# Michelle Clunie
**Michelle Clunie** is an American actress and playwright best known for playing Melanie Marcus, a lesbian attorney, on the Showtime series *Queer as Folk* (2000–2005).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0167342/) Her work spans television, film, and stage, and she has also written and performed her own play, *US*.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0167342/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Signature role | Melanie Marcus, a lesbian attorney, on Showtime's *Queer as Folk* (2000–2005)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0167342/) • [2](https://www.televisionacademy.com/features/emmy-magazine/articles/queer-as-folk-oral-history) |
| Series run | Five seasons, December 3, 2000 to August 7, 2005; produced entirely in Toronto standing in for Pittsburgh[2](https://www.televisionacademy.com/features/emmy-magazine/articles/queer-as-folk-oral-history) |
| Stage award | Backstage Readers Best Performance Award for playing Abby in the West Coast premiere of Neil LaBute's *The Mercy Seat* at the Ford Theatre[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0167342/) |
| Playwriting | Wrote and performed *US*, with a world premiere and an Off-Broadway production at New York City's Lion Theatre at Theatre Row[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0167342/) |
| Film honor | Best Supporting Actress, Breckenridge Film Festival, for the independent film *Leaving Barstow*[3](https://www.callmeadam.com/blog/michelle-clunie-interview-from-acting-on-queer-as-folk-to-writing-the-play-us) |
| Early move | At 19 she sold her violin for $200 to move to Los Angeles to pursue acting[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0167342/) |
## Queer as Folk
Clunie was cast as Melanie Marcus on the American version of *[Queer as Folk](https://www.edgepedia.org/queer-as-folk-american-tv-series)*, created for Showtime by the writing team of Ron Cowen and Daniel Lipman from Russell T. Davies's 1999 British series.[2](https://www.televisionacademy.com/features/emmy-magazine/articles/queer-as-folk-oral-history) The ensemble, a mix of gay and straight actors, also included [Gale Harold](https://www.edgepedia.org/gale-harold), Hal Sparks, Scott Lowell, Peter Paige, Robert Gant, Randy Harrison, Thea Gill, and [Sharon Gless](https://www.edgepedia.org/sharon-gless).[2](https://www.televisionacademy.com/features/emmy-magazine/articles/queer-as-folk-oral-history) The series ran five seasons, from December 3, 2000, to August 7, 2005, and became Showtime's number one show by the end of its first season.[2](https://www.televisionacademy.com/features/emmy-magazine/articles/queer-as-folk-oral-history)
Melanie and her partner Lindsay Peterson, played by Thea Gill, formed what *Windy City Times* described as one half of the first really visible lesbian super-couple on television.[4](https://windycitytimes.com/2010/06/09/michelle-clunie-makes-it/) In a 2001 interview with TV Guide Online, Clunie said she was pushing for the show's female characters to have more story lines, noting that the men outnumbered the women five to two.[5](https://www.advocate.com/arts-entertainment/entertainment-news/2001/05/24/ltigtqueer-folkltigt-actress-hopes-more-lesbian) The *Boston Globe* reviewed her performance as "irresistible as 'Melanie'".[6](https://fridaythe13thfilms.com/saga/part9/michelleclunie/)
## Television and film work
Beyond *Queer as Folk*, Clunie's television credits include *E.R.*, *JAG*, *Judging Amy*, and *House M.D.*[7](https://thehumpdaycrew.blogspot.com/2009/05/michelle-clunie-melanie-from-queer-as.html) She also made guest appearances on *Without a Trace* and *House M.D.* after the series ended.[6](https://fridaythe13thfilms.com/saga/part9/michelleclunie/) In 2010 she was shooting the ABC series *Make It or Break It* in Los Angeles.[4](https://windycitytimes.com/2010/06/09/michelle-clunie-makes-it/) She later appeared in *Teen Wolf*.[3](https://www.callmeadam.com/blog/michelle-clunie-interview-from-acting-on-queer-as-folk-to-writing-the-play-us) In film, she won Best Supporting Actress at the Breckenridge Film Festival for the independent film *Leaving Barstow*.[3](https://www.callmeadam.com/blog/michelle-clunie-interview-from-acting-on-queer-as-folk-to-writing-the-play-us)
## Stage and playwriting
Clunie's stage work includes portraying Abby in [Neil LaBute](https://www.edgepedia.org/neil-labute)'s *The Mercy Seat* at the Ford Theatre in its West Coast premiere, for which she won the Backstage Readers Best Performance Award.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0167342/) She wrote and performed the play *US*, which had both a world premiere and an [Off-Broadway](https://www.edgepedia.org/off-broadway) production at New York City's Lion Theatre at Theatre Row.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0167342/) In September 2025 she starred in the Off-Broadway production of Michael Griffo's play *Pen Pals* at the DR2 Theatre in New York City, running September 3 to 14.[3](https://www.callmeadam.com/blog/michelle-clunie-interview-from-acting-on-queer-as-folk-to-writing-the-play-us)
## References
1. [Michelle Clunie, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0167342/)
2. [Queer as Folk at 25: An Oral History of Showtime's Groundbreaking Series, Television Academy](https://www.televisionacademy.com/features/emmy-magazine/articles/queer-as-folk-oral-history)
3. [Call Answered: Michelle Clunie Interview: From Acting On Queer As Folk to Writing The Play US, Call Me Adam](https://www.callmeadam.com/blog/michelle-clunie-interview-from-acting-on-queer-as-folk-to-writing-the-play-us)
4. [Michelle Clunie makes it, Windy City Times (2010)](https://windycitytimes.com/2010/06/09/michelle-clunie-makes-it/)
5. [Queer as Folk actress hopes for more lesbian story lines, The Advocate (2001)](https://www.advocate.com/arts-entertainment/entertainment-news/2001/05/24/ltigtqueer-folkltigt-actress-hopes-more-lesbian)
6. [Where Are They Now?: Michelle Clunie, Friday the 13th Films](https://fridaythe13thfilms.com/saga/part9/michelleclunie/)
7. [The Hump Day Crew: Michelle Clunie - Melanie from Queer As Folk (2009)](https://thehumpdaycrew.blogspot.com/2009/05/michelle-clunie-melanie-from-queer-as.html)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 2000s onward › Surnames Ch to Cl*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license