S. Epatha Merkerson
S. Epatha Merkerson (born Sharon Epatha Merkerson) is an American film, stage, and television actress. She has won a Golden Globe, Emmy Awards, a Screen Actors Guild Award, Obie Award, 4 NAACP Image Awards, and 2 Tony Award nominations. She is best known for her role as NYPD Lieutenant Anita Van Buren (1993–2010) on the long-running NBC police procedural drama series Law & Order, as well as the Law & Order TV movie Exiled. She appeared in 390 episodes of the series, more than any other cast member. She has a starring role as Sharon Goodwin on NBC's Chicago Med. She also had a recurring role as Reba (the mail carrier) on Pee-wee's Playhouse, and Ms. St. Marth on the TV series Here and Now. She has appeared in feature films including She's Gotta Have It, Loose Cannons, Jacob's Ladder, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Random Hearts, Radio, Black Snake Moan, Lincoln (2012), and Peeples. She has also appeared in TV movies including A Place for Annie, A Mother's Prayer, Breaking Through, Lackawanna Blues, and The Gabby Douglas Story.
Filmography
Eye for an Eye
as May
Eye for an Eye
as May
We Grown Now
as Anita
We Grown Now
as Anita
Desmond's Not Here Anymore
as Selma
Desmond's Not Here Anymore
as Selma
Barbecue
as Lillie Anne
Barbecue
as Lillie Anne
The Great Work Begins: Scenes from Angels in America
as Belize
The Great Work Begins: Scenes from Angels in America
as Belize
Blood Sugar Rising
as Narrator (voice)
Blood Sugar Rising
as Narrator (voice)
You Can Go
as Mrs. Bryant
You Can Go
as Mrs. Bryant
Year by the Sea
as Liz
Year by the Sea
as Liz
The Challenger
as Jada
The Challenger
as Jada
Life's Essentials with Ruby Dee
as Self
Life's Essentials with Ruby Dee
as Self
The Gabby Douglas Story
as Miss Caroline
The Gabby Douglas Story
as Miss Caroline
Peeples
as Daphne Peeples
Peeples
as Daphne Peeples
Lincoln
as Lydia Smith
Lincoln
as Lydia Smith
We Heard the Bells: The Influenza of 1918
as Narrator (voice)
We Heard the Bells: The Influenza of 1918
as Narrator (voice)
Mother and Child
as Ada
Mother and Child
as Ada
The Six Wives of Henry Lefay
as Effa
The Six Wives of Henry Lefay
as Effa
Zora Neale Hurston: Jump at the Sun
as Narrator (voice)
Zora Neale Hurston: Jump at the Sun
as Narrator (voice)
Girl, Positive
as Ariel Winters
Girl, Positive
as Ariel Winters
Slipstream
as Bonnie
Slipstream
as Bonnie
Black Snake Moan
as Angela
Black Snake Moan
as Angela
The Best of The Tony Awards: The Plays
as Berniece (segment "The Piano Lesson")
The Best of The Tony Awards: The Plays
as Berniece (segment "The Piano Lesson")
Lackawanna Blues
as Rachel 'Nanny' Crosby
Lackawanna Blues
as Rachel 'Nanny' Crosby
Jersey Girl
as Doctor #1
Jersey Girl
as Doctor #1
Radio
as Maggie
Radio
as Maggie
The Rising Place
as Lessie Watson
The Rising Place
as Lessie Watson
Random Hearts
as Nea
Random Hearts
as Nea
Paul Robeson: Here I Stand
as Eslanda Robeson (voice)
Paul Robeson: Here I Stand
as Eslanda Robeson (voice)
Exiled
as Lieutenant Anita Van Buren
Exiled
as Lieutenant Anita Van Buren
An Unexpected Life
as Beverly Hawkins
An Unexpected Life
as Beverly Hawkins
After the SIlence
as Barbara
After the SIlence
as Barbara
A Mother's Prayer
as Ruby
A Mother's Prayer
as Ruby
A Place for Annie
as Alice
A Place for Annie
as Alice
It's Nothing Personal
as Louise Waters
It's Nothing Personal
as Louise Waters
Second Chances
as Ruth Clayton
Second Chances
as Ruth Clayton
Terminator 2: Judgment Day
as Tarissa Dyson
Terminator 2: Judgment Day
as Tarissa Dyson
Jacob's Ladder
as Elsa
Jacob's Ladder
as Elsa
Navy Seals
as Jolena
Navy Seals
as Jolena
Moe's World
Moe's World
Loose Cannons
as Rachel
Loose Cannons
as Rachel
Pee-wee's Playhouse Christmas Special
as Reba
Pee-wee's Playhouse Christmas Special
as Reba
She's Gotta Have It
as Doctor Jamison
She's Gotta Have It
as Doctor Jamison
Sexual Healing
as Alberta Gay
Sexual Healing
as Alberta Gay
After All
After All