S. Epatha Merkerson

Personal Info

Known For

Acting

Known Credits

67

Gender

Female

Birthday

1952-11-28 (72 years old)

Place of Birth

Saginaw, Michigan, USA

S. Epatha Merkerson

Biography

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.

Known For

  • Law & Order

    Law & Order

  • Law & Order

    Law & Order

  • The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

    The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

  • Chicago Fire

    Chicago Fire

  • Chicago P.D.

    Chicago P.D.

  • Chicago Med

    Chicago Med

  • Law & Order: Criminal Intent

    Law & Order: Criminal Intent

  • The Good Wife

    The Good Wife

  • Frasier

    Frasier

  • The Closer

    The Closer

  • Tony Awards

    Tony Awards

  • LIVE with Kelly and Mark

    LIVE with Kelly and Mark

  • The View

    The View

  • The Cosby Show

    The Cosby Show

  • The Ellen DeGeneres Show

    The Ellen DeGeneres Show

  • Terminator 2: Judgment Day

    Terminator 2: Judgment Day

  • Poker Face

    Poker Face

  • Finding Your Roots

    Finding Your Roots

  • Radio

    Radio

  • Today

    Today

  • Law & Order: Trial by Jury

    Law & Order: Trial by Jury

  • Jacob's Ladder

    Jacob's Ladder

  • Rachael Ray

    Rachael Ray

  • Pee-wee's Playhouse

    Pee-wee's Playhouse

  • Random Hearts

    Random Hearts

  • The Gabby Douglas Story

    The Gabby Douglas Story

  • Lincoln

    Lincoln

  • Black Snake Moan

    Black Snake Moan

  • Pee-wee's Playhouse Christmas Special

    Pee-wee's Playhouse Christmas Special

  • Loose Cannons

    Loose Cannons

  • Jersey Girl

    Jersey Girl

  • Breaking Through

    Breaking Through

  • Slipstream

    Slipstream

  • A Mother's Prayer

    A Mother's Prayer

  • We Grown Now

    We Grown Now

  • Second Chances

    Second Chances

  • Navy Seals

    Navy Seals

  • An Unexpected Life

    An Unexpected Life

  • Moe's World

    Moe's World

  • The Emmy Awards

    The Emmy Awards

  • Year by the Sea

    Year by the Sea

  • Here and Now

    Here and Now

  • Blood Sugar Rising

    Blood Sugar Rising

  • Eye for an Eye

    Eye for an Eye

  • Life's Essentials with Ruby Dee

    Life's Essentials with Ruby Dee

  • The Rising Place

    The Rising Place

  • The Challenger

    The Challenger

  • A Place for Annie

    A Place for Annie

  • Girl, Positive

    Girl, Positive

  • Lackawanna Blues

    Lackawanna Blues

  • Mother and Child

    Mother and Child

  • The Best of The Tony Awards: The Plays

    The Best of The Tony Awards: The Plays

  • We Heard the Bells: The Influenza of 1918

    We Heard the Bells: The Influenza of 1918

  • Mann & Machine

    Mann & Machine

  • The Six Wives of Henry Lefay

    The Six Wives of Henry Lefay

  • Barbecue

    Barbecue

  • It's Nothing Personal

    It's Nothing Personal

  • She's Gotta Have It

    She's Gotta Have It

  • Exiled

    Exiled

  • Sexual Healing

    Sexual Healing

  • Peeples

    Peeples

  • Desmond's Not Here Anymore

    Desmond's Not Here Anymore

  • Zora Neale Hurston: Jump at the Sun

    Zora Neale Hurston: Jump at the Sun

  • After All

    After All

  • You Can Go

    You Can Go

  • The Great Work Begins: Scenes from Angels in America

    The Great Work Begins: Scenes from Angels in America

  • Paul Robeson: Here I Stand

    Paul Robeson: Here I Stand