03/13/2025
Sharon Epatha Merkerson (born November 28, 1952)She is an film, stage, and television actress. She has received numerous high-profile accolades for her work, including an Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, four NAACP Image Awards, two Obie Awards and two Tony Award nominations. She is best known for her award-winning portrayal of Lieutenant Anita Van Buren on the NBC police procedural drama series Law & Order, a role she played from 1993 to 2010.She was one of five children raised by their mother, who worked for the United States Postal Service, Merkerson grew up in what she recalled to be a majority Euro-American neighborhood in Detroit.During a segment on the January 31, 2012 episode of The WendyMerkerson graduated from Cooley High School in 1970. Merkerson made her television debut as Reba the Mail Lady on Pee-wee''''''''s Playhouse. Merkerson has also appeared on The Cosby Show, among other series.She first appeared in the NBC police procedural drama Law & Order 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.
