Melinda Culea (born May 5, 1955) is an American actress.
Early life Culea was born on May 5, 1955, in Western Springs, Illinois. She worked as a model before acting.Dangaard, Colin (1983) "Melinda Culea: The Struggle Goes on", Milwaukee Journal, 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.Jet, vol 64, 1983, p. 55 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", her character was presented as feisty. However, Culea soon started to realize 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 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,"'A-Team's' Disgruntled Melinda Culea Will Be Replaced", The Philadelphia Inquirer, October 18, 1983. and her final appearance was in Season 2 Episode 12, "The White Ballot", although her character continued to be mentioned by the team during the show shortly thereafter. She could still be glimpsed briefly on one of the shots in the show's opening titles sequence. This scene was used for most of the show's run.
Other television roles Culea 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. Another substantial role was playing the recurring character Paula Vertosick on Knots Landing 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; Family Ties; St. Elsewhere; The X-Files; Star Trek: The Next Generation; Brotherly Love; Beverly Hills, 90210; and Murder, She Wrote.
Movie roles Culea played the role of Constance Taylor in the movie Wagons East! (1994),Wilmington, Michael (1994) "Pitiful `Wagons East!' is a Sorry Farewell for John Candy", Chicago Tribune, August 26, 1994 directed by her future husband Peter Markle, 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
+YearTitleRoleNotes 1981 Dear Teacher Annie Cooper TV – pilot 1982 Sometimes I Don't Love My Mother Dallas Davis TV Special 1982 The Rules of Marriage Holly Stone 1983 Fantasy Island Shelley James 1983 The A-Team Amy Allen 24 episodes 1984 Hotel Adrianna Dupre 1984–1985 Glitter Terry Randolph 12 episodes 1986 Dear Penelope and Peter Judy Berlin 1986–1987 Family Ties Rebecca Ryan 3 episodes 1986–1987 St. Elsewhere McPhail 5 episodes 1988–1990 Knots Landing Paula Vertosick 28 episodes 1991 Beverly Hills, 90210 Dr. Natalie Donner 1991 Jake and the Fatman Ellen Webster 1992 Star Trek: The Next Generation Soren 1990–1992 Murder, She Wrote Nicole Gary 1992 Likely Suspects Capt. Wendy Hewitt 3 episodes 1992 Through the Eyes of a Killer Alison Rivers 1994 Wagons East Constance Taylor 1994 Moment of Truth: Murder or Memory? 1995 Down, Out & Dangerous CeCe Dryer 1995–1997 Brotherly Love Claire Roman 1996 Buried Secrets Laura Vellum 1997 C-16: FBI 2 episodes 1998 Target Earth Allison, Emmett's Gang 1999 The X-Files Karin Berquist episode "Alpha" 2001 Family Law Det. Cadden 2001 Dying on the Edge Anna
References
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