Essence Uhura Atkins (born February 7, 1972) is an American actress. She began her career appearing on television sitcoms, before her regular role on the short-lived first African-American prime-time drama ''
Under One Roof'' (
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainmen ...
, 1995).
Atkins is best known for her roles on television comedies. From 1997 to 1999, she starred as Tasha Yvette Henderson in
The WB
The WB Television Network (for Warner Bros., or the "Frog Network", for its former mascot, Michigan J. Frog) was an American television network launched on broadcast television on January 11, 1995, as a joint venture between the Warner Bros. ...
sitcom ''
Smart Guy
''Smart Guy'' is an American sitcom television series centering on the exploits of child prodigy T.J. Henderson (Tahj Mowry), who moves from being an elementary school student in the fourth grade to a high school student in the tenth grade, atte ...
''. She later went to star as Dee Dee Thorne in
UPN
The United Paramount Network (UPN) was an American broadcast television network that launched on January 16, 1995. It was originally owned by Chris-Craft Industries' United Television. Viacom (through its Paramount Television unit, which prod ...
sitcom ''
Half & Half
''Half & Half'' is an American television sitcom created by Jeffrey Klarik that aired on UPN from September 23, 2002, to May 15, 2006. The show focuses on the lives of two paternal half-sisters in their twenties who were estranged throughout t ...
'' (2002–06), Suzanne Kingston-Persons in
TBS comedy series ''
Are We There Yet?'' (2010–13) and as Ashley Wayne in
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...
sitcom ''
Marlon Marlon is a masculine given name. According to the ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', the popularity of Marlon Brando led to general awareness of the name (his father was also named Marlon), though the origin of the name is not known. Speculatio ...
'' (2016-18). In film, Atkins has appeared in ''
Deliver Us from Eva
''Deliver Us from Eva'' is a 2003 American romantic comedy film starring LL Cool J and Gabrielle Union, revolving around LL's character Ray being paid to date a troublesome young lady named Eva (Union). It is considered by many as a modern update ...
'' (2003), ''
Dance Flick
''Dance Flick'' is a 2009 American musical comedy film directed by Damien Dante Wayans in his directorial debut and written by and starring many members of the Wayans family. The film was set for release in the United States on February 6, 2009, an ...
'' (2009), ''
A Haunted House
''A Haunted House'' is a 2013 American horror satire film directed by Michael Tiddes, written by, produced by and starring Marlon Wayans. Although Wayans said the film was "not exactly a parody but rather a movie with funny characters doing th ...
'' (2013), ''
A Haunted House 2
''A Haunted House 2'' is a 2014 American horror satire film directed by Michael Tiddes and starring Marlon Wayans. The film is the sequel to the 2013 film ''A Haunted House'' and the final installment. Produced by IM Global Octane and distribut ...
'' (2014), and ''
The Noel Diary
''The Noel Diary'' is a 2022 American Christmas romantic comedy-drama film directed by Charles Shyer and written by Rebecca Connor, David Golden, Charles Shyer, and Richard Paul Evans. The film stars Justin Hartley, Barrett Doss, Bonnie Bedel ...
'' (2022).
Career
Atkins began her career as a teenager guest starring on NBC sitcom ''
The Cosby Show
''The Cosby Show'' is an American television sitcom co-created by and starring Bill Cosby, which aired Thursday nights for eight seasons on NBC between September 20, 1984, until April 30, 1992. The show focuses on an upper middle-class African- ...
'' in 1986.
The following years she spent playing guest roles on sitcoms include ''
Family Matters
''Family Matters'' is an American television sitcom that debuted on ABC on September 22, 1989, and ended on May 9, 1997. However it moved to CBS, where it was shown from September 19, 1997, to July 17, 1998. A spin-off of '' Perfect Strangers ...
'', before landing co-leading role opposite
James Earl Jones
James Earl Jones (born January 17, 1931) is an American actor. He has been described as "one of America's most distinguished and versatile" actors for his performances in film, television, and theater, and "one of the greatest actors in America ...
and
Vanessa Bell Calloway
Vanessa Bell Calloway ( Bell; born March 20, 1957) is an American actress. Beginning her career as a dancer, Bell Calloway became known for her film roles as Princess Imani Izzi in the 1988 comedy ''Coming to America'', as well as for her roles ...
in the short-lived first African-American prime-time soap opera ''
Under One Roof'' in 1995.
[ The following year, she co-starred with ]Keri Russell
Keri Lynn Russell (born March 23, 1976) is an American actress. She portrayed the titular character on the drama series ''Felicity (TV series), Felicity'' (1998–2002), which won her a Golden Globe Award, and Elizabeth Jennings (The Americans), ...
in the short-lived NBC teen soap opera ''Malibu Shores
''Malibu Shores'' is an American primetime teen drama/soap opera that aired on Saturday Night at 8:00PM EST from March to June 1996 for ten episodes on NBC. Created by Aaron Spelling and starring Keri Russell and Tony Lucca, the program followed t ...
''. One of her television roles was in the ''Saved by the Bell
''Saved by the Bell'' is an American television sitcom created by Sam Bobrick for NBC. The series premiered, in primetime, on August 20, 1989, a Sunday night. Targeted at kids and teens, ''Saved by the Bell'' was broadcast in the United States ...
'' spin-off, '' Saved by the Bell: The College Years'' in 1993. She appeared in the pilot, but when Tiffani-Amber Thiessen
Tiffani Amber Thiessen (born January 23, 1974) is an American actress who starred as Kelly Kapowski on NBC's ''Saved by the Bell'' (1989–1993), as Valerie Malone on Fox's ''Beverly Hills, 90210'' (1994–98), and as Lori on Netflix's ''Alexa & ...
, a regular from the original, opted to return, Atkins's character was written out.
From 1997 to 1999, Atkins starred in the WB sitcom ''Smart Guy
''Smart Guy'' is an American sitcom television series centering on the exploits of child prodigy T.J. Henderson (Tahj Mowry), who moves from being an elementary school student in the fourth grade to a high school student in the tenth grade, atte ...
'' as the older sister Tasha Yvette Henderson. From 2002 to 2006 she starred alongside Rachel True
Rachel India True (born November 15, 1966) is an American actress. She is best known for her roles in such films as '' The Craft'' (1996), '' Nowhere'' (1997), and ''Half Baked'' (1998). True is also known for her role as Mona Thorne on the UPN ...
in the UPN
The United Paramount Network (UPN) was an American broadcast television network that launched on January 16, 1995. It was originally owned by Chris-Craft Industries' United Television. Viacom (through its Paramount Television unit, which prod ...
sitcom ''Half & Half
''Half & Half'' is an American television sitcom created by Jeffrey Klarik that aired on UPN from September 23, 2002, to May 15, 2006. The show focuses on the lives of two paternal half-sisters in their twenties who were estranged throughout t ...
'' playing Dee Dee Thorne, her half-sister. She also had supporting roles in films ''How High
''How High'' is a 2001 American stoner comedy film starring Method Man and Redman, written by Dustin Lee Abraham, and director Jesse Dylan's debut feature film.
In the film, Redman and Method Man portray two cannabis users who are visited by ...
'' (2001), ''Deliver Us from Eva
''Deliver Us from Eva'' is a 2003 American romantic comedy film starring LL Cool J and Gabrielle Union, revolving around LL's character Ray being paid to date a troublesome young lady named Eva (Union). It is considered by many as a modern update ...
'' (2003) opposite Gabrielle Union
Gabrielle Monique Union-Wade ( Union; born October 29, 1972) is an American actress. Her career began in the 1990s, when she made dozens of appearances on television sitcoms, prior to landing supporting roles in 1999 teen films ''She's All That' ...
, and ''Dance Flick
''Dance Flick'' is a 2009 American musical comedy film directed by Damien Dante Wayans in his directorial debut and written by and starring many members of the Wayans family. The film was set for release in the United States on February 6, 2009, an ...
'' (2009). From 2010 to 2013, she starred in the TBS sitcom series '' Are We There Yet?'' opposite Terry Crews. Atkins later starred alongside Marlon Wayans
Marlon Lamont Wayans (born July 23, 1972) is an American actor, comedian, writer, and producer. Wayans began his career portraying a pedestrian in ''I'm Gonna Git You Sucka'' (1988). He went on to regularly collaborate with his brother Shawn Wa ...
in the parody films ''A Haunted House
''A Haunted House'' is a 2013 American horror satire film directed by Michael Tiddes, written by, produced by and starring Marlon Wayans. Although Wayans said the film was "not exactly a parody but rather a movie with funny characters doing th ...
'' (2013) and ''A Haunted House 2
''A Haunted House 2'' is a 2014 American horror satire film directed by Michael Tiddes and starring Marlon Wayans. The film is the sequel to the 2013 film ''A Haunted House'' and the final installment. Produced by IM Global Octane and distribut ...
'' (2014). In 2016, she was cast opposite Wayans in his NBC sitcom ''Marlon Marlon is a masculine given name. According to the ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', the popularity of Marlon Brando led to general awareness of the name (his father was also named Marlon), though the origin of the name is not known. Speculatio ...
''. it was canceled after two seasons in 2018.
In 2019, Atkins was cast in a leading role in the Oprah Winfrey Network
Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) is an American multinational basic cable channel jointly owned by Warner Bros. Discovery and Harpo Studios that launched on January 1, 2011, replacing the Discovery Health Channel.
The network is led by talk show h ...
drama series '' Ambitions'' opposite Robin Givens
Robin may refer to:
Animals
* Australasian robins, red-breasted songbirds of the family Petroicidae
* Many members of the subfamily Saxicolinae (Old World chats), including:
**European robin (''Erithacus rubecula'')
** Bush-robin
**Forest ro ...
.
Personal life
In September 2009, Atkins married
All-American collegiate football free safety Jaime Mendez. They met Valentine's Day 2008 through the online dating service Match.com
Match is an online dating service with web sites serving over 50 countries in twelve languages. Its headquarters are in Dallas, Texas. The company has offices in Dallas, West Hollywood, San Francisco, Tokyo, Rio de Janeiro, and Beijing. Match is ...
. Her ''Half and Half'' co-star Valarie Pettiford
Valarie Pettiford (born July 8, 1960) is an American stage and television actress, dancer, and jazz singer. She received a Tony Award nomination for her role in the broadway production '' Fosse''. She is also known for her role as "Big Dee Dee" ...
performed during the reception.
On August 9, 2011, the couple announced via Twitter
Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
that they were expecting their first child together. Essence gave birth to their son in December 2011. The couple divorced in 2016.
Filmography
Film
Television
Awards and nominations
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Atkins, Essence
1972 births
Actresses from New York City
Living people
20th-century American actresses
21st-century American actresses
African-American actresses
American television actresses
American film actresses
American child actresses
People from Brooklyn
African-American child actresses
20th-century African-American women
20th-century African-American people
21st-century African-American women
21st-century African-American people