Tamara Tunie
Actor, Director, Producer
Tamara Tunie is an American film, stage and television actor, director and producer.
Tunie is best known for her starring role as Dr. Melinda Warner, in “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” and her longstanding character, Jessica Griffin, on the CBS Daytime Drama “As the World Turns,” for which she received two NAACP Image Award nominations and two Soap Opera Digest award nominations. She also has starred in the hit series “Dietland”, “Black Earth Rising, “The Red Road,” “Better Call Saul,” “Blue Bloods,” “The Good Wife,” “24”, “Billions”, and more.
Tunie has worked with some of the most respected directors in film. Her most notable film work includes “the Caveman’s Valentine” with Samuel L. Jackson, “The Devil's Advocate” with Al Pacino, and “Flight,” starring Denzel Washington.
Her Broadway performances include co-starring with Washington in Shakespeare's “Julius Caesar” and sharing the stage with Lena Horne in the musical “Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music.” Off-Broadway, she won the Obie Award for Distinguished Performance by an Actress for her role in Danai Gurira’s “Familiar” and the Berkshire Theatre Award for her role in the critically acclaimed “American Son.” In her first role as a Broadway Producer, she won a Tony Award for the musical “Spring Awakening.”
Tunie is the President of the Board of Directors of Harlem Stage/The Gate House and holds leadership roles on the boards of God's Love We Deliver, Figure Skating in Harlem.
Tunie has a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre from Carnegie Mellon University.