Melinda Clarke was born April 24, 1969 in Dana Point, CA. She began her acting career when she appeared in Days of Our Lives, and starred on Soldier of Fortune, Inc. She also guest starred on Xena: Warrior Princess, Firefly, Charmed, and has had three memorable appearances on CSI where she plays the dominatrix, Lady Heather. On The OC, Clarke plays Julie Cooper, a cunning socialite who marries for money. Julie Cooper-Nichol is mother of Kaitlin Cooper and the late Marissa Cooper. Pregnant at 18 with Marissa, she married financial planner Jimmy Cooper. Upon discovering that Jimmy had stole large sums of money from his clients' trust funds, she divorced him and later married Caleb Nichol, becoming the most powerful woman in Newport. After Julie was blackmailed by an ex-lover, Caleb was outraged and filed for divorce, leaving Julie penniless and jobless. Soon after, Caleb died of a heart attack. Julie also had a love affair and was engaged to Dr. Neil Roberts, but he left her after she became addicted to painkillers following Marissa's death.