S. Epatha Merkerson
Acting
Born: Nov 28, 1952
From: Saginaw, Michigan, USA
Credits: 30 titles
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.
Filmography
| Title | Character | Year | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eye for an Eye | May | 2025 | 5.545 |
| We Grown Now | Anita | 2024 | 6.7 |
| Desmond's Not Here Anymore | Selma | 2021 | — |
| Year by the Sea | Liz | 2016 | 8.0 |
| You Can Go | Mrs. Bryant | 2016 | 5.0 |
| The Challenger | Jada | 2015 | 5.9 |
| The Gabby Douglas Story | Miss Caroline | 2014 | 7.4 |
| Peeples | Daphne Peeples | 2013 | 5.6 |
| Lincoln | Lydia Smith | 2012 | 6.848 |
| The Six Wives of Henry Lefay | Effa | 2009 | 5.3 |
| Mother and Child | Ada | 2009 | 6.595 |
| Slipstream | Bonnie | 2007 | 4.921 |
| Girl, Positive | Ariel Winters | 2007 | 6.1 |
| Black Snake Moan | Angela | 2006 | 6.84 |
| Lackawanna Blues | Rachel 'Nanny' Crosby | 2005 | 5.917 |
| Jersey Girl | Doctor #1 | 2004 | 6.191 |
| Radio | Maggie | 2003 | 7.31 |
| Random Hearts | Nea | 1999 | 5.575 |
| An Unexpected Life | Beverly Hawkins | 1998 | 4.857 |
| Exiled | Lieutenant Anita Van Buren | 1998 | 5.909 |
| After the SIlence | Barbara | 1996 | 7.107 |
| A Mother's Prayer | Ruby | 1995 | 8.583 |
| A Place for Annie | Alice | 1994 | 6.091 |
| It's Nothing Personal | Louise Waters | 1993 | 7.0 |
| Terminator 2: Judgment Day | Tarissa Dyson | 1991 | 8.145 |
| Jacob's Ladder | Elsa | 1990 | 7.368 |
| Loose Cannons | Rachel | 1990 | 5.004 |
| Moe's World | 1990 | 9.0 | |
| She's Gotta Have It | Doctor Jamison | 1986 | 6.639 |
| Sexual Healing | Alberta Gay | — | |
| Known for | Acting |
| Credits | 30 |
| Born | 1952 |
| From | Saginaw, Michigan, USA |