Claire Meade

It was later learned that Claire had an affair with Calvin Hartley, the billionaire who stepped in to bail out the company after Connor Owens took off with the Meade fortune. Calvin is also Matt Hartley's father. However, their relationship would result in a son, Tyler, whom unknown to Calvin, was put up for adoption by Claire in South Dakota. After Daniel finds out about the affair and Calvin fears that having the affair would tear their families apart, Claire decided to search for her son. Claire does finally make contact with Tyler and finally meets him without letting him know that she was his birth mother. But after she leaves knowing that he had a good life, Tyler discovers a $2000 tip and an envelope that had Claire's name on it.

Claire is the late Bradford Meade's ex-wife and the mother of both Daniel and Alexis Meade. In "Sofia's Choice", Claire mentioned she and Bradford were married for 38 years (since 1969). Claire is introduced in the episode "The Lyin', the Watch and the Wardrobe", when Daniel visits her at a rehabilitation clinic recovering from alcoholism. She tells Daniel her drinking was a result of the affair her husband had with Fey Sommers. She also tells him she and Fey went to confront Bradford and force him to choose. Soon after, Fey died, and Claire was admitted into rehab. Although she knew of the affair, she was generally unaware of what Bradford was doing behind her back.

Light's performance as Claire has resulted in a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series at the 59th Primetime Emmy Awards, when Claire was a recurring regular in season one. She was updated to a primary castmember in the second season.

She was an actress, known for Daughter of Don Q (1946), The Unfaithful (1947) and Peter Gunn (1958).

Claire Meade was born on April 2, 1883 in West Orange, New Jersey, USA as Marguerite Fields.