Caitlin Clarke
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (February 2022) |
Caitlin Clarke | |
|---|---|
 Clarke in Dragonslayer (1981) | |
| Born | Katherine Anne Clarke May 3, 1952 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | September 9, 2004 (aged 52) Sewickley, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Education | |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1978–2001 |
Caitlin Clarke (born Katherine Anne Clarke;[1] May 3, 1952 – September 9, 2004)[2] was an American actress best known for her roles as Valerian in the 1981 fantasy film Dragonslayer and Charlotte Cardoza in the 1998–1999 Broadway musical Titanic.
Early life and education
[edit]Clarke was born in Pittsburgh, the oldest of five sisters, the youngest of whom is Victoria Clarke.[3][4] Her family moved to Sewickley when she was ten.[5]
Clarke received her B.A. in theater arts from Mount Holyoke College in 1974 and her M.F.A. from the Yale School of Drama in 1978. During her final year at Yale, Clarke performed with the Yale Repertory Theater in such plays as Tales from the Vienna Woods.[citation needed]
Career
[edit]Clarke starred in the 1981 fantasy film Dragonslayer.[3]
After appearing in three Broadway plays in 1985,[2] Clarke moved to Los Angeles for several years as a film and television actress.
In 1986, she appeared in the film Crocodile Dundee as Simone, a friendly prostitute. That same year, Clarke appeared in the television series The Equalizer as Jessie Moore, the mother of Laura, played by nine year-old Melissa Joan Hart, who asks McCall for protection from an abusive ex-husband in "Torn."
She returned to theater in the early 1990s, and to Broadway as Charlotte Cardoza in Titanic.[6]
From 1997 to 2000, Clarke had a reoccurring role on Law & Order as Defense Attorney Linda Walsh.
Personal life and death
[edit]Clarke was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2000. She returned to Pittsburgh to teach theater at the University of Pittsburgh and at the Pittsburgh Musical Theater's Rauh Conservatory as well as to perform in Pittsburgh theatre until her death on September 9, 2004.[7]
Stage
[edit]Broadway
[edit]- 1983 – Teaneck Tanzi: The Venus Flytrap
- 1985 – The Marriage of Figaro
- 1985 – Arms and the Man
- 1985 – Strange Interlude
- 1998 – Titanic: A New Musical
Off-Broadway
[edit]- 1979 – Othello
- 1981 – No End of Blame
- 1983 – Summer
- 1984 – Total Eclipse
- 1984 – Quartermaine's Terms
- 1984 – Thin Ice
- 1994 – Three Birds Alighting On A Field
- 1994 – Unexpected Tenderness
Regional
[edit]- 1978 – Tales from the Vienna Woods (New Haven)
- 1979 – The Winter's Tale (Washington)
- 1980 – Bal (Chicago)
- 1981 – Plenty (Chicago)
- 1982 – Summer Vacation Madness (Minneapolis)
- 1984 – As You Like It (San Diego)
- 1984 – Not Quite Jerusalem (New Haven)
- 1989 – Our Country's Good (Los Angeles)
- 1991 – The Queen And The Rebels (Baltimore)
- 1996 – Mrs. Warren's Profession (New Haven)
- 1997 – Indiscretions (Dallas)
- 1997 – The Glass Menagerie (Portland, Maine)
- 1999 – Griller (Baltimore)
- 2000 – Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf (Rochester, NY)
- 2002 – The Gigli Concert (Pittsburgh)
- 2002 – Aristocrats (Pittsburgh)
Filmography
[edit]Film
[edit]- 1981 Dragonslayer as Valerian
- 1986 Crocodile Dundee as Simone
- 1988 Kenny (The Kid Brother) as Sharon
- 1989 The Big Picture as Sharon
- 1989 Penn & Teller Get Killed as Carlotta / Officer McNamara
- 1994 Blown Away as Officer Rita
- 1997 Cost of Living as Annie
- 1997 A Cure For Serpents (Short) as Mother
- 1999 Joe the King as Pat
- 2001 Never Again as Allison (final film role)
Television
[edit] |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | The Equalizer | Jessie Moore | Episode: "Torn" |
| 1987 | Moonlighting | Elaine Johnson | 2 episodes |
| 1987 | Once a Hero | Emma Greely / Emma Greeley | 3 episodes |
| 1986 | Mayflower Madam | Virginia | TV movie |
| 1990 | Matlock | Sandra Townsend | Episode: "The Witness" |
| 1991 | Love, Lies and Murder | Sandra Eden | TV movie |
| 1991 | Northern Exposure | Irene Rondenet | Episode: "Only You" |
| 1996 | The Stepford Husbands | Lisa | TV movie |
| 1997–2000 | Law & Order | Defense Attorney Linda Walsh | |
| 2000 | Sex And The City | Uptight Woman | 1 episode |
References
[edit]- ^ Batz, Bob Jr. (September 13, 2004). "Obituary: Caitlin A. Clarke / Stage-screen actress and teacher". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Archived from the original on June 3, 2011. Retrieved July 16, 2023.
- ^ a b "Caitlin Clarke". Internet Broadway Database. The Broadway League. Archived from the original on December 7, 2021. Retrieved February 18, 2022.
- ^ a b Anderson, George (June 25, 1981). "She leaps from PPT to movies in just six years". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Archived from the original on August 11, 2024. Retrieved August 11, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Blank, Ed. (1986-08-03). "Movie brings Caitlin Clarke back to her roots" (pages 1 and 2). The Pittsburgh Press. Archived from the original (pages 1 and 2) on 2024-08-12. Retrieved 2024-08-12 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "The Caitlin Clarke Page: Biography". www.andywest.org. Retrieved February 27, 2024.
- ^ "Titanic at LuntFontanne Theatre 1997-1999". www.abouttheartists.com. Retrieved February 27, 2024.
- ^ Jones, Kenneth (September 16, 2004). "Caitlin Clarke, Regional and Broadway Actress, Dead at 52". Playbill. Archived from the original on August 11, 2024. Retrieved August 11, 2024.
External links
[edit]| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
- 1952 births
- 2004 deaths
- Actresses from Pittsburgh
- American film actresses
- American stage actresses
- American television actresses
- Mount Holyoke College alumni
- Deaths from ovarian cancer in the United States
- David Geffen School of Drama at Yale University alumni
- Deaths from cancer in Pennsylvania
- 20th-century American actresses
- Sewickley Academy alumni
- 21st-century American women