Recognize that face? I was watching an episode of Firefly the other day, and when I saw this actress, it drove me nuts trying to figure out where I’d seen her before. Yay for the Internet! She’s Melinda Clarke and trust me, you’ve seen her before because she’s got a ton of sci-fi and fantasy credits to her name.

Apparently Melinda Clarke saw mainstream success recently with a four season run on The O.C., but I’m proud to say I missed out on that teen angst fest. Sci-fi and horror fans are likely to have caught some of her early film roles in Return of the Living Dead III (where she was billed as Mindy Clarke) and Spawn.

Melinda Clarke has also appeared in a string of guest spots on shows like Xena: Warrior Princess, Sliders, The Pretender, Star Trek: Enterprise, Charmed, Tremors, Reaper, and as mentioned, Firefly. She is also frequently recognized from her recurring part as a dominatrix on CSI.

Melinda Clarke turned down the title role on Xena, something I’m sure she wouldn’t want to be reminded of. However, her two guest appearances on Xena: Warrior Princess were so popular they made an official action figure of her character, the Amazon Warrior Velasca.

Okay, I know the drill. You don’t care what she’s been in as long as you can see Melinda Clarke naked. Well, you’re in luck. Grab yourself a copy of Return of the Living Dead III or Return to Two Moon Junction to catch Melinda Clarke nude or check out this collection of grainy but promising screen caps of Melinda.

For more on Melinda Clarke visit:

Melinda Clarke’s IMDB profile

Melinda Clarke at AskMen.com

Wikipedia entry on Melinda Clarke

Catherine Bell is probably best known for her lengthy stint on the television series JAG, but science fiction fans will recognize her from her starring roles in the Sci-Fi Channel mini-series The Triangle and the time travel disaster flick Thrill Seekers (originally released as The Time Shifters). Catherine Bell also appeared in three episodes of the short-lived alien series Threshold, as well as Alien Nation: Body and Soul.

Like many of our previous sci-fi starlets, Catherine Bell got her start in modeling. Her first movie role was as a body double for Isabella Rossellini in Death Becomes Her. Yes, there was partial nudity involved.

Although her most recent role in the Lifetime television series Army Wives is decidedly not aimed at sci-fi fans, Catherine Bell continues to have a significant following (if Web forums are any indication.)

In 2003, a Stuff Magazine interviewer asked Catherine about her experience with Hollywood bad boys hitting on her. She responded with this particularly nasty example of an interaction with one of these “bad boys”:

I told him that I was on a diet—five ounces of protein and a cup of vegetables [per meal]. He leaned over and whispered in my ear, “I’ll give you five ounces of protein.”

Yuck. At least Stuff has the good Catherine Bell pics, like this one:

Want to see more of Catherine? Check out:

Catherine Bell’s official home page

Catherine Bell’s IMDB profile

Playboy interview with Catherine Bell

Catherine Bell on AskMen.com

It’s the weekend before income tax returns are due here in the United States, so in the interest of getting back to crunching the numbers and keeping Uncle Sam off our backs, we’re bringing you an abbreviated version of Sci-Fi Starlet Saturday.

We’re going to dispense with the usual biographical details and get straight to the pics. Luckily, Tricia Helfer of Battlestar Galactica fame is helping us out by posing for this brand new FHM UK photo spread. So enjoy these photos, and don’t forget to check out Tricia Helfer’s nude Playboy pictorial too.

Thanks to Panda39 for the magazine scans.

Monica Bellucci may have grabbed the attention of critics with her supporting role in The Passion of the Christ, but before she was Mary Magdalene, Monica Bellucci earned her sci-fi starlet street cred. The voluptuous actress starred opposite Keanu Reeves in both The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions as Persephone, wife of The Merovingian. She also provided the voice for Persephone in the video games Enter the Matrix and The Matrix Online.

Born in Italy, Monica Bellucci’s resume includes many roles in Italian films, most notably Malèna. She has had a successful modeling career since the 1980s, and became known in America with her first English language role of note as one of Dracula’s brides in Bram Stoker’s Dracula. She also starred opposite Bruce Willis in Tears of the Sun and appeared in The Brothers Grimm as the Mirror Queen.

Monica Bellucci has been recognized by numerous publications as one of the world’s most beautiful women. She has also appeared on AskMen.com, FHM and Maxim’s “Sexiest Women” lists, and in 2006 was ranked #5 on the E! network’s list of “101 Sexiest Celebrity Bodies.” In 2008, Monica Bellucci came in at #22 on AskMen.com’s list of the 99 Most Desirable Women.

Comfortable with her body, Monica Bellucci has appeared naked in film, magazines, and calendars. She has been quoted as saying, “I’m not scared by nudity, because for me, nothing is more beautiful than a body.” Try a Google Image Search for naked pics of Monica Bellucci - there are plenty out there. Here’s a safe-for-work taste:

For more on Monica Bellucci and what she’s up to these days, try these sites:

Wikipedia article on Monica Bellucci

Monica Bellucci’s IMDB profile

Monica Bellucci at Maxim.com

Monica Bellucci at AskMen.com

Charisma Carpenter may actually be hotter than she was when she played Cordelia Chase on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel. Much to the delight of rabid Buffy fans, the 37-year-old actress put in an appearance at yesterday’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer reunion at Paley Fest looking just as good as when she posed for Playboy in 2004.

Clearly Charisma Carpenter hasn’t been anywhere near the Hellmouth recently, because the former NFL cheerleader is still absolutely stunning, and shows no sign of stress from her recent financial problems and marital separation.

Not only is Charisma Carpenter looking good, but I’m going to have to say she’s still hotter than the other members of the Buffy cast, the so-called “Scooby Gang.” (Apologies, of course, to Sarah Michelle Gellar, Emma Caulfield, Michelle Trachtenberg, Amber Benson, Eliza Dushku, etc.) Here’s a reunion photo - what do you think?

(Left to right: Michelle Trachtenberg, Emma Caulfield, Amber Benson, Sarah Michelle Gellar, and Charisma Carpenter)

Charisma Carpenter was a featured actress on Sci-Fi Starlet Saturday in July 2007. If you haven’t seen it, check out that post for all the pics from the Charisma Carpenter Playboy spread.

A parting thought - am I the only one who detects a little bit of a “wardrobe malfunction” in that photo at the top?