Tamara Tunie (born March 14, 1959) is an African American actress, perhaps best known for her work as lawyer Jessica Griffin McKechnie Harris on the soap opera As the World Turns. She played the role originally from 1986 to 1995, and again from 1999 to 2007.
Tunie is known to nighttime audiences for her roles on detective crime dramas. She played the recurring role of Lillian Fancy on NYPD Blue from 1994 to 1997, and has played medical examiner Melinda Warner on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit since 2000. She briefly appeared in the first season of 24 and played a power lesbian in an episode of Sex and The City.
She started her career with bit parts in films like Sweet Lorraine and Wall Street. Her most notable role in film was in Eve's Bayou, in which she narrated the story. Other notable film credits include The Devil's Advocate and Snake Eyes.
She has also produced the Tony Award-winning Broadway production, Spring Awakening.
She also sang "We Should Be Together For Christmas" for the A Soap Opera Christmas album.
Born in McKeesport, Pennsylvania, Tunie was raised in the funeral home of her father who worked as an undertaker. She is married to jazz singer Gregory Generet and lives in the historic and affluent Hamilton Heights district of Manhattan.
(1981) Graduated from Carnegie Mellon University in 1981
When she was portraying the character of 'Jessica Griffin' on the daytime drama "As the World Turns" (1956), one of her mentors, actress/director/drama coach Billie Allen, portrayed her character's mother 'Louise' (1994).
After five years of portraying Medical Examiner Melinda Warner on "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (1999), she was finally given main cast billing in the seventh season. (2005)
Shares a birthday with Michael Caine (I), Mercedes McNab, Kylie Tyndall, Keaton Tyndall, Quincy Jones, Chris Klein (I), & Jamie Bell (I)
Her father still operates the family business, a funeral home, in a suburb of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
In 2007, she received a Tony Award as co-producer for the musical "Spring Awakening". She was also a Tony Award nominee (Best Play) for co-producing August Wilson's Radio Golf.
