Tamara Tunie

Tamara Tunie (born March 14, 1959) is an American film, stage, and television actress, director, and producer. She gained recognition for her role as attorney Jessica Griffin on the CBS soap opera As the World Turns from 1987 to 1995, and later reprised the role from 2000 to 2007. Tunie is also known for her portrayal of medical examiner Melinda Warner in the NBC police drama Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, a role she held from 2000 to 2021. Her film credits include Rising Sun (1993), The Devil's Advocate (1997), The Caveman's Valentine (2001), Flight (2012), and Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody (2022). Tunie made her Broadway debut in 1981 in Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music.