S. Epatha Merkerson

Infobox actor
name = S. Epatha Merkerson


imagesize = 220px
caption = S. Epatha Merkerson as "Anita Van Buren" on "Law & Order"
birthname = Sharon Epatha Merkerson
birthdate = birth date and age|1952|11|28
birthplace = Saginaw, Michigan, USA
emmyawards = Best Actress - Miniseries or a Movie
2005 "Lackawanna Blues"
sagawards = Best Actress - Miniseries/TV Movie
2005 "Lackawanna Blues"
goldenglobeawards =
2006 "Lackawanna Blues"

S. Epatha Merkerson (born Sharon Epatha Merkerson on November 28, 1952) is an American Golden Globe-, Screen Actors Guild- and Emmy Award-winning actress. She has also received two Tony Award nominations. She is known for her roles as Reba the Mail Lady on "Pee Wee's Playhouse" in the 1980s, and as the no-nonsense supervisor, Lt. Anita Van Buren (1993-present) on the long-running television crime drama "Law & Order". She has appeared on the show longer than any other cast member and on May 14th 2008, she appeared in her 345th episode of Law & Order, surpassing Michele Lee's record of 344 episodes (for "Knots Landing").

Biography

Early life

Merkerson, the youngest of five children, was born in Saginaw, Michigan, the daughter of Ann Merkerson, who at the time was the only female in the vehicles operation unit at the Detroit Post Office. Her father worked in a factory. [ [http://www.filmreference.com/film/13/S-Epatha-Merkerson.html S. Epatha Merkerson Biography (1952-) ] ] Stated in interview on "Inside the Actors Studio"] [ [http://www.biography.com/search/article.do?id=9542262 S. Epatha Merkerson Biography - Biography.com ] ] Merkerson's parents separated in 1957. Merkerson graduated from Cooley High School in 1970. She earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree from Wayne State University and began her New York theater career in 1978.

She has said she preferred the name "Epatha" to "Sharon", and so legally changed her first name to "S." [ [http://www.wnyc.org/shows/lopate/episodes/2008/02/22 "S. Epatha Merkerson in 'Come Back, Little Sheba'"] . "The Leonard Lopate Show", 2008-02-22. WNYC, New York. Elapsed time approx. 15:50. Retrieved 2008-02-23.]

Career

Merkerson made her television debut as Reba the Mail Lady on "Pee Wee's Playhouse", and has appeared on "The Cosby Show", among other series. Her single most important television appearance may have been in the first-season "Law and Order" episode "Mushrooms", in which she portrayed the grief-stricken mother of an 11-month-old boy who is shot accidentally. Her performance was not only memorable to the audience during that key first season, but also impressed the producers enough to select Merkerson to replace Dann Florek as detective squad chief in the series' fourth season.

Merkerson was nominated for a Tony Award as Best Featured Actress in a Play for her performance as Berniece in August Wilson's Pulitzer Prize-winning play, "The Piano Lesson" and won an Obie Award in 1992 for her work in "I'm Not Stupid". Her screen credits include "Jacob's Ladder", "Loose Cannons", "She's Gotta Have It" and in James Cameron's "", in which she played the terrified wife of Joe Morton. In 2006, she won Golden Globe, Emmy and Screen Actors Guild awards for her performance in the television movie "Lackawanna Blues", her first starring role. In 2007, she starred on stage in Los Angeles in William Inge's "Come Back, Little Sheba" at the Kirk Douglas Theatre in the role made famous by Shirley Booth, and in January 2008 opened on Broadway in the production. For the revival of "Come Back, Little Sheba", Merkerson earned her second Tony nomination.

Personal life

Merkerson is an outspoken advocate against smoking and for lung cancer research and awareness. When she guest-hosted on "The View" on March 2, 2007, she discussed her 23-year addiction to smoking, which ended in the early '90s after she woke up one morning unable to breathe. Until May 2007, she sat on the Board of Directors of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.

Merkerson is often reticent about revealing what her first name really is — Sharon. On the June 11, 2005 episode of NPR's "Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!" [ [http://www.npr.org/programs/waitwait/archrndwn/2005/jun/050611.waitwait.html Wait Wait - June 11, 2005 ] ] , she jokingly claimed that the initial "S," "stands for 'Sweet' [because] so many people have difficulty with Epatha, which is what I prefer to be called." She lives in Harlem, New York City.

For her role as Van Buren on "Law & Order", she actually wears a wig. Her real hair is made up in short dreadlocks. Merkerson decided to wear a wig for the role to look more "professional".

In November 2007, Merkerson appeared in a TV commercial for Coricidin HBP.

Relationships:Toussaint L. Jones - Ex-husband

College:Wayne State University, Detroit, MI (BFA in Theatre, 1976)

Awards and nominations

;Awards
* 2006 Black Reel Award Best Actress in a Made for TV Movie or Miniseries (Lackawanna Blues)
* 2006 Golden Globe Award Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television (Lackawanna Blues)
* 2006 Gracie Allen Award Outstanding Female Lead - Miniseries (Lackawanna Blues)
* 2006 NAACP Image Award Best Actress in a Made for TV Movie, Miniseries or Dramatic Special (Lackawanna Blues)
* 2006 NAACP Image Award Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (Law & Order)
* 2006 Obie Award Outstanding Performance (Birdie Blue)
* 2006 PRISM Award Performance in a TV-Movie or Miniseries (Lackawanna Blues)
* 2006 Screen Actors Guild Award Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries (Lackawanna Blues)
* 2006 SunDeis Film Festival at Brandeis University Entertainer of the Year Award
* 2005 Emmy Award Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie (Lackawanna Blues)
* 2002 Regulus Award For her dedication to lung cancer awareness and education
* 1999 Helen Hayes Award Outstanding Lead Actress-Resident Play (The Old Settler)
* 1992 Obie Award Outstanding Performance (I'm Not Stupid)

;Nominations
* 2008 Tony Award Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play (Come Back, Little Sheba)
* 2008 NAACP Image Award Best Actress in a Made for TV Movie, Miniseries or Dramatic Special (Girl, Positive)
* 2008 NAACP Image Award Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (Law & Order)
* 2007 NAACP Image Award Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (Law & Order)
* 2006 Drama League Award Distinguished Performance (Birdie Blue)
* 2006 Independent Spirit Award Best Female Lead (Lackawanna Blues)
* 2006 Lucille Lortel Award Best Actress (Birdie Blue)
* 2006 Vision Award Best Dramatic Performance (Lackawanna Blues)
* 2005 Satellite Award Outstanding Actress in a Miniseries or a Motion Picture Made for Television (Lackawanna Blues)
* 2003 Drama League Award Distinguished Performance (Fucking A)
* 2003 Lucille Lortel Award Outstanding Lead Actress (Fucking A)
* 2001 NAACP Image Award Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series (Law & Order)
* 1999 NAACP Image Award Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series (Law & Order)
* 1998 NAACP Image Award Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series (Law & Order)
* 1997 NAACP Image Award Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series (Law & Order)
* 1990 Tony Award Best Actress, Featured Role-Play (The Piano Lesson)
* 1990 Drama Desk Award Best Actress, Lead Role-Play (The Piano Lesson)
* 1990 Helen Hayes Award Best Actress, Non-Resident Play (The Piano Lesson)

References

External links

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