Actress Melinda Clarke has had a successful career spanning over thirty years. Born Melinda Patrice Clarke in Upland, California, the actress was raised in Dana Point, Orange County. Clarke is the only daughter of the late legendary television actor John Clarke and actress Patricia Clarke.
Melinda Clarke played Division’s master manipulator/torturer, Helen “Amanda” Collins, on The CW’s action drama-thriller Nikita. Even with its finale airing over a decade ago, Clarke is still famous for playing Amanda. With fewer acting roles in recent years, she co-hosts the Beyond the OC podcast. These have been Melinda Clarke’s best roles of her career.
Days of Our Lives
Melinda Clarke made her acting debut on NBC’s soap opera Days of Our Lives. She joined the cast as Faith Taylor in 1989 and appeared in 130 episodes before her exit in 1990. At the time, Clarke’s father, John Clarke, was one of Days’ senior cast members. He portrayed Mickey Horton, a character he originated in 1965. Melinda Clarke’s Faith Taylor character was introduced as Reverend Saul Taylor’s daughter.
The character’s storyline follows her romantic relationship with Scott Banning. Scott also became her musical manager and landed her a job at Wings. Faith Taylor suffered a few medical mishaps, being temporarily blind and later paralyzed. The character was later caught in the love triangle between Scott and Eve Donovan. Faith Taylor left Salem with Scott Banning after he got admitted into medical school.
Heaven Help Us
After a few guest-starring roles, Melinda Clarke’s next major television project was Heaven Help Us. The short-lived fantasy comedy-drama aired 12 episodes from August 25 to December 3, 1994. Cast as Lexy Monroe, Clarke was one of the show’s leads. She played a newlywed wife who’s killed alongside her husband, Doug Monroe (John Schneider), in a plane crash. However, after a mix-up, an angel, Mr. Shepherd (Ricardo Montalbán), informs them that they must return to Earth to help others earn a place in heaven.
Spawn
Melinda Clarke made her film debut in 1992 in Hot Under the Collar. However, her biggest movie role has been portraying Jessica Priest in the 1997 superhero movie Spawn. The movie was an origin story about how former CIA Agent Al Simmons became Spawn. Melinda Clarke’s character is a CIA agent and assassin sent by CIA Director Jason Wynn (Martin Sheen) to kill Simmons. Spawn subdues and kills Jessica Priest. Although panned by critics, Spawn was a commercial success.
Soldier of Fortune, Inc.
Soldier of Fortune, Inc. is one of Melinda Clarke’s television projects that mostly went unnoticed. The action-adventure series followed the espionage of an elite team of highly skilled military personnel recruited to perform unofficial missions for the United States government. Melinda Clarke played former CIA GS-14 Margo Vincent, the team’s intelligence officer and de facto second in command. Like other team members, Margo was recruited by former U.S. Army Special Forces Major Matthew Quentin Shepherd (Brad Johnson). Soldier of Fortune, Inc. originally aired on syndication from September 27, 1997, to May 22, 1999.
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
True CSI: Crime Scene Investigation fans will recognize Melinda Clarke from her recurring role as Lady Heather/Dr. Kessler on the show. Clarke joined the show in 2001, first appearing in season 2, episode 8 (“Slaves of Las Vegas”). The character is a professional dominatrix/former Fetish Club owner who works as a sex therapist. She consulted and assisted the team on sex-related matters/cases. Before Gil Grissom (William Petersen) became involved with and married Sara Sidle (Jorja Fox), audiences had thought Dr. Kessler and Grissom would eventually become a couple. From the first time they met, Heather and Grissom shared a mutual attraction for each other.
The O.C.
Fox’s teen drama series The O.C. was Melinda Clarke’s career’s biggest television project in the 2000s. Clarke played Julie Cooper, one of the main characters in the award-winning show. The character is mostly remembered as a money-digging, selfish, devious, and shallow. However, Julie Cooper began slowly winning audiences with her vulnerability and empathy. As one of the main cast, Melinda Clarke appeared in almost all of the show’s episodes from August 5, 2003, to February 22, 2007. Depending on the television audience generation asked, The O.C. is regarded as Melinda Clarke’s most popular career role.
The Vampire Diaries
Another notable mention in Melinda Clarke’s career roles is her short stint on The Vampire Diaries. The popularity and success of the show make it one that audiences could remember/identify Clarke. Melinda Clarke played Kelly Donovan, appearing in only 5 episodes of the show. Kelly Donovan was Matt Donovan’s (Zach Roerig) and Vicki Donovan’s (Kayla Ewell) mother. Melinda Clarke appeared in seasons 1 & 8 of The Vampire Diaries. Like Melinda Clarke, American actress Aubrey Plaza has also played several iconic roles in film and television.
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