| Melinda Clarke |
| Born |
Melinda Whitney Nicola Clarke
April 24, 1969 (1969-04-24) (age 40)
Dana Point, California, U.S. |
| Other name(s) |
Mindy Clarke |
| Spouse(s) |
Ernie Mirich (1997-present) |
Melinda Clarke (born April 24, 1969) is an American actress who has primarily worked in television. Clarke portrayed the role of manipulative and cunning Julie Cooper on The O.C..
Biography
Personal life
Clarke was born Melinda Whitney Nicola Clarke1 in Dana Point, California, the daughter of Patricia (née Lewis), a ballet dancer, and John Clarke, an actor.2 She has a brother, Joshua, and a sister, Heidi, who died in 1994 of a malignant heart tumor. 3 She also has a daughter named Catherine Grace, with whom she resides in Beverly Hills, California. Clarke's height is 5' 7" (1.70 m), and she is a cigar aficionado.
Career
Clarke appeared on the daytime soap opera Days of our Lives as Faith Brown (where her father John Clarke 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 five 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 originally appeared on the FOX drama The O.C. as a guest star, and due to fan response was offered a contract for her role as Julie Cooper-Nichol, a cunning socialite who marries for money. Clarke accepted the role and 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 Television Network'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 is set to appear on the CW show The Vampire Diaries as the Kelly Donovan, Matt Donovan's absentee mother. 5
Clarke has volunteered as an actress with the Young Storytellers Foundation. Other projects included a TV movie, She Drives Me Crazy, produced by former co-star Rowan. She also appeared on Chuck as a guest star, another series created by The O.C.'s creator Josh Schwartz.
Filmography
References
External links