Tamara Tunie

Tamara Tunie (born March 14, 1959) is an American film, stage, and television actress, director, and producer. She is best known for her roles as attorney Jessica Griffin on the CBS soap opera As the World Turns (1987-1995, 2000-2007, 2009) and as medical examiner Melinda Warner in the NBC police drama Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (2000-2019, briefly later).

Tamara Tunie
Tunie in 2014
Born (1959-03-14) March 14, 1959
Other namesTamara Tunie Boquett
EducationCarnegie Mellon University (BFA)
OccupationActress, producer, director
Years active1981–present
Spouse(s)
    Greg Bouquett
    (m. 1988; div. 1991)
      Gregory Generet
      (m. 1995; div. 2018)

      Tunie has appeared in a number of movies, including Wall Street (1987), Rising Sun (1993), The Devil's Advocate (1997), and Flight (2012). She received Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female nomination for her performance in the 2001 drama film The Caveman's Valentine. In 2010, she made her directing debut with romantic comedy film See You in September. Tunie also received the Tony Award for Best Musical in 2007 for producing Spring Awakening and Obie Award for Distinguished Performance by an Actress in 2016 for Familiar.

      Early life

      Tunie was born in McKeesport, Pennsylvania, and grew up in Homestead,[1] the daughter of Evelyn (née Hawkins) and James W. Tunie. She has a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.[2][3] She was a contestant in the Miss Black Teenage Pageant in Pittsburgh in the early 1970s.[4]

      Career

      Tunie made her Broadway debut alongside Lena Horne in Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music in 1981. From 1987 to 1995, she starred in the CBS daytime soap opera As the World Turns playing attorney Jessica Griffin.[5] She reprised the role from 2000 to 2007, receiving NAACP Image Awards nominations for Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama Series in 2003 and 2004. In the 1990s. Tunie guest-starred in primetime dramas including Swift Justice, Law & Order, Chicago Hope, New York Undercover, and Sex and the City. She also had a recurring role as Lillian Fancy in the ABC police drama NYPD Blue from 1994 to 1997.

      Tunie has had supporting roles in a number of movies. She made her film debut in Sweet Lorraine opposite Maureen Stapleton and later appeared in Wall Street (1987). Tunie worked twice with Al Pacino; she portrayed his press secretary in the film City Hall (1996) and the possessed wife of a partner in his law firm in the film The Devil's Advocate (1997).[6] Her other credits include Bloodhounds of Broadway (1989), Rising Sun (1993), Eve's Bayou (1997), The Peacemaker (1997), and Snake Eyes (1998). In 2001, she received a nomination for the Independent Spirit Awards for her role in film The Caveman's Valentine, based on George Dawes Green's eponymous novel, opposite Samuel L. Jackson.[7]

      In 2000, Tunie joined the cast of NBC police procedural series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit as medical examiner Melinda Warner. She made her debut as Warner in the second-season episode titled "Noncompliance" and continued to make recurring appearances until Season 7, when she became a regular cast member. She also played this role in Law & Order: Trial by Jury in episode "Day" in 2005, and in the Chicago Fire episode "We Called Her Jellybean" in 2015. Tunie was regular in SVU from Season 7 to 12 and later made recurring appearances to Season 17. She later appeared in episodes in 2018 and 2019, totaling 223 credited episodes.

      In 2002, Tunie played Alberta Green in the first season of the Fox thriller series 24. In 2010, she made her directing debut with romantic comedy film See You in September. In 2012, she returned to film, playing Margaret Thomason in the Robert Zemeckis-directed drama Flight starring Denzel Washington. From 2014 to 2015, she was regular cast member in the Sundance TV drama series The Red Road.

      Tunie won a Tony Award in 2007 for the production of the Broadway musical Spring Awakening; she has also won a Drama Desk Award.[8][9] In 2016, she won an Obie Award for Distinguished Performance in Familiar, written by Danai Gurira.[10]

      From 2016 to 2018, Tunie had a recurring role as Monica Graham in the CBS police drama series Blue Bloods. In 2018, she was regular cast member in two series, ABC comedy-drama Dietland and BBC Two/Netflix co-produced drama Black Earth Rising. In the latter she played Eunice Clayton, US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs.[11] Her other television credits include The Good Wife, Survivor's Remorse, Better Call Saul, and Almost Family.[12] Tunie also played Gugu Mbatha-Raw's mother in the 2018 romantic comedy-drama film Irreplaceable You.[13]

      Personal life

      Tunie was married to Greg Bouquett from 1988 to 1991. From 1995 to 2018, she was married to jazz musician Gregory Generet. They separated in 2015.[14]

      Filmography

      Film

      Year Title Role Notes
      1987 Sweet Lorraine Julie
      1987 Wall Street Carolyn
      1989 Bloodhounds of Broadway Cynthia Harris
      1993 Rising Sun Lauren Smith
      1996 City Hall Leslie Christos
      1996 Rescuing Desire Van
      1996 Quentin Carr Detective Short film
      1997 Spirit Lost Anne
      1997 Eve's Bayou Narrator (voice)
      1997 The Peacemaker Jody
      1997 The Devil's Advocate Mrs. Jackie Heath
      1998 Snake Eyes Anthea
      2001 The Caveman's Valentine Sheila Ledbetter
      2007 AfterLife Nicole Short film
      2012 Missed Connections Felicity Gray
      2012 Flight Margaret Thomason
      2014 The Power of Our Presence Narrator (voice) Short film
      2014 Fall to Rise Annika
      2016 Bad Vegan and the Teleportation Machine Josephine Bodder
      2018 Irreplaceable You Jane

      Television

      Year Title Role Notes
      1986 Spenser: For Hire Nina Episode: "Shadowsight"
      1987–1995;
      2000–2009
      As the World Turns Jessica Griffin Contract role
      1993 Tribeca Pretoria "Tori" Thomas Episodes: "The Box", "Honor", "The Rainmaker"
      1994–1997 NYPD Blue Lillian Fancy Recurring role
      1995 seaQuest DSV Laura Episode: "The Siamese Dream"
      1995 New York Undercover Janice Episode: "Bad Girls"
      1996 Swift Justice Jessie McKenna Episode: "Bad Medicine"
      1996 Law & Order Caroline Bennett Episode: "Deadbeat"
      1996 Rebound: The Legend of Earl "The Goat" Manigault Miss Marcus Television film
      1997 Feds Martha Kershan Episode: "Missing Pieces"
      1997 Chicago Hope Lennie Gaghan Episode: "Leggo My Ego"
      1998 New York Undercover Lana Brooks Episode: "Sign o' the Times"
      1999 Sex and the City Eileen Episode: "The Cheating Curve" (Season 2 Episode 6)
      2000–2019 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Dr. Melinda Warner Recurring (Seasons 2–6, 13–17, 19 and 21)
      Main (Seasons 7–12)
      171 episodes
      2002 24 Alberta Green Recurring role (Season 1)
      2003 Nefertiti Resurrected Narrator Television documentary
      2005 Law & Order: Trial by Jury Dr. Melinda Warner Episode: "Day"
      2011 Days of Our Lives Judge Weston 2 episodes
      2013 The Good Wife Serafina Norvy Episode: "Boom De Yah Da"
      2013 Golden Boy Mrs. Nevel Episode: "Scapegoat"
      2014 Alpha House Eve Bettencourt / Eve Simone-Lewis 2 episodes
      2014–2015 The Red Road Marie Van Der Veen Main role
      2015 Captain Blackout Jessica Winters Television film
      2015 Chicago Fire Dr. Melinda Warner Episode: "We Called Her Jellybean"
      2015 Zoo Brenda Montgomery Episode: "First Blood"
      2015 Survivor's Remorse D.A. Sandra Knowles Episode: "A Time to Punch"
      2016 Elementary Lily Cooper Episode: "Alma Matters"
      2016 Billions Amelia Episode: "YumTime"
      2016–2018 Blue Bloods Monica Graham Recurring role
      2017 Better Call Saul Anita 3 episodes
      2018 Dietland Julia Smith Main cast
      2018 Black Earth Rising Assistant Secretary Eunice Clayton Main cast
      2019-2020 Almost Family Genevieve Palmer Recurring role

      As a director

      Year Title Notes
      2010 See you in September Director, producer

      Awards and nominations

      Year Association Category Nominated work Result
      1995 Soap Opera Digest Awards Outstanding Supporting Actress As the World Turns Nominated
      2002 Independent Spirit Awards Best Supporting Female The Caveman's Valentine Nominated
      2003 Soap Opera Digest Awards Outstanding Supporting Actress As the World Turns Nominated
      2003 NAACP Image Award Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama Series Nominated
      2004 Nominated
      2012 SLFCA Award Special Merit Flight Nominated
      2013 Black Reel Awards Best Supporting Actress Nominated
      2016 Obie Awards Distinguished Performance Familiar Won

      References

      1. Varley, Teresa (2009). "Talking Steelers Football with Tamara Tunie". Steelers Digest. 22 (15): 25.
      2. Maderer, Jason (May 28, 2020). "Tamara Tunie Elected to Board of Trustees". Carnegie Mellon University School of Drama. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
      3. "Tamara Tunie Biography (1959-)". Film Reference.
      4. "Tamara Tunie Biography". TVGuide.
      5. "About the Actors | Tamara Tunie | As The World Turns". soapcentral.com.
      6. "Tamara Tunie - Biography". tamaratunie.com. 2012-02-13. Archived from the original on 2012-02-13.
      7. "Awards for Tamara Tunie". IMDb.
      8. "Tamara Tunie: Biography". TV Guide.
      9. "Tamara Tunie Awards". IMDb. June 2018.
      10. "2016 Winners". Obie Awards.
      11. White, Peter (April 30, 2018). "John Goodman & Michaela Coel To Star In Netflix & BBC Drama 'Black Earth Rising'". Deadline.
      12. Wilson, Lori (September 24, 2019). "Brittany Snow, Tamara Tunie's Controversial Series 'Almost Family'". Soaps.com.
      13. O'Malley, Sheila (February 16, 2018). "Irreplaceable You movie review (2018)". www.rogerebert.com.
      14. Finn, Natalie (February 3, 2015). "Law & Order: SVU's Tamara Tunie Separates From Husband Gregory Generet After 20 Years of Marriage". E! News.
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