Marcia Rachel Clark is an American prosecutor

Prosecutor

The prosecutor is the chief legal representative of the prosecution in countries with either the common law adversarial system, or the civil law inquisitorial system...

, author, and television correspondent who gained fame as the head prosecutor in the O.J. Simpson murder case.

Early life

Marcia Rachel Kleks was born in Berkeley, California, on August 31, 1953 to a Jewish family. She attended Susan E. Wagner High School

Susan E. Wagner High School

Susan E. Wagner High School is a New York City public school located at 1200 Manor Road in Staten Island, New York. The school is owned and run by the New York City Department of Education. On average, the school has about 3,000 students. Wagner's school colors are Navy and White, with the Falcon...

, a public high school in the Manor Heights section of Staten Island

Staten Island

Staten Island is a borough of New York City, New York, United States, located in the southwest part of the city. Staten Island is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull, and from the rest of New York by New York Bay...

, one of the five boroughs of New York City

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

. She graduated from UCLA in 1976 with a degree in Political Science, then earned a J.D.

Juris Doctor

Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...

 at Southwestern University School of Law

Southwestern University School of Law

Southwestern Law School is a private ABA-accredited law school located in Los Angeles, California , with about 1,000 students. Its campus includes the Bullocks Wilshire building, an admired art deco National Register of Historic Places landmark built in 1929...

. She was admitted to the State Bar of California

State Bar of California

The State Bar of California is California's official bar association. It is responsible for managing the admission of lawyers to the practice of law, investigating complaints of professional misconduct, and prescribing appropriate discipline...

 in 1979.

Career

Clark was a prosecutor for the State of California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

, County of Los Angeles

Los Angeles County, California

Los Angeles County is a county in the U.S. state of California. As of 2010 U.S. Census, the county had a population of 9,818,605, making it the most populous county in the United States. Los Angeles County alone is more populous than 42 individual U.S. states...

, in the O.J. Simpson murder case along with Christopher Darden

Christopher Darden

Christopher Allen Darden is an American lawyer, writer, lecturer and practicing attorney. He was a 15-year veteran of the Los Angeles County District Attorney, where he was assigned to the prosecution of O.J. Simpson. Darden gained fame during the O.J...

.

With Teresa Carpenter

Teresa Carpenter

Teresa Carpenter is a Pulitzer prize winning, bestselling American author. She was born in Independence, Missouri, and lives with her husband Steven Levy in New York's Greenwich Village.-Awards:...

, she authored a book, Without a Doubt, about the case, in a deal reported to be worth $4.2 million. Clark was on leave from her job following Simpson's acquittal in 1995, and officially resigned in 1997, before the release of her book. Prior to the O.J. Simpson murder case, her most high-profile prosecution was in 1991, when she prosecuted Robert John Bardo

Robert John Bardo

Robert John Bardo is an American man serving life imprisonment without parole after being convicted in October 1991 for the murder of actress Rebecca Schaeffer on July 18, 1989, whom he had stalked for several years beforehand....

 for the murder of television star Rebecca Schaeffer

Rebecca Schaeffer

Rebecca Lucile Schaeffer was an American actress best known for her role in the sitcom My Sister Sam...

.

Clark has been a "special correspondent" for Entertainment Tonight

Entertainment Tonight

Entertainment Tonight is a daily tabloid television entertainment television news show that is syndicated by CBS Television Distribution throughout the United States, Canada and in many countries around the world. Linda Bell Blue is currently the program's executive producer...

. She provided coverage of high profile trials and had done occasional reporting from the red carpet

Red carpet

A red carpet is traditionally used to mark the route taken by heads of state on ceremonial and formal occasions, and has in recent decades been extended to use by VIPs and celebrities at formal events.- History :...

 at awards shows such as the Emmys. In addition, Clark contributes a column for The Daily Beast

The Daily Beast

The Daily Beast is an American news reporting and opinion website founded and published by Tina Brown, former editor of Vanity Fair and The New Yorker as well as the short-lived Talk Magazine. The Daily Beast was launched on October 6, 2008, and is owned by IAC...

. Clark wrote a book Guilt By Association. She has also been featured on Headline News (HLN) weighing in on the Casey Anthony trial.

In popular culture

Marcia Clark is mentioned in the Westside Connection

Westside Connection

Westside Connection was an American gangsta rap group consisting of Ice Cube, WC and Mack 10. The group's debut album, Bow Down, reached the number 2 position on the Billboard 200 in 1996, going platinum that year.-Biography:...

 rap song, "The Gangsta, The Killa, and The Dope Dealer." Actress Cristine Rose

Cristine Rose

Cristine Sue Rose is an American actress. She has also been credited as Christine Rose. She's best known for her role as Angela Petrelli on the hit NBC science fiction drama Heroes.-Early life:...

 portrayed a parody of Clark named "Marcia Darden" in an episode of The Jamie Foxx Show

The Jamie Foxx Show

The Jamie Foxx Show is an American television sitcom that aired on the WB Network from August 28, 1996 to January 14, 2001. The series starred Jamie Foxx, Garcelle Beauvais, Christopher B. Duncan, Ellia English, and Garrett Morris.-Synopsis:...

entitled "I've Fallen and I Won't Get Up". Actress "Laurie Metcalf

Laurie Metcalf

Lauren Elizabeth "Laurie" Metcalf is an American actress. She is widely known for her performance as Jackie Harris on the ABC sitcom Roseanne, Mary Cooper on The Big Bang Theory, the voice of Mrs. Davis in the Toy Story film series and as Debbie Salt in Scream 2...

" portrayed a parody of Clark in season 7 of the television show "Roseanne" in the episode titled, "The Birds and the Frozen Bees."

Personal life

Clark was married to Gabriel Horowitz from 1976 to 1981. They had no children. She married her second husband, Gordon Clark, in 1981. They were divorced in 1995, and have two sons.

External links

• Interview in SHOTS Crime and Thriller Ezine June 2011
• http://members.calbar.ca.gov/search/member_detail.aspx?x=90125 California State Bar Entry for Marcia Clark