Tamara Tunie is an American film, stage, and television actress, director, and producer. She is best known for her portrayal of attorney Jessica Griffin on the CBS soap opera As the World Turns, and medical examiner Melinda Warner on the NBC police drama Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. From 2000 to 2007, she appeared on both series simultaneously. Tunie returned to Law and Order: Special Victims Unit for one episode in 2018. Tunie has also appeared in film, most notably playing the key supporting role of Margaret Thomason in the 2012 film Flight.