S. Epatha Merkerson

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Emmy Awards
S. Epatha Merkerson

Birth name	Sharon Epatha Merkerson
Born	November 28, 1952 (age 54) Saginaw, Michigan, United States
Notable roles	Lt. Anita Van Buren in Law & Order Rachel "Nanny" Crosby in Lackawanna Blues

Best Actress - Miniseries or a Movie 2005 Lackawanna Blues

Sharon Epatha Merkerson (born November 28, 1952) is a Tony Award-nominated and Emmy Award-winning American actress. 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, Lieutenant Anita Van Buren (1993-present) on the long-running television crime drama Law & Order, in the 1990s. At present she has been on the show longer than any other cast member. As of the 366th episode in the 16th season, she is the first actress to appear in 300 episodes.

1 Biography
2 Awards
- 2.1 Won
- 2.2 Nominated
3 Footnotes
4 External links

[edit] Biography

[edit] Early life

Merkerson, the youngest of five children, was born in Saginaw, Michigan to 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.^[1] 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.

[edit] 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. But 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 as Best Actress for her performance as Berniece in 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 James Cameron's wife in Terminator 2: Judgment Day, 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.

[edit] 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 90's after she woke up one morning unable to breathe.

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!, 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."

[edit] Awards

[edit] Won

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)

[edit] Nominated

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)