Star who was on Knots Landing and The X-Files makes rare sighting at age 70, who is she?

A prolific 1980s TV star and former model was spotted on a rare outing in Los Angeles this week.

The now-70-year-old actress first rose to prominence in the 1980s on a hit NBC action-adventure series, where she played a journalist.

But after less than two seasons, the Illinois-born star was shockingly axed from the show.

She had voiced dissatisfaction with her character's overall direction and there was alleged behind-the-scenes tension with a top co-star.

In the years that followed, the brunette beauty nabbed roles in iconic TV shows like The X-Files, Family Ties, Star Trek: The Next Generation and Fantasy Island.

Can you guess who the mystery star is?

It is Melinda Culea, who is known for portraying the character of Amy Amanda 'Triple A' Adams on NBC's The A-Team. 

Culea was spotted on Sunday afternoon taking a phone call in sunny Los Angeles.

The actress looked stylish yet casual in skinny black plants and a yellow hooded sweatshirt over a plain black T-shirt.

She layered up with a yellow knit scarf and pounded the pavement in black sneakers.

Instead of her signature brunette hair, Culea is now rocking a chic grey pixie cut.

The star had sunglasses on and AirPods in her ears during her solo stroll through LA.  

Culea's hit show The A-Team aired for a total of five seasons on NBC from 1983 through 1987. 

Along with Culea, George Peppard, Dwight Schultz, Dirk Benedict and Mr. T (Laurence Tureaud) were also cast in leading roles in the show.

The premise followed: 'Four Vietnam vets, framed for a crime they didn't commit, help the innocent while on the run from the military,' per an IMDB synopsis.

Culea took on the role of a newspaper reporter named Amy who was introduced in the first season. However, the character was written off in the midst of season two.

Before the actress had quietly been written off, Culea had taken part in interviews during her time on The A-Team.

While talking to NBC's Bobbie Wygant in 1983, the star explained that she felt like the 'surrogate member' of the team.

Culea said of her character at the time: 'I'm working very hard at fitting in with the guys.

'Although I'm a newspaper journalist and I get to write articles about things that I care about and political viewpoints, these guys really get it done. They go out and they really and truly save people.'

And during a separate interview with The Sheboygan Press that same year, Culea shared that she believed her character would have a larger role in the future of the series, per Me TV.

'Now that we're established, we've talked about my character and where she's going, and I have faith in the writers.'

Culea continued, 'It's a natural progression, and two things I've learned from it are humility and patience.'

Producer Stephen J. Cannell told The Philadelphia Inquirer of Culea's exit from the show: 'It didn't work out the way we or she intended.'

'There were misunderstandings regarding the size of her role and the sorts of things her character would be doing.'

After leaving The A-Team, Melinda went on to star in other shows over the years such as Glitter (1984-1985), Knots Landing (1989-1990) and Brotherly Love (1995-1997).

She also took on smaller roles in episodes for a number of different series including Murder, She Wrote, The X-Files, Family Ties, Beverly Hills, 90210, Fantasy Island and St. Elsewhere.

Culea additionally appeared in a variety of movies such as Through The Eyes Of A Killer (1992) and Wagons East (1994).

Her last acting credit was a movie titled Dying On The Edge in 2001 which also starred John Heard and Jasmine Guy.

However, she has since pursued other endeavors such as creating artwork - which she has showcased on occasion on her main Instagram page.

In 2016, the star also wrote an illustrated mystery novel titled Wondago which was released under Griffith Moon Publishing.

Melinda tied the knot with husband Peter Markle in 1996. Markle is known for directing episodes of hit shows such as The X-Files and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation

Before her acting career kicked off in the early 80s, Culea had previously worked as a model.