Tamara Tunie has a distinguished body of work that encompasses stage, television and film. Tunie stars as Anita Dupree in BEYOND THE GATES.
In film, Tamara starred as Cissy Houston, mother of the great American icon Whitney Houston, in "I Wanna Dance with Somebody," reuniting her with "Caveman's Valentine" and "Eve's Bayou" director Kasi Lemmons. Her additional film credits include Oliver Stone's "Wall Street" with Michael Douglas; Harold Becke's "City Hall" with Al Pacino; Taylor Hackford's "Devil's Advocate" with Keanu Reeves and Charlize Theron; and Robert Zemeckis' "Flight," opposite Denzel Washington, with whom she also starred on Broadway as Calpurnia in "Julius Caesar."
Tunie triumphed on the London stage last season at the Old Vic in the critically acclaimed production of Mike Bartlett's "THE 47th," in which she starred as Kamala Harris opposite Bertie Carvel's Donald Trump in a futuristic imagining of a presidential run-off between the two. Her additional award-winning stage works include the world premiere of "American Son," a searing examination of race and class in which she originated the role of Kendra Ellis-Connor; and her Obie Award-winning turn as Marvelous in Danai Gurira's "Familiar," which grapples with identity, assimilation, tradition and the clashing of ideals of an African immigrant family.
Most recently, she starred as matriarch Florence Delva in the world premiere of "Bernarda's Daughters," another contemporary play that mines the effects of gentrification, police brutality and what it means to be "American" in a Haitian-American family in Brooklyn.
On television, Tunie is a seasoned soap actress who starred as Jessica Griffin in the daytime drama "As the World Turns" for over 20 years. Her additional television credits include challenged tribal chief Marie Van Der Veen in the Sundance TV series "The Red Road" opposite Jason Momoa; as Under-Secretary of State Eunice Clayton in the BBC/Netflix international drama "Black Earth Rising," which scrutinized the West's complicity in the destabilization of Africa; and as Julia in AMC's "Dietland," which explored the underbelly of the American beauty-industrial complex.
Tunie first gained an international following in the television role of medical examiner Dr. Melinda Warner on Dick Wolf's "Law and Order: SVU." Also, she was a series regular on the Netflix cult favorite "Cowboy Bebop," and she appeared on two seasons of the Apple TV+ futuristic drama SEE as The Bank, opposite Jason Momoa and Alfre Woodard.
Tunie's television guest roles include the hit shows BLUE BLOODS, ELEMENTARY, THE GOOD WIFE for the CBS Television Network and "Almost Family," 'Emergence," "Better Call Saul," "Billions," "Alpha House," "24" and "Survivor's Remorse," among others.
Tunie is a founder of Black Theatre United. She is chair emerita of the board of directors of Figure Skating in Harlem, a non-profit organization that supports academic excellence and instills life skills to young girls in the Harlem community through the art and discipline of figure skating to ensure they are champions "off the Ice!" She serves on the board of directors at Harlem Stage/The Gatehouse and City Theatre Company in Pittsburgh; and is on the advisory board of Hearts of Gold, a not for profit that supports women and their children in New York City shelters and helps them transition out of the system. In 2005, Mayor Bloomberg awarded Tunie the Made in New York Award from the City of New York, for her support and commitment to film, television and theater.
Tunie holds a BFA in musical theatre from Carnegie-Mellon University, and now serves on the executive board of trustees.
Her birthday is March 14 and she was raised in McKeesport, Penn., near Pittsburgh, and she roots for the Steelers. Follow her on social media @msttunie.
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