Essence Atkins

Essence Atkins
Atkins in 2019
Born	Essence Uhura Atkins (1972-02-07) February 7, 1972 (age 52) Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1986–present
Spouse	Jaime Mendez ​ ​ (m. 2009; div. 2016)​
Children	1

Essence Uhura Atkins (born February 7, 1972)^[1] 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).