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 (2000-2015, briefly later). 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 Tony Award for Best
Musical in 2007 for producing Spring Awakening,
and Obie Award for Distinguished Performance by an Actress in
2016 for Familiar. Tunie was born in McKeesport, Pennsylvania and
grew up in Homestead, the
daughter of Evelyn (née Hawkins) and James W. Tunie. She has a Bachelor of Fine
Arts degree in Musical Theatre from Carnegie Mellon University in
Pittsburgh, PA. She was a contestant in the Miss Black Teenage Pageant in
Pittsburgh in the early 1970s. Tunie made her Broadway debut alongside Lena Horne in Lena Horne: The Lady and
Her Music in 1981. In 1987, she began starring in the CBS
daytime soap opera As the World Turns playing
attorney Jessica Griffin to 1995. She returned to series in 2000 and
appeared to 2007 receiving two NAACP Image Awards nominations
for Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama Series in 2003 and
2004. Tunie also guest-starred in number of prime time dramas in 1990s,
include 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 had supporting
roles in a number of movies. She made her 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). 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. 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 seven, when she became a regular cast
member. She also played this role in Law & Order: Trial by
Jury in episode "Day" in 2005, and 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, total in 223 credited episodes. In 2002,
Tunie played Alberta Green in the first season of 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. In
2016, she won an Obie Award for
Distinguished Performance in Familiar, written by Danai Gurira. 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 there
she played the role of Eunice Clayton, US Assistant Secretary of State for
African Affairs. Her other television credits include The Good Wife, Survivor's Remorse, Better Call Saul and Almost Family. Tunie also played Gugu Mbatha-Raw's mother in the 2018 romantic comedy-drama
film Irreplaceable You.