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 African-American prime-time drama 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 (2002–2006), Suzanne Kingston-Persons in TBS sitcom Are We There Yet? (2010–2013) and as Ashley Wayne in NBC sitcom Marlon (2017–2018). In film, Atkins has appeared in How High (2001), Deliver Us from Eva (2003), Dance Flick (2009), A Haunted House (2013), A Haunted House 2 (2014), and The Noel Diary (2022).
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 African-American drama Under One Roof in 1995. 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. it was canceled after two seasons in 2018.
In 2019, Atkins was cast in a leading role in the Oprah Winfrey Network drama series Ambitions opposite Robin Givens.
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. Her Half and Half co-star Valarie Pettiford performed during the reception.
They divorced in 2016.
Filmography
Film
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! Notes
|-
| 1999
| Nikita's Blues
| Nikita
| Short
|-
| 2000
| Love Song
| Toni
| TV movie
|-
|rowspan=4| 2001
| Nikita Blues
| Nikita
|
|-
| Looking Through Lillian
| Andrea
|
|-
| XCU: Extreme Close Up
| Tamikah Jones
|
|-
| How High
| Jamie
|
|-
| 2003
| Deliver Us from Eva
| Kareenah Dandridge
|
|-
| 2007
| Love... & Other 4 Letter Words
| Roxanne
|
|-
| 2008
| Love for Sale
| Candace
|
|-
| 2009
| Dance Flick
| Charity
|
|-
|rowspan=2| 2010
| Preacher's Kid
| Peaches
|
|-
| N-Secure
| Robin Joyner
|
|-
| 2011
| '
| Michelle
| Video
|-
|rowspan=2| 2012
| Dysfunctional Friends
| Alice
|
|-
| From This Day Forward
| Patrice
| TV movie
|-
|rowspan=4| 2013
| '
| Kisha Davis
|
|-
| Act Like You Love Me
| Kelly
|
|-
| My Sisters Wedding
| Tandy
|
|-
| Holiday Road Trip
| Clara
| TV movie
|-
|rowspan=3| 2014
| A Haunted House 2
| Kisha Davis
|
|-
| Girlfriends' Getaway
| Lauren
| TV movie
|-
| My Other Mother
| Candy
| TV movie
|-
|rowspan=3| 2015
| Sister Code
| Corrine Wells
|
|-
| Battle Scars
| Elsie Ramirez
|
|-
| Girlfriends' Getaway 2
| Lauren
| TV movie
|-
| 2016
| You Can't Hurry Love
| Camille
| TV movie
|-
|rowspan=2| 2017
| Solstice Ranch
| Lola Solstice
| Short
|-
| Illicit
| Nadine
|
|-
| 2018
| Coins for Christmas
| Madison Morris
| TV movie
|-
| 2019
| Same Difference
| Tonya/Shauna
|
|-
|rowspan=3| 2020
| Open
| Wren
| TV movie
|-
| The Sin Choice
| Rebecca Anderson
|
|-
| Coins for Love
| Madison Morris
| TV movie
|-
| 2021
| Coins Forever
| Madison Morris
| TV movie
|-
| 2022
| The Noel Diary
| Noel Ellis
|
|-
| 2023
| Angie's Cure
| Sheila Hart
|
|-
|rowspan=2| 2024
| One Night Stay
| April
|
|-
| Sea Cloud Park
| Judy
| Short
|-
| 2025
| He Wasn't Man Enough
| Monica
| TV movie
|-
| 2026
| Breathe Again
| Evelyn
| TV movie
| Main Cast
|}
Awards and nominations
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Awards
! Year
! Category
! Nominated Work
! Result
! scope="col" class="unsortable"|
|-
|American Black Film Festival
|2019
|Best Performance by an Actor
|Same Difference
|
|
|-
| rowspan="3" | NAACP Image Award
| 2005
| Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
| Half & Half
|
|
|-
| 2011
| Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series
| Are We There Yet?
|
|
|-
| 2019
| Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
| Marlon
|
|
|}