California native Melinda Clarke was born into show business. With an actor father and a ballet dancer mother, it was only a matter of time before Clarke grew up and headed for L.A. to follow in her parents' footsteps. She spent the late '90s paying her dues with appearances on shows like Seinfeld and Xena: Warrior Princess before being cast as Julie Cooper on the smash-hit series The O.C. She stayed with the show for its entire run from 2003 to 2007.