With exotic looks and a smoldering sensuality, Clarke made her name portraying a string of vamps, both on the big and small screens. The daughter of
Days of our Lives veteran John Clarke, the stunning actress got her start on his series before turning her attention to film. But she appeared mostly in Z-grade fare (
Night of the Living Dead III,
Return to Two Moon
Junction, and two little-seen films directed by her husband, Ernie Mirich) before a guest spot on
Xena and a role as a sexy assassin in
Spawn established her as a grade-A vixen. Myriad TV guest appearances later, Clarke landed her career-making role as a gold-digging mother with a sordid past on
The O.C..
Melinda Clarke Fast Facts:- First acting role was on Days of Our Lives . Her father, actor John Clarke, played attorney Mickey Horton on the soap from 1965-2004.
- Had two action figures modeled after characters she played: Amazon Velasca in the series Xena: Warrior Princess and Jessica in the film Spawn (1997).
- Is a professionally trained coloratura soprano and has starred in a number of musical productions including The Music Man, Oklahoma!, West Side Story, The Sound of Music, Hello, Dolly! and The Fantasticks.
- Was the only O.C. cast member to actually hail from California's Orange County.
- Melinda Clarke Relationships:
- Ernie Mirich - Husband
- Heidi - Sister
- Joshua Clarke - Brother
- Kathryn Grace - Daughter
- Patricia Clarke - Mother
- John Clarke - Father
