Essence Atkins Biography

Essence Uhura Atkins (born February 7, 1972) is an American actress and model. She began her career appearing on television sitcoms, before regular role on the short-lived first African American prime time soap opera, Under One Roof (CBS, 1995).

Atkins is best known for her roles on television comedies. From 1997 to 1999, she starred as Tasha Yvette Henderson in The WB sitcom Smart Guy. She later went to star as Dee Dee Thorne in UPN sitcom Half & Half (2002–06) and TBS comedy series Are We There Yet? (2010–12) as Suzanne Kingston-Persons. In film, Atkins has appeared in Deliver Us from Eva (2003), Dance Flick (2009), A Haunted House (2013) and A Haunted House 2 (2014).

Career

Atkins began her career as a teenager guest starring on NBC sitcom The Cosby Show in 1986. The following years she spent playing guest roles on sitcoms include Family Matters, before landing co-leading role opposite James Earl Jones and Vanessa Bell Calloway 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 in the short-lived Fox teen soap opera Malibu Shores. One of her television roles was in the Saved by the Bell spin-off, Saved by the Bell: The College Years in 1993. She appeared in the pilot, but when Tiffani-Amber Thiessen, 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 as the older sister Tasha Yvette Henderson. From 2002 to 2006 she starred alongside Rachel True in the UPN sitcom Half & Half playing Dee Dee Thorne, her half-sister. She also had supporting roles in films How High (2001), Deliver Us from Eva (2003) opposite Gabrielle Union, and Dance Flick (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 in the parody films A Haunted House (2013) and A Haunted House 2 (2014). In 2016, she was cast opposite Wayans in his NBC sitcom Marlon.

Personal life

In September 2009, Atkins married Puerto Rican collegiate football free safety Jaime Mendez. They met Valentine's Day 2008 through the online dating service Match.com. Her Half and Half co-star Valarie Pettiford performed during the reception.

On August 9, 2011, the couple announced that they were expecting their first child together. Essence gave birth to a son in December 2011. The happy couple announced the news via Twitter.

Essence soon filed for divorce in 2016.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1999	Nikita's Blues	Nikita	Short film
2000	Love Song	Toni	Television film
2001	Nikita Blues	Nikita
2001	XCU: Extreme Close Up	Tamikah Jones
2001	How High	Jamie
2002	Looking Through Lillian	Andrea
2003	Deliver Us from Eva	Kareenah Dandridge
2007	Love... & Other 4 Letter Words	Roxanne
2008	Love for Sale	Candace
2009	Dance Flick	Charity
2010	Preacher's Kid	Peaches
2010	N-Secure	Robin Joyner
2011	'	Michelle
2012	Dysfunctional Friends	Alice
2012	From This Day Forward	Patrice
2013	'	Kisha Davis
2013	Act Like You Love Me	Kelly
2013	'Holiday Road Trip	Clara
2013	My Sisters Wedding	Tandy
2014	A Haunted House 2	Kisha Davis
2014	Girlfriends' Getaway	Lauren
2014	My Other Mother	Candy
2015	Sister Code	Corrine Wells
2015	Battle Scars	Elsie Ramirez
2015	Girlfriends' Getaway 2	Lauren
2016	You Can't Hurry Love	Camille
2016	Illicit	Nadine

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1986	'	Paula Young	Episode: "Vanessa's Rich"
1989	'	Paula Young	Episode: "I'm "In" with the "In" Crowd"
1991	Sunday in Paris	Allison Chase	TV short
1991	Charlie Hoover	Amy	Episode: "Out of the Frying Pan"
1992	Family Matters	Becky	Episode: "Brown Bombshell"
1992	Here and Now	Khalila	Episodes: "Love Handles", "A.J.'s Big Leap"
1993	Saved by the Bell: The College Years	Danielle Marks	Episode: "Pilot"
1995	Under One Roof	Charlotte "Charlie" Langston	Series regular, 6 episodes
1995	'	Nina	Episode: "Farmer's Daughter"
1996	'	Chantel	Episode: "One Man and a Baby"
1996	Malibu Shores	Julie Tate	Series regular, 10 episodes
1996	'	Jocelyn	Episodes: "The Blues Traveller", "Cheeses H. Taste"
1997-1999	Smart Guy	Yvette Henderson	Series regular, 51 episodes
1998	Promised Land	Rachel	Episode: "Mirror Image"
1999	Moesha	Piper Davis	Episodes: "Party's Over (Here)", "Unappreciated Interest"
2000	Sabrina the Teenage Witch	Marnie	Episodes: "Love in Bloom", "Salem's Daughter"
2002-2006	Half & Half	Dee Dee Thorne	Series regular, 91 episodes Nominated "? NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
2005	Love, Inc.	Renee	Episode: "Mad About You"
2007	Football Wives		TV pilot
2007	'	Melanie Deacon	Episode: "The Class Has to Go to a Stupid Museum"
2007	House	Capt. Greta Cooper	Episode: "The Right Stuff"
2010-2012	Are We There Yet?	Suzanne Kingston-Persons	Series regular, 73 episodes Nominated "? NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series
2011	Tyler Perry's House of Payne	Monica	5 episodes
2012–2013	Mr. Box Office	Samantha Owens	Series regular, 22 episodes
2017	The Great Indoors	Denise	Episode: "The Heartbreaker"
2017	Marlon	Ashley Wayne	Series regular