". Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  7. ^ Gliatto, Tom; Rhone, Paysha Stockton; Rizzo, Monica. "Picks and Pans Review: Spotlight on the O.C.'s Melinda Clarke". People. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  8. ^ Melinda Clarke Biography at Yahoo! Movies
  9. ^ Maslin, Janet (October 29, 1993). "Review/Film; A Lust for the (Supposedly) Lifeless". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 7, 2021.
  10. ^ Rice, Nicholas (April 30, 2021). "The O.C. Creator Shares Which Actors Were Almost Cast Instead of Ben McKenzie and Mischa Barton". People. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  11. ^ Rice, Nicholas (April 27, 2021). "Rachel Bilson and Melinda Clarke Are 'Totally Down' for The O.C. Reboot: 'Never Say Never'". People. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  12. ^ Garron, Barry (August 5, 2019). "The O.C.: THR's 2003 Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  13. ^ Jones, Isabel (May 4, 2021). "The O.C.'s Most Controversial Relationship Got an Important Last-Minute Edit". InStyle. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  14. ^ Jensen, Erin. "The O.C.: Rachel Bilson on dating Adam Brody, the storyline she and Melinda Clarke would kill". USA Today. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
  15. ^ "21 Top TV Bitches". EW.com. November 16, 2009. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  16. ^ "17 Thoughts I Had Re-Visiting the Fashion on The O.C." Vogue. January 14, 2021. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  17. ^ "Vegas Exclusive: Who's Playing Mia's Mother?". TVGuide.com. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  18. ^ "The 25 Best Episodes Of "Entourage"". Complex. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  19. ^ Ausiello, Michael (January 8, 2010). "Vampire Diaries exclusive: Melinda Clarke is the mom from hell!". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on May 15, 2010. Retrieved April 13, 2010.
  20. ^ "The O.C. star Melinda Clarke hits TIFF 2012: See her now!". www.yahoo.com. September 13, 2012. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  21. ^ "Melinda Clarke on The Vampire Diaries, The O.C. and her new CW pilot". LA Times Blogs - Show Tracker. April 15, 2010. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
  22. ^ Richenthal, Matt (September 6, 2011). "The Big C Exclusive: Gabriel Basso on Inspiring Viewers, Getting Crabs". TV Fanatic. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  23. ^ "Nikita Star Melinda Clarke On Amanda's Endgame & Her Interest In Owen". HuffPost. November 9, 2012. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  24. ^ Cocks, Simon (November 14, 2016). "TV review: Nikita — 'Cancelled'". Medium. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  25. ^ Barr, Merrill. "Nikita's Final Season Isn't About Fan Service, It's About Netflix". Forbes. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  26. ^ Gauk-Roger, Topher Gauk-Roger (October 26, 2021). "Rachel Bilson Talks 'Emotional' Reunion with The O.C. Costar Adam Brody: He's 'Super Dear to Me'". People. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
  27. ^ a b Rosario, Alexandra Del (March 25, 2021). "The O.C.'s Rachel Bilson & Melinda Clarke To Revisit Teen Drama For Welcome To The OC, Bitches! Podcast At Kast Media". Deadline. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
  28. ^ Baila, Morgan. "Two Of The OC's Best Characters Are Reuniting For "Welcome To The OC, Bitches"". www.refinery29.com. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
  29. ^ Conway, Jeff. "Rachel Bilson & Melinda Clarke Are A Blast From The Past With Their New The OC Podcast". Forbes. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
  30. ^ "7 Top Celebrity Podcasts You Should Subscribe To Right Now". Bustle. August 3, 2021. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
  31. ^ "Instagram post by Melinda Clarke". www.instagram.com. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
  32. ^ Barbecue17. "Action Figure Review: Jessica Priest from Spawn: The Movie by McFarlane Toys". Retrieved December 30, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  33. ^ "Melinda Clarke". IMDb. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  34. ^ Bleznak, Becca (August 17, 2017). "15 Actors Who Always Play the Villain". Showbiz Cheat Sheet. Retrieved December 31, 2021. There's something about Melinda Clarke that plays as tough and no-nonsense.
  35. ^ "Nikita's Melinda Clarke: Fans Want Amanda to Be Truly Evil". TVGuide.com. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
  36. ^ ""Gotham" Adds "The OC" Star Melinda Clarke as New Character". CBR. December 10, 2015. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
  37. ^ Wightman, Catriona (February 24, 2011). "Nikita star: 'Fans want evil Amanda'". Digital Spy. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
  38. ^ "Rachel Bilson & Melinda Clarke Dig Up Old Drama On Their The O.C. Podcast". Bustle. April 27, 2021. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
  39. ^ "Melinda Clarke". Bellazon. December 3, 2007. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  40. ^ "#13 Regard Magazine April 2012 by Regard Magazine, LLC - Issuu". issuu.com. April 11, 2012. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
  41. ^ a b "The O.C. Cast's Dating Histories Through the Years". Us Weekly. September 25, 2021. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
  42. ^ "Melinda Clarke and daughter attend Enchanted premiere". People. November 20, 2007. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
  43. ^ Crook, John (May 4, 2005). "Julie of The O.C. striving to be a better mom". TV Guide. Gettysburg Times. Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. p. 1. Retrieved June 11, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  44. ^ "Exclusive: All the Gorgeous Details from Melinda Clarke's Wedding". October 7, 2015.
  45. ^ Thomas, Bob (September 4, 1994). "Ricardo Montalban returns to television". Entertainment. Santa Cruz County Sentinel. Santa Cruz, California. Associated Press. p. B-5. Retrieved June 11, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.

External links[edit]

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