Melinda Culea (born May 5, 1955) is an American actress.

Early life

Culea was born on May 5, 1955, in

Western Springs, Illinois Western Springs is a village located in Cook County, Illinois, United States, and is a suburb of Chicago. As of the 2010 census, the village had a total population of 12,975. It is twinned with Rugeley, Staffordshire, United Kingdom. In July 1962 ...

. She worked as a model before acting.Dangaard, Colin (1983) "Melinda Culea: The Struggle Goes on", ''

Milwaukee Journal The ''Milwaukee Journal Sentinel'' is a daily morning broadsheet printed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where it is the primary newspaper. It is also the largest newspaper in the state of Wisconsin, where it is widely distributed. It is currently o ...

'', September 4, 1983

Career

''The A-Team''

Culea is best known for playing Amy (Amanda) Allen in the 1980s hit TV series ''

The A-Team ''The A-Team'' is an American action-adventure television series that ran on NBC from January 1983 to March 1987 about former members of a fictitious United States Army Special Forces unit. The four members of the team were tried by court marti ...

''. Her role was as a newspaper reporter who joined the team for the first season and half of the second season.McNeil, Alex (1985) ''Total Television: A Comprehensive Guide to Programming from 1948 to the Present'', Penguin Books Australia; , p. 10 Introduced in the feature-length pilot episode "

Mexican Slayride "Mexican Slayride" is the feature-length pilot episode of the Action film, action Adventure film, adventure television series ''The A-Team.'' The pilot aired in its complete form originally, airing in North America on January 23, 1983. In syndicat ...

", her character was presented as feisty. However, Culea soon started to realize that her character had very little to do. Reportedly, star

George Peppard George Peppard (; October 1, 1928 – May 8, 1994) was an American actor. He is best remembered for his role as struggling writer Paul Varjak in the 1961 film '' Breakfast at Tiffany's'', and for playing commando leader Col. John "Hannibal ...

did not like a female lead being part of the show, and made his feelings clear. Culea asked for her character to be involved in the team's fights, suggesting that Amy try to help, but she gets in the way – adding some comic relief. The producers resisted. Culea was ultimately dropped from the series in 1983, with her final appearance being in Season 2 Episode 12, "The White Ballot", although her character continued to be mentioned by the team during the show shortly thereafter. However, she could still be glimpsed briefly on one of the scenes on the show's opening titles sequence. This scene was used for most of the show's run.

Other television roles

Culea has acted in a number of other TV roles, mainly during the 1980s and 1990s. Shortly after leaving ''The A-Team'', Culea gained a leading role as Terry Randolph in the short-lived series ''

Glitter Glitter is an assortment of small, reflective particles that come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors. Glitter particles reflect light at different angles, causing the surface to sparkle or shimmer. Glitter is similar to confetti, sparkle ...

''. Another substantial role was playing the recurring character Paula Vertosick on ''

Knots Landing ''Knots Landing'' is an American prime time television soap opera that aired on CBS from December 27, 1979, to May 13, 1993. A spin-off of ''Dallas'', it was set in a fictitious coastal suburb of Los Angeles and initially centered on the lives of ...

'' for two seasons from 1988 to 1990. She also co-starred as Joey Lawrence's step-mother for two seasons on '' Brotherly Love'' from 1995 to 1997 on NBC and the WB. She also made appearances on many other notable television series including ''

Fantasy Island ''Fantasy Island'' is an American fantasy drama television series created by Gene Levitt. It aired on ABC from 1977 to 1984. The series starred Ricardo Montalbán as the mysterious Mr. Roarke and Hervé Villechaize as his assistant, Tattoo. Gu ...

'', ''

Family Ties ''Family Ties'' is an American sitcom television series that aired on NBC for seven seasons, premiering on September 22, 1982, and concluding on May 14, 1989. The series, created by Gary David Goldberg, reflected the move in the United States f ...

'', '' St. Elsewhere'', ''

The X-Files ''The X-Files'' is an American science fiction on television, science fiction drama (film and television), drama television series created by Chris Carter (screenwriter), Chris Carter. The series revolves around Federal Bureau of Investigation ...

'', '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'', '' Brotherly Love'', ''

Beverly Hills, 90210 ''Beverly Hills, 90210'' (often referred to by its short title, ''90210'') is an American teen drama television series created by Darren Star and produced by Aaron Spelling under his production company Spelling Television. The series ran fo ...

'', and ''

Murder, She Wrote ''Murder, She Wrote'' is an American crime drama television series, created by Peter S. Fischer, Richard Levinson and William Link, starring Angela Lansbury, and produced and distributed by Universal Television for the CBS network. The series f ...

''.

Movie roles

Culea played the role of Constance Taylor in the movie ''

Wagons East! A wagon or waggon is a heavy four-wheeled vehicle pulled by draught animals or on occasion by humans, used for transporting goods, commodities, agricultural materials, supplies and sometimes people. Wagons are immediately distinguished from ...

'' (1994),Wilmington, Michael (1994) "Pitiful `Wagons East!' is a Sorry Farewell for John Candy", ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...

'', August 26, 1994 directed by her future husband

Peter Markle Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a sur ...

, and played Anna in ''Dying on the Edge'' (2001). She was an executive producer of Peter Markle's film ''Odds Are...'' (2018).

Other

, she is working as an author and artist. Her first book ''Wondago'' is an illustrated mystery novel published in January 2016 by Griffith Moon Publishing.

Selected filmography

*''Dear Teacher'' (1981) (TV – pilot) as Annie Cooper *''The Rules of Marriage'' (1982) (TV) as Holly Stone *''

'' (TV) as Shelley James (1983) *''

'' as

Amy Allen Amy Allen (born October 24, 1976) is an American actress and film crew member who portrayed the Jedi Master Aayla Secura in ''Star Wars'' films released in 2002 and 2005. She worked behind the scenes on many different movies, including ''A.I. ...

(24 episodes, 1983) *''

Hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a ref ...

'' as Adrianna Dupre (1984) *''

'' as Terry Randolph (1984–1985) *''Dear Penelope and Peter'' (1986) (TV) as Judy Berlin *''

'' as Rebecca Ryan (1986) *'' St. Elsewhere'' as McPhail (1986–1987) *''

'' as Paula Vertosick (1988–1990) *''

'' as Dr. Natalie Donner (1991) *''

Jake and the Fatman ''Jake and the Fatman'' is an American crime drama television series starring William Conrad as prosecutor J. L. (Jason Lochinvar) "Fatman" McCabe and Joe Penny as investigator Jake Styles. The series ran on CBS for five seasons from September ...

'' as Ellen Webster (1991) *'' Star Trek: The Next Generation'' as Soren (1992) *''

'' as Nicole Gary (1990–1992) *'' Through the Eyes of a Killer'' (1992) (TV) as Alison Rivers *''

Wagons East A wagon or waggon is a heavy four-wheeled vehicle pulled by draught animals or on occasion by humans, used for transporting goods, commodities, agricultural materials, supplies and sometimes people. Wagons are immediately distinguished from ...

'' (1994) as Constance Taylor *''Moment of Truth: Murder or Memory?'' (1994) (TV) *'' Down, Out & Dangerous'' (1995) (TV) as CeCe Dryer *'' Brotherly Love'' as Claire Roman (1995) *'' Buried Secrets'' (1996) (TV) as Laura Vellum *'' C-16: FBI'' (2 episodes, 1997) *''Target Earth'' (1998) (TV) as Allison, Emmett's Gang *''

'' as Karin Berquist (episode "

Alpha Alpha (uppercase , lowercase ; grc, ἄλφα, ''álpha'', or ell, άλφα, álfa) is the first letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals, it has a value of one. Alpha is derived from the Phoenician letter aleph , whic ...

", 1999)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Culea, Melinda 1955 births Living people American television actresses American people of Romanian descent People from Western Springs, Illinois