Melinda Culea
Encyclopedia
Melinda Culea is an American
film and television actress, who moved into acting after working as a model.
. Her role was as a newspaper reporter who worked with the team for the first season and half of the second season.
Introduced in the feature-length pilot episode "Mexican Slayride", her character was presented as feisty. However, Culea soon started to complain that her character had very little to do. Reportedly, star George Peppard
did not like a female lead being part of the show, and made his feelings quite clear. Culea also pushed for her character to be involved in the team's fights, something which 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.
Shortly after leaving The A-Team Culea gained a leading role as Terry Randolph in the short-lived series Glitter
. Her other most substantial role was playing the recurring character Paula Vertosick on Knots Landing
for two seasons, from 1988 to 1990.
She also made appearances on many other notable TV shows including Family Ties
, St. Elsewhere
, The X-Files, Star Trek: The Next Generation
, Brotherly Love
, Beverly Hills, 90210
, and Murder, She Wrote
.
, and played Anna in Dying on the Edge (2001).
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
film and television actress, who moved into acting after working as a model.
The A-Team
Culea is best known for playing Amy Amanda Allen in the 1980s hit TV series The A-TeamThe A-Team
The A-Team is an American action adventure television series about a fictional group of ex-United States Army Special Forces personnel who work as soldiers of fortune, while on the run from the Army after being branded as war criminals for a "crime they didn't commit". The A-Team was created by...
. Her role was as a newspaper reporter who worked with the team for the first season and half of the second season.
Introduced in the feature-length pilot episode "Mexican Slayride", her character was presented as feisty. However, Culea soon started to complain that her character had very little to do. Reportedly, star George Peppard
George Peppard
George Peppard, Jr. was an American film and television actor.Peppard secured a major role when he starred alongside Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's , portrayed a character based on Howard Hughes in The Carpetbaggers , and played the title role of the millionaire sleuth Thomas Banacek in...
did not like a female lead being part of the show, and made his feelings quite clear. Culea also pushed for her character to be involved in the team's fights, something which 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.
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 (TV series)
Glitter was an American television drama series screened on the ABC network during the 1984-1985 season.The series was produced by Aaron Spelling and was set behind the scenes of a top entertainment magazine titled "Glitter" and attempted to combine the urgency of journalism and business politics...
. Her other most substantial role was playing the recurring character Paula Vertosick on Knots Landing
Knots Landing
Knots Landing is an American primetime television soap opera that aired from December 27, 1979 to May 13, 1993 on CBS. Set in a fictitious coastal suburb of Los Angeles in California, the show centered on the lives of four married couples living in a cul-de-sac, Seaview Circle...
for two seasons, from 1988 to 1990.
She also made appearances on many other notable TV shows including Family Ties
Family Ties
Family Ties is an American sitcom that aired on NBC for seven seasons, from 1982 to 1989. The sitcom reflected the move in the United States from the cultural liberalism of the 1960s and 1970s to the conservatism of the 1980s. This was particularly expressed through the relationship between young...
, St. Elsewhere
St. Elsewhere
St. Elsewhere is an American medical drama television series that originally ran on NBC from October 26, 1982 to May 25, 1988. The series is set at fictional St. Eligius, a decaying urban teaching hospital in Boston's South End neighborhood...
, The X-Files, Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry as part of the Star Trek franchise. Roddenberry, Rick Berman, and Michael Piller served as executive producers at different times throughout the production...
, Brotherly Love
Brotherly love
Brotherly love may refer to:* Philia, a Greek word for love* Brotherly love * The New Commandment of Jesus, - Television :* Brotherly Love , an American television series...
, Beverly Hills, 90210
Beverly Hills, 90210
Beverly Hills, 90210 is an American drama series that originally aired from October 4, 1990 to May 17, 2000 on Fox and was produced by Spelling Television in the United States, and subsequently on various networks around the world. It is the first series in the Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise...
, and Murder, She Wrote
Murder, She Wrote
Murder, She Wrote is an American television mystery series starring Angela Lansbury as mystery writer and amateur detective Jessica Fletcher. The series aired for 12 seasons from 1984 to 1996 on the CBS network, with 264 episodes transmitted. It was followed by four TV films and a spin-off series,...
.
Movie roles
Culea played the role of Constance Taylor in the movie Wagons East! (1994), directed by her future husband Peter MarklePeter Markle
Peter Markle is an American TV and film director. He has worked on Everwood, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, and The X-Files as well as many other programs. He was director of the successful "Flight 93" in 2006 and he also directed the poorly-received comedy western film Wagons East!...
, and played Anna in Dying on the Edge (2001).
Selected filmography
- The X-FilesThe X-FilesThe X-Files is an American science fiction television series and a part of The X-Files franchise, created by screenwriter Chris Carter. The program originally aired from to . The show was a hit for the Fox network, and its characters and slogans became popular culture touchstones in the 1990s...
... Karin Berquist (1 episode, 1999) - Target EarthTarget earthTarget Earth may refer to:* Target Earth, the video game also known as Assault Suits Leynos* Target Earth , a 1954 Science Fiction B-Movie*Target Earth is also a 1998 TV-Movie starring Christopher Meloni and Marcia Cross...
(1998) (TV) ... Allison, Emmett's Gang - C-16: FBI (2 episodes, 1997)
- Buried SecretsBuried SecretsBuried Secrets is the second EP by Painkiller released by Toy's Factory in Japan and Earache in the UK, featuring guest appearances from Justin Broadrick and G.C. Green from Godflesh.-Reception:...
(1996) (TV) ... Laura Vellum - Brotherly LoveBrotherly loveBrotherly love may refer to:* Philia, a Greek word for love* Brotherly love * The New Commandment of Jesus, - Television :* Brotherly Love , an American television series...
... Claire Roman (1995) - Down, Out & Dangerous (1995) (TV) ... CeCe Dryer
- Moment of Truth: Murder or Memory? (1994) (TV)
- Wagons EastWagons EastWagons East! is a 1994 Western comedy film directed by Peter Markle and starring John Candy and Richard Lewis.-Plot:After the 1860s Wild West, a group of misfit settlers including ex-doctor Phil Taylor , prostitute Belle , and homosexual bookseller Julian Wagons East! is a 1994 Western comedy film...
(1994) ... Constance Taylor - Through the Eyes of a KillerThrough the Eyes of a KillerThrough the Eyes of a Killer is a 1992 thriller film starring Richard Dean Anderson and Marg Helgenberger.-Plot:A woman has a brief affair with the contractor who is renovating her apartment and he refuses to accept the end of the relationship.-Cast:...
(1992) (TV) ... Alison Rivers - Murder, She WroteMurder, She WroteMurder, She Wrote is an American television mystery series starring Angela Lansbury as mystery writer and amateur detective Jessica Fletcher. The series aired for 12 seasons from 1984 to 1996 on the CBS network, with 264 episodes transmitted. It was followed by four TV films and a spin-off series,...
... Nicole Gary ... (1990–1992) - Star Trek: The Next GenerationStar Trek: The Next GenerationStar Trek: The Next Generation is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry as part of the Star Trek franchise. Roddenberry, Rick Berman, and Michael Piller served as executive producers at different times throughout the production...
... Soren (1992) - Jake and the FatmanJake and the FatmanJake and the Fatman is a television crime drama starring William Conrad as prosecutor J. L. "Fatman" McCabe and Joe Penny as investigator Jake Styles. The series ran on CBS for five seasons from 1987 to 1992. Diagnosis: Murder was a spin-off of this series...
... Ellen Webster (1991) - Beverly Hills, 90210Beverly Hills, 90210Beverly Hills, 90210 is an American drama series that originally aired from October 4, 1990 to May 17, 2000 on Fox and was produced by Spelling Television in the United States, and subsequently on various networks around the world. It is the first series in the Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise...
... Dr. Natalie Donner (1991) - Knots LandingKnots LandingKnots Landing is an American primetime television soap opera that aired from December 27, 1979 to May 13, 1993 on CBS. Set in a fictitious coastal suburb of Los Angeles in California, the show centered on the lives of four married couples living in a cul-de-sac, Seaview Circle...
... Paula Vertosick (1988–1990) - St. ElsewhereSt. ElsewhereSt. Elsewhere is an American medical drama television series that originally ran on NBC from October 26, 1982 to May 25, 1988. The series is set at fictional St. Eligius, a decaying urban teaching hospital in Boston's South End neighborhood...
... McPhail (1986–1987) - Family TiesFamily TiesFamily Ties is an American sitcom that aired on NBC for seven seasons, from 1982 to 1989. The sitcom reflected the move in the United States from the cultural liberalism of the 1960s and 1970s to the conservatism of the 1980s. This was particularly expressed through the relationship between young...
... Bank V.P (Boss of Alex) (1986) - Dear Penelope and Peter (1986) (TV) ... Judy Berlin
- GlitterGlitterGlitter describes an assortment of very small pieces of copolymer plastics, aluminum foil, titanium dioxide, iron oxides, bismuth oxychloride or other materials painted in metallic, neon and iridescent colors to reflect light in a sparkling spectrum...
... Terry Randolph (1984–1985) - HotelHotelA hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...
... Adrianna Dupre... (1984) - The A-TeamThe A-TeamThe A-Team is an American action adventure television series about a fictional group of ex-United States Army Special Forces personnel who work as soldiers of fortune, while on the run from the Army after being branded as war criminals for a "crime they didn't commit". The A-Team was created by...
... Amy Allen... (24 episodes, 1983) - Fantasy IslandFantasy IslandFantasy Island is the title of two separate but related American fantasy television series, both originally airing on the ABC television network.-Original series:...
(TV) ... Shelley James (1983) - The Rules of Marriage (1982) (TV) ... Holly Stone
- Dear Teacher (1981) (TV) ... Annie Cooper