S. Epatha Merkerson

Actress

Veteran of stage and screen, best known for portraying Lt. Anita Van Buren in the television drama "Law and Order". She is the longest-serving cast member of the wildly successful program and will soon have over 300 episodes under her belt. Raised in Detroit, she earned a BFA from Wayne State University and has been acting professionally since 1978.

When interviewing with James Lipton on Bravo's "Inside the Actor's Studio" (aired May 7, 2006), Lipton asked her what she hoped God would say to her in the afterlife. She defused the question by claiming she had no belief in God, so she had no answer. Lipton rephrased the question as speculative, whereupon she responded "I told you I was real". Her answer should be received as humorous rather than revalatory, given her succinct claim to atheism.