Melanie Clark Pullen
Encyclopedia
Melanie Clark Pullen is an Irish actress, producer
and writer
.
, Dublin. Shortly after graduating, in June 1997, she was cast in her most notable role to date, as Mary Flaherty
in the BBC
soap opera
EastEnders
. Playing the long-lost relative of Pauline Fowler
(Wendy Richard
), Clark Pullen remained in the role for 18 months until her departure in early 1999.
Since her time in Albert Square, Clark Pullen has appeared in ITV
's big-budget costume drama Lady Audley's Secret
, starred in Catherine Cookson's A Dinner of Herbs and featured alongside Sir Richard Attenborough and Jenny Agutter
in the remake of the classic The Railway Children
, all in 2000. Other credits include Doctors
(2000), The League of Gentlemen's Apocalypse
(2005) and The Clinic
(2006).
On stage, Clark Pullen starred as Mariane in Tartuffe
at the Lyttelton Theatre in 2002; appeared as Perdita in Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale
in the 2001 production at the National Theatre
; and co-wrote and starred in Missing Stars at the Finborough Theatre
in 2001.
In 2006 Clark Pullen wrote, directed and produced the short film Marion agus an Banphrionsa (Marion and the Princess), for which she won the Gradam Gael Linn award for the Best Short in the Irish Language at the 51st Cork Film Festival. She also produced another short, Sounds Good (2004), which was written by her partner Simon Maxwell.
Melanie Clark Pullen has appeared as Lisa Bacchus playing the wife of Policeman Sergeant John Bacchus in the BBC drama Inspector George Gently.
s and depression
as she struggled to cope with the instant fame she received from being in such a high-profile show. In a bid to help others cope with depression she teamed up with another writer, Aoife Maguire, to create Missing Stars, a play that was staged in 2001 in which she also starred. The purpose of the play was to show sufferers of depression that help is available.
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
and writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
.
Career
Born and raised in Ireland, Clark Pullen studied drama at Trinity CollegeTrinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin , formally known as the College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, was founded in 1592 by letters patent from Queen Elizabeth I as the "mother of a university", Extracts from Letters Patent of Elizabeth I, 1592: "...we...found and...
, Dublin. Shortly after graduating, in June 1997, she was cast in her most notable role to date, as Mary Flaherty
Mary Flaherty (EastEnders)
Mary Flaherty is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Melanie Clark Pullen.Mary is the granddaughter of Maggie Flaherty, Pauline Fowler's long-lost sister. Her parents are Conor and Geraldine Flaherty...
in the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
EastEnders
EastEnders
EastEnders is a British television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985 and continuing to today. EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End...
. Playing the long-lost relative of Pauline Fowler
Pauline Fowler
Pauline Fowler is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, a long-running serial drama about working class life in the fictional London borough of Walford. She was played by actress Wendy Richard between 1985 and 2006. Pauline was created by scriptwriter Tony Holland and producer...
(Wendy Richard
Wendy Richard
Wendy Richard, MBE was an English actress best known for playing Miss Brahms in Are You Being Served? and Pauline Fowler in EastEnders...
), Clark Pullen remained in the role for 18 months until her departure in early 1999.
Since her time in Albert Square, Clark Pullen has appeared in ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
's big-budget costume drama Lady Audley's Secret
Lady Audley's Secret
Lady Audley's Secret is a sensation novel by Mary Elizabeth Braddon published in 1862. It was Braddon's most successful and well known novel. Critic John Sutherland described the work as "the most sensationally successful of all the sensation novels." The plot centers on "accidental bigamy" which...
, starred in Catherine Cookson's A Dinner of Herbs and featured alongside Sir Richard Attenborough and Jenny Agutter
Jenny Agutter
Jennifer Ann "Jenny" Agutter is an English film and television actress. She began her career as a child actress in the mid 1960s, starring in the BBC television series The Railway Children and the film adaptation of the same book, before moving on to adult roles and relocating to Hollywood.She...
in the remake of the classic The Railway Children
The Railway Children
The Railway Children is a children's book by Edith Nesbit, originally serialised in The London Magazine during 1905 and first published in book form in 1906...
, all in 2000. Other credits include Doctors
Doctors (BBC Soap Opera)
Doctors is a British daytime television soap opera, set in the fictional Midland town of Letherbridge, defined as being close to the City of Birmingham. It was created by Chris Murray; Mal Young drove its development, and Carson Black was the original producer. The first episode was broadcast on...
(2000), The League of Gentlemen's Apocalypse
The League of Gentlemen's Apocalypse
The League of Gentlemen's Apocalypse is a feature film spin-off of the popular British television comedy series The League of Gentlemen. Starring Mark Gatiss, Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith, the film was written by the cast with Jeremy Dyson, and directed by Steve Bendelack...
(2005) and The Clinic
The Clinic (TV series)
The Clinic is an award-winning Irish primetime television medical drama series produced by Parallel Film Productions for RTÉ. It debuted on RTÉ One in 2003 to positive reviews and proved to be one of the network's most popular shows. The show ran for seven seasons between September 2003 to November...
(2006).
On stage, Clark Pullen starred as Mariane in Tartuffe
Tartuffe
Tartuffe is a comedy by Molière. It is one of his most famous plays.-History:Molière wrote Tartuffe in 1664...
at the Lyttelton Theatre in 2002; appeared as Perdita in Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale
The Winter's Tale
The Winter's Tale is a play by William Shakespeare, originally published in the First Folio of 1623. Although it was grouped among the comedies, some modern editors have relabelled the play as one of Shakespeare's late romances. Some critics, among them W. W...
in the 2001 production at the National Theatre
Royal National Theatre
The Royal National Theatre in London is one of the United Kingdom's two most prominent publicly funded theatre companies, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company...
; and co-wrote and starred in Missing Stars at the Finborough Theatre
Finborough Theatre
The Finborough Theatre is a fifty seat theatre in the Earls Court area of London, United Kingdom , which presents new British writing, UK and premieres of new plays, primarily from the English speaking world including North America, Canada, Scotland and Ireland, music theatre, and rarely seen...
in 2001.
In 2006 Clark Pullen wrote, directed and produced the short film Marion agus an Banphrionsa (Marion and the Princess), for which she won the Gradam Gael Linn award for the Best Short in the Irish Language at the 51st Cork Film Festival. She also produced another short, Sounds Good (2004), which was written by her partner Simon Maxwell.
Melanie Clark Pullen has appeared as Lisa Bacchus playing the wife of Policeman Sergeant John Bacchus in the BBC drama Inspector George Gently.
Personal life
Clark Pullen is married to the writer Simon Maxwell. After leaving EastEnders she admitted to suffering from panic attackPanic attack
Panic attacks are periods of intense fear or apprehension that are of sudden onset and of relatively brief duration. Panic attacks usually begin abruptly, reach a peak within 10 minutes, and subside over the next several hours...
s and depression
Clinical depression
Major depressive disorder is a mental disorder characterized by an all-encompassing low mood accompanied by low self-esteem, and by loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities...
as she struggled to cope with the instant fame she received from being in such a high-profile show. In a bid to help others cope with depression she teamed up with another writer, Aoife Maguire, to create Missing Stars, a play that was staged in 2001 in which she also starred. The purpose of the play was to show sufferers of depression that help is available.