Early life

Clark was born in Berkeley, California, the daughter of Rozlyn (Masur) and Abraham Kleks. She was raised in an Orthodox Jewish family. She graduated from Susan E. Wagner High School, a public high school in the Manor Heights section of Staten Island. She graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles, in 1976 with a degree in political science, then earned a Juris Doctor degree at Southwestern University School of Law. She was admitted to the State Bar of California in 1979.

Career

Clark was a prosecutor for the State of California, County of Los Angeles, best remembered for her involvement in the O. J. Simpson murder case along with Christopher Darden. Prior to the O. J. Simpson murder trial, her highest-profile prosecution was in 1991, when she prosecuted Robert John Bardo for the murder of television star Rebecca Schaeffer. In his book Outrage: The Five Reasons Why O.J. Simpson Got Away with Murder, Vincent Bugliosi blames the acquittal of O.J. Simpson on Marcia Clark's prosecutorial incompetence.

Resigning after the O.J. Simpson case, Clark never practiced law again. With Teresa Carpenter, she authored a book, Without a Doubt, about the Simpson case, in a deal reported to be worth $4.2 million.

In the years following the Simpson trial, Clark has made numerous appearances on television including being a "special correspondent" for Entertainment Tonight, where she provided coverage of high-profile trials and reported from the red carpet at awards shows such as the Emmy Awards. She was a guest attorney on the short-lived television series Power of Attorney and was also featured on Headline News (HLN) to weigh in on the Casey Anthony trial. In July 2013, Clark provided commentary for CNN on the George Zimmerman murder trial in Florida.

In addition, Clark contributes a column for The Daily Beast, and has written four novels, Guilt By Association (2011), Guilt By Degrees (2012), Killer Ambition (2013), and The Competition (2014) published by Mulholland Books (US and UK).

In popular culture

In August 2013, Clark appeared as Attorney Sidney Barnes on Pretty Little Liars in the episode "Now You See Me, Now You Don't". Clark was also parodied on the Emmy-nominated online sitcom Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, in which she was portrayed by Tina Fey, who was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for her portrayal of Clark.

Clark is played by Sarah Paulson in the first season of American Crime Story, which focuses on the OJ Simpson trial.

Personal life

Clark was married to Gabriel Horowitz from 1976 to 1981. They had no children. Horowitz was briefly in the news after he sold topless photos of Clark to the National Enquirer during the O.J. Simpson trial.

She married her second husband, Gordon Clark, in 1981. They were divorced in 1995, and have two sons, Travis and Kyle.

Bibliography

• Without a Doubt with Teresa Carpenter (1997). New York: Viking Press. ISBN 0-670-87089-7
• Guilt By Association (2012). New York: Hachette Book Group London: Mulholland Books. ISBN 0-316-19896-X
• Guilt By Degrees (2012). New York: Hachette Book Group London: Mulholland Books. ISBN 0-316-12953-4
• Killer Ambition (2013). New York: Hachette Book Group: Mulholland Books. ISBN 978-0-316-22094-1
• The Competition (2014) published by Mulholland Books. ISBN 978-0-316-22097-2
• "Blood Defense" (2016) published by Thomas and Mercer. ISBN 9781503936195

[ Source: Wikipedia ]