Julie Cooper (The O.C.)

Julie Cooper-Nichol
The O.C. character
Melinda Clarke as Julie Cooper
First appearance	"Premiere" (episode 1.01)
Last appearance	"The End's Not Near, It's Here" (episode 4.16)
Created by	Josh Schwartz
Portrayed by	Melinda Clarke
Information
Nickname(s)	Juju (by Caleb) Jules (by Jimmy and Taylor)
Aliases	Julie Cooper-Nichol (name while married to Caleb)
Gender	Female
Occupation	College graduate Former: Businesswoman Interior designer
Title	Former: CEO of the Newport Group Co-founder, NewMatch
Spouse(s)	James "Jimmy" Cooper (ex-husband; 2 children) Caleb Nichol (husband; deceased)
Significant other(s)	Francis "Frank" Atwood (ex-partner) Lance Baldwin (ex-boyfriend) Luke Ward (ex-lover) Neil Roberts (ex-fiancé) Spencer Bullit (ex-boyfriend) Gordon Bullit (ex-fiancé)
Children	Marissa Cooper (daughter, with Jimmy; deceased) Kaitlin Cooper (daughter, with Jimmy) Cooper Atwood (son, with Frank) Kirsten Cohen (stepdaughter, via Caleb) Hailey Nichol (stepdaughter, via Caleb) Lindsay Gardner (stepdaughter, via Caleb)
Relatives	Seth Cohen (step-grandson, via Caleb) Sophie Rose Cohen (step-granddaughter, via Caleb) Ryan Atwood (adoptive step-grandson) Sanford "Sandy" Cohen (son-in-law, via Kirsten) Summer Roberts (granddaughter-in-law, via Seth)
Residence	Newport Beach, California

Julie Cooper-Nichol (formerly Cooper) is a fictional character on the FOX television series The O.C., portrayed by Melinda Clarke.

Julie was born in Riverside, California, in 1970. She was raised in a trailer park but left for Newport Beach at the age of eighteen after marrying Jimmy Cooper when she became pregnant with their daughter, Marissa. Julie imagined herself living a life of wealth and privilege from a young age. She almost seems to be estranged from her parents and has a younger sister named Cindy (who appeared briefly in season one) with whom Julie has little contact.

Although Julie and Jimmy divorce at the end of season 1, she is shown to still have lingering feelings for him and admits that she did love him but had married too young. They nearly remarry but Jimmy goes on the run when a business deal falls through and he is beaten up by the other party's henchmen.

Julie Cooper-Nichol is shallow, image-obsessed and materialistic. But underneath her vapid exterior, she is shown to be manipulative and cunning, a devious woman who often uses friends, family, and associates to her advantage. She is highly driven and ambitious, and she strives for social and financial success. She is an attractive and rather promiscuous woman who often uses her beauty to exploit wealthy and influential men. When Ryan Atwood first came to live with the Cohens, she notably antagonized him when Marissa chose him over Luke Ward, likely because Ryan reminded her of own humble beginnings, of which she was embarrassed about. In the first two seasons, Julie has often been portrayed as a villainous character with a hidden agenda and ulterior motive, but throughout the third and fourth seasons, particularly after the death of her older daughter Marissa, she is shown to have mellowed, and a more kind, caring side of her is revealed. During the final season, while she is grieving over Marissa's death and coping with Kaitlin's rebellious streak, she realizes that she needs to put her family first and becomes more maternal to Kaitlin and open to her friends. In an interview, Melinda Clarke (who portrays Julie) stated that she believed Julie's character also provided much comic relief in many episodes. In the final season, the character was occasionally a comic foil to the more serious Kirsten Cohen, who is said to be only true friend.