Sharon Epatha Merkerson net worth is $5 Million. Also know about Sharon Epatha Merkerson bio, salary, height, age weight, relationship and more …

Sharon Epatha Merkerson Wiki Biography

Sharon Epatha Merkerson was born on the 28th November 1952, in Saginaw, Michigan USA. She is a stage, television and film actress, probably best recognized from starring in the role of Anita Van Buren in the TV drama series “Law & Order” (1993-2010), playing Rachel “Nanny” Crosby in “Lackawanna Blues” (2005), and as Ariel Winters in “Girl, Positive” (2007). She is also known for being a TV host. Her career has been active since 1986.

So, have you ever wondered how rich S. Epatha Merkerson is? It has been estimated by sources that the size of Merkerson’s net worth is over $5 million as of mid- 2016, which has been accumulated through her successful involvement in the entertainment industry not only as an actress, but also as a host. Another source is coming from her career as a teacher of drama at the City College of New York. Additional to all of these, she has also appeared in several commercials, which has also contributed to her net worth.

S. Epatha Merkerson is the youngest of five children raised by a single mother, Ann, who worked in the post office, as her father left them in 1957. She went to Cooley High School, and right after matriculation in 1970, she enrolled at Wayne State University in Detroit, from which she graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. Later, in 2009, she was rewarded with an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Wayne State University.

Speaking about her acting career, upon graduation from the college, she moved to Albany, New York, where she started her acting career initially on the stage, joining a children’s theater company, and began appearing in off-Broadway productions.

Subsequently, she made her debut television appearance in 1986, with the role as Reba the Mail Lady in a TV show entitled “Pee-Wee’s Playhouse” (1986-1989). With this role her net worth was established, and her popularity began to grow. During the 1980s, she had several more appearances, such as those in “She’s Gotta Have It” (1986), and “Christmas At Pee-Wee’s Playhouse” (1988).

Merkerson continued successfully into the 1990s, securing several notable roles, including as Anita Van Buren in the TV drama series “Law & Order” (1991-2010), appearing in more than 300 episodes, which certainly increased her net worth considerably, but also this role celebrated her as an actress. During the 1990s, she had several more roles in the films and series such as “Terminator 2: Judgment Day” (1991), with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Linda Hamilton in lead roles, “Mann & Machine” (1992), “Here And Now” (1992-1993), “A Place For Annie” (1994), and “Random Hearts” (1999). All of there appearances contributed steadily to her net worth.

Although the role of Anita became the main source of her net worth, she still searched for new roles, and as a result she appeared in films “The Rising Place” (2001), Radio” (2003), “Lackawanna Blues” (2005), “Black Snake Moan” (2006), “Splitstream” (2007), and “Mother And Child” (2009), among others, which also added to her net worth.

After “Law & Order” ended, she continued to feature in TV series and films, such as “Peeples” (2013), “The Challenger” (2015), and most recently “Chicago Fire” (2015), “Chicago Med” (2015-2016) and “Chicago PD. Epatha will also appear in the film “Sexual Healling”, which is set to be released in late 2016.

Thanks to her skills, she received several prestigious awards, including the Golden Globe award in the category Best Performance by an Actress in a Miniseries or a Motion Picture Made for Television for her work on “Lackawanna Blues”, and she also won the Primetime Emmy in the category Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie for the same film. Furthermore, she received two Image Awards in the category Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her work on “Law & Order”, among many others.

Apart from her acting career, she is also recognized for being the host of a reality TV show named “Find Our Missing” in 2012, which also increased her overall net worth.

Speaking about her personal life, S. Epatha Merkerson was married to Toussaint L. Jones, Jr. from March 1994 to February of 2006. Currently she is single and resides in the Washington Heights section of New York City. She is also known for being an outspoken advocate against smoking.

IMDB Wikipedia “Christmas At “Law & Order” (1993-2010) “Pee-Wee’s Playhouse” (1986-1989) “She’s Gotta Have It” (1986) “Splitstream” (2007) “The Rising Place” (2001) $5 million 1952-11-28 5′ 6″ (1.68 m) Actress American Arnold Schwarzenegger Barrie Merkerson Black Snake Moan (2006) Cooley High School Director Girl Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress (2006) Helen Hayes Awards Jr. Lackawanna Blues (2005) Law & Order (1990) Linda Hamilton Michigan Mother and Child (2009) NAACP Image Awards November 28 Obie Award Pee-Wee’s Playhouse” (1988) 1952 Positive (2007) Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress (2005) producer Radio (2003) S. Epatha Merkerson Net Worth Saginaw Sagittarius Screen Actors Guild Award Sharon Epatha Merkerson Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) Toussaint Louverture Jones United States Wayne State University Wayne State University in Detroit

Sharon Epatha Merkerson Quick Info

Sharon Epatha Merkerson Quotes

• On playing Lola in “Come Back Little Sheba”: I’m usually typecast as strong, authoritative, so to find that kind of vulnerability is a real challenge. But Lola is not so far from me, either. I was married, and I understand how to be lonely in a marriage. I believe she’s in menopause. And that alone, hormonally, can send a woman into a tailspin. Add in her alcoholic husband, and (you’ve got) a decent person who’s just, um … stuck. In the past. But she’s muuuch stronger than she thinks.
• My dad said he had a teacher named Epatha who was influential in keeping him in school. But my mother said it was an old girlfriend of his. So that’s why she stuck in the Sharon Epatha. That’s what the “S” stands for. Everyone knows now because some numbskull I went to high school with decided to put it on the Internet.

Sharon Epatha Merkerson Important Facts

• She was nominated for a 2007-2008 Outer Critics Circle Award for Actress in a Play for “Come Back, Little Sheba,” was performed in a Manhattan Theatre Club presentation of a Center Theatre Group production on Broadway in New York City.
• She was nominated for a 2008 Antoinette Perry (Tony) Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play for “Come Back, Little Sheba,” was performed in a Manhattan Theatre Club presentation of a Center Theatre Group production on Broadway in New York City.
• She was nominated for a 2007 Drama League Award for Distinguished Performance Award for “Come Back, Little Sheba,” was performed in a Manhattan Theatre Club presentation of a Center Theatre Group production on Broadway in New York City.
• She was nominated for a 1990 Antoinette Perry (Tony) Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for “The Piano Lesson” on Broadway in New York City.
• Appeared in a commercial for Coricidin. [2009]
• Playing “Lola Delaney” in “Come Back Little Sheba” by William Inge at the Biltmore Theatre on Broadway for a limited run. [January 2008]
• Performing the lead role in “Birdie Bues” in New York City. [July 2005]
• She appeared in 391 episodes of Law & Order (1990), more than anyone else. Consequently, Lt. Anita Van Buren is the most prolific female character in the history of US primetime television.
• She has played the same character (Lt. Anita Van Buren) in three different television series: Law & Order (1990), Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2001) and Law & Order: Trial by Jury (2005).
• Was nominated for Broadway’s 2008 Tony Award for Best Performance By a Leading Actress in a Play for “Come Back, Little Sheba”.
• Nominated for the 2008 NAACP Theatre Award (Best Lead Female) for her performance as Lola in a revival of “Come Back, Little Sheba.” The other three nominees, Jeannette Bayardelle, Felicia Fields and Michelle Williams, were all nominated for the work in “The Color Purple”.
• Nominated for the 2008 Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Actress in a Play for her performance in “Come Back, Little Sheba”.
• Nominated for the Drama League’s Distinguished Performance Award for her work in “Fucking A” (2003), “Birdie Blue” (2006) and “Come Back, Little Sheba” (2008).
• As Lt. Anita Van Buren, Merkerson has done over 300 episodes and is the longest-running African-American character on television. Male or female.
• When walking the streets of New York she is frequently approached by members of the NYPD, who jokingly ask how they can be transferred to her precinct.
• Along with Jerry Orbach and Annie Parisse, Diane Neal, Milena Govich, and Jeremy Sisto one of at least 6 Law & Order (1990) cast members to play a different character in an episode before joining the cast in a later season. (Michael Imperioli also played multiple roles, but was not a permanent addition to the cast as Det. Falco.).
• Won her second Village Voice Obie Award in 2006 for her work in “Birdie Blue.”
• In April 2006, co-star Jesse L. Martin presented Merkerson with the Entertainer of the Year Award at the SunDeis Film Festival at Brandeis Universty.
• Is the youngest of five children.
• Her parents are originally from the South, and came to Michigan (Merkerson’s birthplace) in search of work.
• Her favorite Law & Order (1990) episode is the first season show “Mushrooms,” in which she plays Denise Winters, a woman whose son is mistakenly killed by a boy who, unable to read, fires shots into the wrong apartment.
• Owes much of her success to casting director Meg Simon.
• Her sister is a lung-cancer survivor.
• Works with Justice Works Community, a group “advocating for humane policies towards women in prison, especially those with children.”
• Before studying Acting, she majored in Dance at Wayne State University.
• Smoked for twenty years before quitting.
• On a June 11, 2005, episode of the NPR show “Wait wait… Don’t tell me!” she claimed that her first name was not Sharon, but rather was “Sweet.” This may well have been a jest, but she repeatedly stuck with it.
• Her Law & Order (1990) character, Lt. Anita Van Buren, whom she has played since 1993, is the longest running African American character in an American television drama.
• Has been nominated twice for the Helen Hayes Award, first in 1990 for “The Piano Lesson” (Outstanding Lead Actress-Nonresident Production) and in 1999 for “The Old Settler” (Outstanding Lead Actress-Resident Play), for which she won the award.
• In 2002, she received the Regulus Award from the Cancer Care organization for her dedication to lung-cancer awareness and education. The award was presented by her Law & Order (1990) co-star, Jesse L. Martin.
• Was nominated for Broadway’s 1990 Tony Award as Best Actress (Featured Role – Play) for August Wilson’s “The Piano Lesson.”
• With Jerry Orbach’s departure from Law & Order (1990) in 2004 after playing the role of Detective Lennie Briscoe for twelve years, she is now the longest-running cast member. She joined the series as Lt. Anita Van Buren in 1993 at the beginning of the show’s fourth season.
• She wears a wig on Law & Order (1990) to cover up her “twist-locs”, which have since been cut off and replaced by short-length hair.

Sharon Epatha Merkerson Filmography

Sharon Epatha Merkerson Awards