When Tamara Tunie signed on as the matriarch of CBS’s upcoming soap opera Beyond the Gates, there was a celebration and a sigh of relief from TV fans. This is because she’s a known and respected name in daytime and primetime. Her stellar reputation comes from her years playing attorney Jessica Griffin on the late great soap opera As the World Turns. Then there’s her 20-plus years of primetime success starring as Dr. Melinda Warner on Law & Order: SVU. Tunie is a multitalented performer who can pretty much do anything—television, film, theater, in front of the camera, and behind the scenes.
The Early Days
The Pittsburgh native graduated from Carnegie-Mellon University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre. Her alma mater presented her with an Alumni Achievement Award in 2022. “As a student, I had only hoped that I would be able to support myself as an actor, to provide a comfortable lifestyle and be able to act. That’s all I wanted to do,” Tunie revealed in 2020.
“All the rest is just icing on the cake. And I’ve been blessed to have icing, sprinkles, and roses on my cake.”
READ THIS: Beyond the Gates announces its first three roles cast.
The Debuts
After graduating from CMU, Tunie immediately put her musical theatre skills to good use. In 1981, she made her Broadway debut alongside the legendary entertainer Lena Horne in Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music.
In 1986, she made her television debut on Spenser: For Hire, a drama starring Robert Urich. The series focused on a Boston private eye who solved murders. The next year, the actress appeared in her first film, Sweet Lorraine, which starred Maureen Stapleton from All in the Family, Giancarlo Esposito from Better Call Saul, and Edie Falco from The Sopranos.
READ THIS: Here’s what you need to know about BTG’s Karla Mosley.
Tunie’s daytime debut on As the World Turns happened on March 30, 1990. She would go on to play the fierce, hard-working attorney Jessica Griffin for 1,221 episodes. Meanwhile, her first Law & Order: SVU appearance was in season two, episode six, in an episode called “Noncompliance.”
The Harlem resident chose to produce and direct her very first feature film, See You In September, in New York City. The movie tells the story of a woman who formed a support group for abandoned patients when all their therapists left on vacation in August.
Her Happy Place
Tunie is all about live performances. In fact, she once said that it was her happy place. She has hit the stage to appear in everything from Shakespeare’s classics to massive musicals. She’s worked with Denzel Washington in a movie called Flight and on Broadway in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar.
Her theater credits also include August Wilson’s Fences and playing Maggie in a production of Tennessee Williams’ Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. But did you know that she won a Tony Award in 2007? She was a producer on the team responsible for the Broadway hit musical Spring Awakening.
READ THIS: BTG reveals more about families and setting details.
A Return to Daytime
The Red Road actress is now returning to daytime television. She plays the matriarch of the Duprees, the family at the heart of BTG. Anita Dupree was a famous singer, so hopefully, Tunie will grace us with a performance or more as the series unfolds.
Anita worked hard for her success and raised two daughters, Nicole (Daphnee Duplaix) and Dani (Karla Mosley), with her now-retired senator husband, Vernon (Clifton Davis). Here’s the thing: Anita will be formidable. Underneath her glamorous and refined exterior is a fierceness she gained from her humble beginnings in Chicago. Translation: Do not mess with her. She will mess with you right back.
READ THIS: The BTG table read and ribbon cutting before production start.
Tunie is the perfect choice to bring Anita Dupree to life. Beyond The Gates premieres on CBS on February 24, 2025.
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