Tamara Tunie
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| Tamara Tunie | |
| Born | March 14, 1959 (age 48) McKeesport, Pennsylvania,  United States |
| Notable roles | - Jessica Griffin in As the World Turns - Melinda Warner in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit |
Tamara Tunie (born March 14, 1959 in McKeesport, Pennsylvania) is an African American actress, 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 before leaving in early 2007.
She is best 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 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.
Tunie was raised in the funeral home of her father who worked as an undertaker. She is presently married to Jazz singer Gregory Generet and lives in the historic and affluent Hamilton Heights district of Manhattan[citation needed].
