The Transformation Of Tamara Tunie From Childhood To Law And Order SVU

Actress Tamara Tunie has been playing New York City Medical Examiner Melinda Warner on "Law and Order: Special Victims Unit" since its second season, and it’s now into its 23rd. During that time, the strong and dedicated professional she plays has acted as an important ally to the Special Victims Unit team, but she has also gotten more closely involved in cases than a regular medical examiner might — as when she shot a bank robber in the leg in "Blast," and has also had some harrowing experiences of her own, like when she was shot during a standoff in "Shattered."

Tunie has become so seamlessly integrated into the show, it’s sometimes hard to imagine her anywhere else. Yet the actress is a longtime industry veteran with many high profile credits in theater, movies, and television to her name, both before and during her 2001-2021 tenure on the "Law and Order" spinoff. If you’re interested in how she transformed from her beginning years to the street-smart medical examiner you see every week, we have all her important career highlights covered.