S. Epatha Merkerson (born Sharon Epatha Merkerson; November 28, 1952) is an American actress. She has received accolades for her work, including an

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...

, a

Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally held every Janua ...

, a

Screen Actors Guild Award Screen Actors Guild Awards (also known as SAG Awards) are accolades given by the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA). The award was founded in 1995 to recognize outstanding performances in movie an ...

, four

NAACP Image Awards The NAACP Image Awards is an annual awards ceremony presented by the U.S.-based National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) to honor outstanding performances in film, television, theatre, music, and literature. The over 40 ...

, two Obie Awards, and two

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

nominations. She is known for her portrayal of

NYPD The City of New York Police Department, also referred to as New York City Police Department (NYPD), is the primary law enforcement agency within New York City. Established on May 23, 1845, the NYPD is the largest, and one of the oldest, munic ...

Lieutenant Anita Van Buren on the NBC

police procedural The police procedural, police show, or police crime drama is a subgenre of procedural drama and detective fiction that emphasises the investigative procedure of police officers, police detectives, or law enforcement agency, law enforcement agencies ...

drama series ''

Law & Order ''Law & Order'' is an American police procedural and legal drama television series created by Dick Wolf and produced by Wolf Entertainment and Universal Television, launching the ''Law & Order'' franchise. ''Law & Order'' aired its entire ...

'', a role she played from 1993 to 2010, appearing in 388 episodes of the series. She is also known for playing Reba the Mail Lady on '' Pee-wee's Playhouse'' and Sharon Goodwin in the NBC medical drama '' Chicago Med'' since the series premiered in November 2015 (and in crossover appearances on '' Chicago Fire'' and '' Chicago P.D.'').

Early life

Merkerson was born Sharon Epatha Merkerson in Saginaw, Michigan, and raised in Detroit. She is the youngest of five children raised by her mother Ann who worked for the post office. During a segment on the January 31, 2012, episode of ''

The Wendy Williams Show ''The Wendy Williams Show'' (often shortened to ''Wendy'') is an American Broadcast syndication, syndicated talk show created and hosted by Wendy Williams, and produced by Wendy Williams Productions, along with Perler Productions. The show was d ...

'', when asked about the origin of her name, Merkerson said that "Epatha" was the name of "a grade-school teacher who was influential in keeping her father in school". Merkerson graduated from Cooley High School in 1970 and earned her

Bachelor of Fine Arts A Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) is a standard undergraduate degree for students pursuing a professional education in the visual arts, Fine art, or performing arts. In some instances, it is also called a Bachelor of Visual Arts (BVA). Background ...

in theatre at

Wayne State University Wayne State University (WSU) is a public university, public research university in Detroit, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1868, Wayne State consists of 13 schools and colleges offering approximately 375 programs. It is Michigan's third-l ...

in 1976. She was made an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters by Wayne State University in May 2009.

Career

In 1978, she moved to New York City. Merkerson made her television debut as Reba the Mail Lady on '' Pee-wee's Playhouse''. Merkerson has also appeared on ''

The Cosby Show ''The Cosby Show'' is an American television sitcom created by (along with Ed. Weinberger and Michael J. Leeson) and starring Bill Cosby that originally aired on NBC from September 20, 1984, to April 30, 1992, with a total of 201 half-hour e ...

'', among other series. She first appeared in the NBC police procedural drama ''

'' in "Mushrooms" ( Season 1: Episode 17) as the grief-stricken mother of an 11-month-old boy who is shot accidentally. Her performance impressed the producers enough to select Merkerson to replace Dann Florek as detective squad chief in the series' fourth season, making her one of the few actors to secure a recurring role after an initial single appearance on the show. Merkerson's career began to rise after she assumed the lead role in the one-woman play ''

Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill ''Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill'' is a play with music featuring several of Billie Holiday's most famous songs. The play was written by Lanie Robertson and recounts some events in the life of Holiday. It premiered in 1986 at the Alliance T ...

''. That was followed by her performance as Berniece in August Wilson's

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prizes () are 23 annual awards given by Columbia University in New York City for achievements in the United States in "journalism, arts and letters". They were established in 1917 by the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made his fo ...

–winning play '' The Piano Lesson''. For that, she was nominated for a

as Best Featured Actress in a Play. Merkerson has also won 2 Obie Awards for her work in ''I'm Not Stupid'' and ''Birdie Blue'', a Helen Hayes Award for ''The Old Settler'', and a Lucille Lortel nomination for ''F**king A'' by Suzan-Lori Parks. Her screen credits include ''

Jacob's Ladder Jacob's Ladder () is a ladder or staircase leading to Heaven that was featured in a dream the Biblical Patriarch Jacob had during his flight from his brother Esau in the Book of Genesis (chapter 28). The significance of the dream has been de ...

'', '' Loose Cannons'', '' She's Gotta Have It'',

James Cameron James Francis Cameron (born August 16, 1954) is a Canadian filmmaker, who resides in New Zealand. He is a major figure in the post-New Hollywood era and often uses novel technologies with a Classical Hollywood cinema, classical filmmaking styl ...

's '' Terminator 2: Judgment Day''; and ''

Navy SEALs The United States Navy Sea, Air, and Land (SEAL) Teams, commonly known as Navy SEALs, are the United States Navy's primary special operations force and a component of the United States Naval Special Warfare Command. Among the SEALs' main funct ...

''. In 2006, she won a Golden Globe Award, an Emmy Award and a Screen Actors Guild award for her performance in the

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...

film '' Lackawanna Blues''. In 2007, she starred as Lola Delaney in the Los Angeles stage production of William Inge's '' Come Back, Little Sheba.'' In January 2008 the production opened a successful run on Broadway and earned Merkerson her second Tony nomination. On April 1, 2010, it was confirmed that after 17 seasons, Merkerson would leave ''

'' at the end of the show's twentieth season. Her departure from ''Law & Order'', which aired on May 24, 2010, was also the show's final episode. In total, Merkerson appeared on the series for 17 consecutive seasons—395 episodes—which was more than any other actor associated with the program. In 2012, Merkerson became the host of ''Find Our Missing'', a reality-reenactment series on TV One which profiles missing people of color. She performed in

Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg ( ; born December 18, 1946) is an American filmmaker. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, Spielberg is widely regarded as one of the greatest film directors of all time and is ...

's 2012 film '' Lincoln'' as Lydia Hamilton Smith, housekeeper to Tommy Lee Jones's character, Congressman

Thaddeus Stevens Thaddeus Stevens (April 4, 1792August 11, 1868) was an American politician and lawyer who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania, being one of the leaders of the Radical Republican faction of the Histo ...

. In 2014, Merkerson appeared in the Primary Stages production of ''While I Yet Live'', written by Billy Porter. In 2015, she joined the cast of NBC medical drama '' Chicago Med'' as Sharon Goodwin, Chief of Patient and Medical Services. The series was conceived and written by ''Law & Order'' creator Dick Wolf, along with Matt Olmstead,

Derek Haas Derek Haas (born June 30, 1970) is an American writer and producer. Life and career Derek Haas attended Baylor University in Waco, Texas, where he earned both his Bachelor of Arts, B.A. and Master of Arts, M.A. in English Literature. He lives ...

and Michael Brandt. 2014, Merkerson became a spokesperson for Merck America's Diabetes Challenge, to increase

Type 2 diabetes Type 2 diabetes (T2D), formerly known as adult-onset diabetes, is a form of diabetes mellitus that is characterized by high blood sugar, insulin resistance, and relative lack of insulin. Common symptoms include increased thirst, frequent ...

awareness among African Americans.

Personal life

Merkerson appeared on the television series of Henry Louis Gates' ''

Finding Your Roots ''Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr.'' is an American documentary television series hosted by Henry Louis Gates Jr. that premiered on March 25, 2012, on PBS. In each episode, celebrities are presented with a "book of life" that is com ...

'' on February 5, 2019 (Season 5, Episode 5), in which she revealed that she was a descendant of Isaac Hawkins and eight others of the 272 enslaved people who were sold in the 1838 Jesuit slave sale by Jesuit priests. These priests owned plantations on which the enslaved people tilled tobacco; proceeds from the sale were used to pay off the debts of the Jesuit-operated Georgetown College (now

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private Jesuit research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic higher education, Ca ...

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and nominations

;Awards * 1992

Obie Award The Obie Awards or Off-Broadway Theater Awards are annual awards given since 1956 by ''The Village Voice'' newspaper to theater artists and groups involved in off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway productions in New York City. Starting just after th ...

Outstanding Performance (''I'm Not Stupid'') * 1999 Helen Hayes Award Outstanding Lead Actress-Resident Play (''The Old Settler'') * 2002 Regulus Award For her dedication to lung cancer awareness and education *

2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...

for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie (''Lackawanna Blues'') * 2006 SunDeis Film Festival at Brandeis University Entertainer of the Year Award * 2006

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries (''Lackawanna Blues'') * 2006 PRISM Award Performance in a TV Movie or Miniseries (''Lackawanna Blues'') * 2006 Obie Award Outstanding Performance (''Birdie Blue'') * 2006

NAACP Image Award The NAACP Image Awards is an annual awards ceremony presented by the U.S.-based National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) to honor outstanding performances in film, television, theatre, music, and literature. The over 40 ...

Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (''Law & Order'') * 2006 NAACP Image Award Best Actress in a Made for TV Movie, Miniseries or Dramatic Special (''Lackawanna Blues'') * 2006

Gracie Allen Award The Gracie Awards are awards presented by the Alliance for Women in Media Foundation (AWM) in the United States, to celebrate and honor programming created for women, by women, and about women, as well as individuals who have made exemplary contr ...

Outstanding Female Lead – Miniseries (''Lackawanna Blues') *

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

for Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television (''Lackawanna Blues'') * 2006

Black Reel Award The Black Reel Awards, or BRAs, is an annual American awards ceremony hosted by the Foundation for the Augmentation of African Americans in film (FAAAF) to recognize excellence of African Americans, as well as the cinematic achievements of the Afr ...

Best Actress in a Made for TV Movie or Miniseries (''Lackawanna Blues'') * 2010 NAACP Image Award Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (''Law & Order'') * 2011 NAACP Image Award Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (''Law & Order'') * 2017 Honorary Degree, Doctor of Letters, University of Pittsburgh * 2013 Honorary Degree, Doctor of Letters, Montclair State University * 2012 Honorary Degree, Doctor of Letters, University of Maryland Eastern Shore * 2009 Honorary Degree, Doctor of Letters, Wayne State University ; Nominations * 1990 Helen Hayes Award Best Actress, Non-Resident Play (''The Piano Lesson'') * 1990

Drama Desk Award The Drama Desk Awards are among the most esteemed honors in New York theater, recognizing outstanding achievements across Broadway, Off-Broadway, and Off-Off-Broadway productions within the same categories. The awards are considered a signific ...

Best Actress, Lead Role-Play (''The Piano Lesson'') * 1990 Tony Nomination Best Actress, Featured Role-Play (''The Piano Lesson'') * 1997 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'') * 1999 NAACP Image Award Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series (''Law & Order'') * 2001 NAACP Image Award Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series (''Law & Order'') * 2003 Lucille Lortel Award Outstanding Lead Actress (''Fucking A'') * 2003 Drama League Award Distinguished Performance (''Fucking A'') * 2005 Satellite Award Outstanding Actress in a Miniseries or a Motion Picture Made for Television (''Lackawanna Blues'') * 2006 Vision Award Best Dramatic Performance (''ackawanna Blues'') * 2006 Lucille Lortel Award Best Actress (''Birdie Blue'') * 2006 Independent Spirit Nomination Best Female Lead (''Lackawanna Blues'') * 2006 Drama League Award Distinguished Performance (''Birdie Blue'') * 2007 NAACP Image Award Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (''Law & Order'') * 2008 NAACP Image Award Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (''Law & Order'') * 2008 NAACP Image Award Nomination Best Actress in a Made for TV Movie, Miniseries or Dramatic Special (''Girl, Positive'') * 2008 Tony Award Nomination Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play (''Come Back, Little Sheba'') * 2008 NAACP Theatre Award Best Lead Female – Equity (''Come Back, Little Sheba'')

Notes

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Merkerson, S. Epatha 1952 births 20th-century African-American actresses 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses Actresses from Detroit Best Miniseries or Television Movie Actress Golden Globe winners Living people Obie Award recipients Outstanding Performance by a Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Movie Primetime Emmy Award winners Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie Screen Actors Guild Award winners People from Saginaw, Michigan Wayne State University alumni American television actresses American film actresses 20th-century African-American women singers 20th-century American women singers 20th-century American singers American musical theatre actresses American stage actresses Eastern Michigan University alumni Indiana University Bloomington alumni Cooley High School alumni 21st-century African-American actresses