Tamara Tunie Movies
She might not be a household name, but the statuesque character actress Tamara Tunie sports a resumé as distinctive as she is innately glamorous. Tunie landed her first major role as litigator Jessica Griffin McKechnie Harris on the soap opera As the World Turns in 1986 -- a part she played for 11 years. In the mean time, Tunie signed for a small role in the endearing yet sadly overlooked coming-of-age dramedy Sweet Lorraine (1987), an unsung predecessor to the box-office blockbuster Dirty Dancing, starring Maureen Stapleton and Trini Alvarado. Tunie signed for a bit part in the 1989 period murder mystery Bloodhounds of Broadway, but despite the fact that it claimed a pedigree as impressive as Lorraine (with Matt Dillon, Madonna, Jennifer Grey, and others), the movie unfortunately failed to deliver on its noble intentions.Over the course of the next several years, Tunie turned up several times on Steven Bochco's NYPD Blue, and landed the bit part of Leslie Christos in the Al Pacino big-city crime drama City Hall (1996), directed by Harold Becker (Taps). She re-teamed with Pacino for the darkly comic supernatural horror film The Devil's Advocate (1997), then worked with Brian De Palma and Nicolas Cage on the 1998 thriller Snake Eyes. Tunie's most high-profile work, however, was yet to come. In 2002, she delivered a compelling performance as Alberta Green in the first season of the series thriller 24. In 1999, the actress resumed her portrayal of Jessica Harris on As the World Turns and wrapped that characterization eight years later. Beginning in 2000, Tunie also portrayed Melinda Warner on the popular series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- 1996
Awakening in bed with hoodlum Jimmy Liery (Christopher Meloni), Diane Russell (Kim Delaney) can remember nothing that happened after Jimmy drugged her. Back at the 15th precinct, a victim of muscular dystrophy is murdered, and the victim's neighbors seem extremely nervous about providing information. As Bobby Simone (Jimmy Smits) and Andy Sipowicz (Dennis Franz) investigate a frustrating homicide involving a clever married couple, Lt. Fancy (James McDaniel) nervously anticipates informing Bobby and Andy that only one of them has been promoted to detective first grade. And back in Liery's apartment, a confrontation ends in gunfire -- and guess who pulled the trigger? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1996
A "deadbeat dad" is found murdered in a hotel room. The suspects include the victim's embittered father-in-law Max Schaffer (Val Avery) and two women in the dead man's life. Ultimately the prosecution of the case boils down to jury sympathy for a long-suffering and arguably justified perpetrator -- not to mention a terminal leukemia patient. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1993
Though Janice (Amy Brenneman) has been promoted to the Intelligence division, she must continue biding her time with the 15th precinct detectives. Despite damning evidence, Kelly (David Caruso) feels that his pal Charlie (Charles Haid) is being framed for murder. Fancy (James McDaniel) worries that his wife is in for another very difficult pregnancy. And, while visiting the family of Sylvia Costas (Sharon Lawrence), Sipowicz (Dennis Franz) has several drinks too many. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1993
Martinez (Nicholas Turturro) takes on the case of a phony ATM machine. Lt. Fancy (James McDaniel) and his wife (Tamara Tunie) must give up a foster child to its natural mother, a recovering drug addict. Sipowicz (Dennis Franz) and Kelly (David Caruso) investigate the scene of a mob killing, finding evidence that may prove damning to Janice (Amy Breneman). And during a hostage crisis, Laura (Sherry Stringfield) again comes in contact with the man who murdered Giardella before her eyes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Produced for theatrical released by PBS' American Playhouse, Bloodhounds of Broadway is not exactly a remake of the 1952 film of the same name, though both pictures use the same Damon Runyon stories as inspiration. The scene is Broadway: the time is New Year's Eve, 1928. Madonna plays small town girl-turned-hoofer Hortense Hathaway, who loves gambler Feet Samuels (Randy Quaid) more than somewhat. Since it is known far and wide that Feet has not a penny to his name, he must find some way to pay off his debts in a hurry. So he offers to sell his huge feet to a demented-an operation which will, alas, cost Feet the use of his life. Upon waking up to the fact that Hortense loves him, Feet decides that he prefers breathing to pushing up daisies. Meanwhile, a society doll named Harriet MacKyle (Julie Hagerty) turns on the spigots when her pet parrot is laid low by a clumsy gunman. And while all this is transpiring, high-roller Regret (Matt Dillon) has to beat a murder rap. Even while Regret is sweating it out, "The Brain" (Rutger Hauer), who is bleeding profusely after confronting the business end of a shiv, searches high and low for someone willing to donate blood to save his life. If you can, keep an eye out for author William Burroughs as a butler. Bloodhounds of Broadway was the first non-documentary effort of filmmaker Howard Brookner-and the last, since he died before the film was released. To gloss over the film's plot holes, the distributors added a Winchell-like narrator to the proceedings, courtesy of actor Joseph Sommer. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Julie Hagerty, Randy Quaid, (more)
The elderly owner of an aging but still beloved Catskill's landmark inn must decide whether to make necessary repairs to the hotel or to sell the land to developers. Meanwhile the owner's granddaughter toils in the hotel kitchen for the summer and the other staff members do their jobs. Essentially Sweet Lorraine is a plain-spoken but heartwarming slice-of-life drama. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Maureen Stapleton, Trini Alvarado, (more)
