Enormously talented and passionate, Tamara Tunie has a character trait that distinguishes her from the competition: perseverance. In fact, it is the quality that makes her one of the most sought after actresses in the business. Who else would choose to star in not one -- but two -- television series simultaneously, sometimes commuting to both on the same day! Born on March 14, 1959 in McKeesport, Pennsylvania, she graduated from Carnegie Mellon University. She began her career with small roles in films like Sweet Lorraine and Wall Street, both in 1987.
Tamara Tunie became known to audiences when she portrayed the lawyer Jessica Griffin McKechnie Harris on the soap opera As the World Turns. She appeared on the show originally from 1986 to 1995, and played the character again from 1999 to 2007. She soon rose to more fame due to her involvement in detective crime dramas. She had the recurring role of Lillian Fancy on the series NYPD Blue, working for three years since 1994. She was then cast as the Medical Examiner, Dr. Melinda Warner on the hit drama series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Her character often works with Manhattan's 16th Precinct by helping its detectives find scientific evidence to support their cases. Tunie soon made an appearance on the first season of 24, and was cast as a power lesbian on HBO’s Sex and the City. One of Tunie’s most notable film roles includes narrating the film Eve’s Bayou in 1997. She was also seen on movies like The Devil’s Advocate starring Keanu Reeves, Al Pacino and Charlize Theron, and on Brian de Palma’s Snake Eyes with Nicolas Cage. Tunie also became known for producing the Tony Award-winning Broadway production Spring Awakening, and she was also nominated for a Tony for co-producing August Wilson's Radio Golf.