Marsha Stephanie Blake
Marsha Stephanie Blake (born c. May 1974) is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Linda McCray in the Netflix miniseries When They See Us, for which she was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie.[1]
Marsha Stephanie Blake | |
|---|---|
 Blake in production of The Merchant of Venice (2010) | |
| Born | c. May 1974 (age 49) |
| Alma mater | Dartmouth College UCSD (MFA) |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 2002–present |
| Children | 1 |
Life and career
Blake was born in Jamaica and emigrated to the United States in the late 1980s with her family.[2] She attended Dartmouth College and graduated in 1996.[3] She received an MFA from the graduate acting program at UCSD.[4]
Blake has played many roles on Broadway and Off-Broadway productions, including The Merchant of Venice, Come and Gone, The Crucible, An Octoroon, and Hurt Village.[5] On television, she guest-starred in Law & Order, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Third Watch, Elementary, and The Good Wife.
In 2015, Blake joined the cast of the Netflix comedy-drama series Orange Is the New Black playing Berdie Rogers.[5] Along with the cast, she received the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series.[6] She also had recurring roles on Happyish, Getting On and The Blacklist. In 2019, Blake played Linda McCray in the Netflix miniseries When They See Us directed by Ava DuVernay.[7][8][2] Later in 2019, Blake was cast as Vivian Maddox in How to Get Away with Murder for the sixth and final season,[9] and in fourth season of This Is Us opposite her When They See Us co-star, Asante Blackk.[10]
Blake also has appeared in a number of movies, including The Architect (2006), Stand Clear of the Closing Doors (2013), Nasty Baby (2015), Person to Person (2017), Crown Heights (2017), The Wilde Wedding (2017), Luce (2019), See You Yesterday (2019), The Laundromat (2019), and I'm Your Woman (2020).[11][12]
She received a Canadian Screen Award nomination for Best Supporting Performance in a Film at the 11th Canadian Screen Awards in 2023, for her performance as Ruth in the film Brother.[13]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | A-Alike | Jada | Short film |
| 2006 | The Architect | Missy Neeley | |
| 2007 | Lifted | Nadine | Short film |
| 2012 | Django Unchained | House Slave | Deleted scene |
| 2013 | Stand Clear of the Closing Doors | Carmen | |
| 2014 | The Story of Milo & Annie | Shirley | Short film |
| 2015 | Nasty Baby | Mo's Sister / Haimy | |
| 2015 | Our Nation | Margaret | |
| 2017 | Person to Person | Janet | |
| 2017 | Crown Heights | Briana | |
| 2017 | Imitation Girl | Karen | |
| 2017 | The Wilde Wedding | Officer Brady | |
| 2019 | Luce | Rosemary Wilson | |
| 2019 | Goldie | Carol | |
| 2019 | See You Yesterday | Phaedra | |
| 2019 | The Laundromat | Vincelle Boncamper | |
| 2020 | The Photograph | Violet Eames | |
| 2020 | An American Pickle | Inspector Sanders | |
| 2020 | I'm Your Woman | Teri | |
| 2022 | Brother | Ruth |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Third Watch | Myrna Addison | Episode: "Cold Front" |
| 2004 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Maria | Episode: "Outcry" |
| 2005 | Law & Order | Clinic Doctor | Episode: "Locomotion" |
| 2006 | Six Degrees | Nanny | Episode: "Pilot" |
| 2011 | The Big C | Vampire Nurse | Episode: "Boo!" |
| 2011 | A Gifted Man | Kelly Jones | 2 episodes |
| 2013 | Elementary | Melanie Cullen | Episode: "M." |
| 2014 | Girls | Publisher | Episode: "Only Child" |
| 2014 | Chicago P.D. | Janice Watkins | Episode: "Prison Ball" |
| 2015 | Orange Is the New Black | Berdie Rogers | 8 episodes Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series |
| 2015 | Happyish | Michelle | 4 episodes |
| 2015 | Public Morals | Tina | Episode: "Collection Day" |
| 2015 | The Good Wife | Maia Sachs | Episode: "Taxed" |
| 2015 | Getting On | Yvette Ortley | 3 episodes |
| 2016–2019 | The Blacklist | Janet MacNamara | 2 episodes |
| 2018 | Quantico | Leslie Thomas | Episode: "Bullet Train" |
| 2019 | When They See Us | Linda McCray | Miniseries Black Reel Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress, TV Movie/Limited Series Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Ensemble in a Motion Picture or Limited Series African-American Film Critics Association Award for Best Ensemble Nominated – Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie Nominated – Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Movie/Miniseries |
| 2019–2020 | How to Get Away with Murder | Vivian Maddox | 5 episodes |
| 2019 | This Is Us | Kelly Hodges | 2 episodes |
| 2020 | FBI: Most Wanted | Denise Tyson | Episode: "Defender" |
| 2022 | The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey | Niecie | Main role |
| 2023 | Wilderness | Detective Rawlings |
References
- Ramos, Dino-Ray (July 16, 2019). "Emmy Nominations See Major Decline In Diversity And Inclusion".
- Sarachan, Risa. "Marsha Stephanie Blake Shines As Linda McCray In Netflix's Unflinching When They See Us". Forbes.
- "Upside-down World", Dartmouth Alumni Magazine, retrieved March 10, 2020
- "Shakespeare in Black and White: An Interview with Marsha Stephanie Blake". San Diego Voice & Viewpoint. 6 July 2016. Retrieved October 9, 2019.
- "Who Plays Berdie Rogers On 'OITNB'?". Bustle. Retrieved June 9, 2019.
- "Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture - SAG Awards: The Complete Winners List". The Hollywood Reporter. 29 January 2017. Retrieved June 9, 2019.
- Petski, Denise (3 August 2018). "Ava DuVernay's Central Park Five Drama Adds Niecy Nash, Aunjanue Ellis, Kylie Bunbury, Marsha Stephanie Blake and Storm Reid To Cast". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 9, 2019.
- Turchiano, Danielle (April 19, 2019). "Ava DuVernay's Central Park Five Series When They See Us Gets First Trailer on Netflix". Variety. Retrieved June 9, 2019.
- Otterson, Joe (August 29, 2019). "How to Get Away With Murder Season 6 Adds Marsha Stephanie Blake". Variety. Retrieved October 9, 2019.
- "'This Is Us' Season 4 Trailer: Omar Epps, Asante Blackk And Marsha Stephanie Blake Join Mysterious Upcoming Season". shadowandact.com.
- Schager, Nick (May 10, 2019). "Tribeca Film Review: See You Yesterday". Variety. Retrieved June 9, 2019.
- D'Alessandro, Anthony (September 12, 2019). "Marsha Stephanie Blake & Arinzé Kene Join Amazon Rachel Brosnahan Feature 'I'm Your Woman'".
- Etan Vlessing, "Canadian Screen Awards: TV Drama ‘The Porter’ Leads With 19 Nominations". The Hollywood Reporter, February 22, 2023.