Why Monica Graham From Blue Bloods Looks So Familiar
"Blue Bloods" is a police procedural that revolves around the lives of the Reagan family. Tom Selleck plays Frank Reagan, the New York City police commissioner and father to Erin (Bridget Moynahan), Danny (Donnie Wahlberg), and Jamie (Will Estes), who have all followed in Frank's footsteps by working in law enforcement. The series centers around the Reagan family's home life, and also focuses on each main character's various professional and personal developments. The Reagan family tree is always expanding, but they are there for each other no matter what, a bond is highlighted in each episode when the Reagan family gathers for dinner.
Various characters come and go over the course of the show's 12 seasons, including that of Monica Graham. She is a chief assistant district attorney in the New York County District Attorney's Office who appears in a grand total of seven episodes over the course of Seasons 7 and 8. Graham was introduced in an episode titled "Personal Business" (via IMDb).
If you've found yourself wondering where you've seen the actress who played Graham, then you've come to the right place. Here are some of her notable roles before she was cast in "Blue Bloods."
Tamara Tunie was a longtime cast member on As the World Turns
Tamara Tunie is the actress who played Monica Graham on "Blue Bloods," and one of her first major roles was on "As the World Turns," a soap opera that aired on CBS for 54 years from 1956 until its conclusion in 2010 (via IMDb). Created as a companion series to the soap opera "Guiding Light," "ATWT" chronicled the lives of the residents of the fictional town of Oakdale, Illinois, primarily focusing on the lives of working professionals and their families. As with many soap operas, the show features numerous branching storylines, a revolving cast of characters, and never-ending drama.
Tunie appeared in a whopping 1,313 episodes of the series as Jessica Griffin. Jessica is a skilled lawyer who takes great pride in fighting for her clients. Her storylines typically revolved around her professional life and the various legal issues in Oakdale, but she also had her fair share of love affairs and scandals. Tunie's first appearance as Jessica was in 1987, and she continued to portray the character intermittently until 2009.
She has appeared in over 200 episodes of Law & Order: SVU
Tamara Tunie has appeared in the recurring role of Dr. Melinda Warner in numerous episodes of "Law & Order: Special Victims." As a medical examiner working for the New York City Police Department, Dr. Warner assists Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Elliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni) with their investigations. Dr. Warner's first appearance is in Season 2, Episode 6, which sees her replace the precinct's previous medical examiner (via IMDb).
Warner is shown to be incredibly capable at her job, frequently demonstrating that she is an asset to the Manhattan Special Victims Unit. The character has a dry sense of humor and a firm moral compass, qualities that Tunie has continued to depict since the character was first introduced over 20 years ago. One of her biggest storylines occurs in Season 11, Episode 24, which follows a distraught woman who shoots Dr. Warner, creating a tense hostage situation in the morgue.
She starred alongside Denzel Washington in Flight
Inspired by true events, the 2012 film "Flight" stars Denzel Washington as an airline pilot named Captain Whip Whitaker (via CTV News). Whitaker has his fair share of demons that get in the way of his work as a pilot. However, his problems grow exponentially worse when a flight he's captaining experiences severe turbulence midair. He's forced to crash-land the plane, and the ensuing investigation forces Whitaker to reexamine his life.
Tamara Tunie plays a flight attendant named Margaret Thomason, one of the crew members who survive the crash. Margaret does her best to remain calm as she ensures the safety of the passengers, and she's able to help Whitaker adjust the controls when the plane flips upside down. Margaret survives the accident, although she faces a tough decision when Whitaker asks her to lie about his drinking. Tunie does an amazing job in this supporting role, especially during the scene where the plane begins to malfunction.
You might recognize Tamara Tunie from Better Call Saul
The AMC series "Better Call Saul" stars Bob Odenkirk as Jimmy McGill, a former con artist who decides to reinvent himself as Saul Goodman, a confident lawyer. As a spinoff/prequel of "Breaking Bad," the series features plenty of small details that tie into that narrative. The show also stars Rhea Seehorn as Kim Wexler, Patrick Fabian as Howard Hamlin, Michael McKean as Chuck McGill, Michael Mando as Nacho Varga, and Giancarlo Esposito as Gus Fring. The show chronicles Jimmy's attempts to stay on the straight and narrow while he works towards becoming a legitimate lawyer, as well as the obstacles that get in his way. No matter how hard he tries, Jimmy's seedy past keeps coming back to haunt him.
Tamara Tunie appears in three episodes of the series as Anita. Her first appearance occurs in Season 3, Episode 6, titled "Off Brand" (via IMDb). Anita is a member of a church support group, where she becomes acquainted with Mike Ehrmantraut (Jonathan Banks). The pair strike up a brief friendship before Anita's final appearance in Season 4, Episode 4.