From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Brian Patrick Clarke (born August 1, 1952) is an American actor. Clarke was born in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania and graduated from Yale University in 1974. Following his time at Yale, Clarke has appeared in numerous films and television shows over the last 30 years, including the popular comedy-drama series Eight is Enough as Merl "The Pearl", General Hospital and The Bold and The Beautiful. He has also run several marathons, including a sub three-hour marath ...