
Acting
Essence Atkins
Born
1972-02-07 (54)
Place of birth
New York City, New York, USA
Known for
Acting
Credits
76 titles
Essence Uhura Atkins (born February 7, 1972) is an American actress. She is best known for the roles of Dee Dee Thorne on the UPN sitcom Half & Half and as Yvette Henderson on the The WB sitcom Smart Guy. She is currently starring in the TV series Are We There Yet? as Suzanne Kingston-Persons. Description above from the Wikipedia article Essence Atkins, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia
Known for
8.6Dr. Gregory House, a drug-addicted, unconventional, misanthropic medical genius, leads a team of diagnosticians at the fictional Princeton–Plainsboro Teaching Hospital in New Jersey.
House
2004
2.6Sherri Shepherd, actress, comic, and Emmy Award-winning longtime co-host of "The View", appears before a live audience with a daily dose of pop culture, comedy, conversations, and daytime talk staples, including celebrity and human interest interviews.
Sherri
2022
8.1The off-kilter, unscripted comic vision of Larry David, who plays himself in a parallel universe in which he can't seem to do anything right, and, by his standards, neither can anyone else.
Curb Your Enthusiasm
2000
7.8On her sixteenth birthday, Sabrina Spellman discovers she has magical powers. She lives with her 600-year-old aunts Hilda and Zelda as well as talking cat Salem in the fictional town of Westbridge, Massachusetts.
Sabrina, the Teenage Witch
1996
7.0The Cosby Show is an American television situation comedy starring Bill Cosby, which aired for eight seasons on NBC from September 20, 1984 until April 30, 1992. The show focuses on the Huxtable family, an upper middle-class African-American family living in Brooklyn, New York.
The Cosby Show
1984
6.8A long-running dramedy centering on the Winslow family, a middle-class African American family living in Chicago, and their pesky next-door neighbor, ultra-nerd Steve Urkel. A spin-off of Perfect Strangers.
Family Matters
1989
Film credits
2020s · 11 titles
6.3Cleaning out his childhood home at Christmas, a novelist meets a woman searching for her birth mother. Will an old diary unlock their pasts — and hearts?
The Noel Diary
2022
7.7When a successful writer learns her boyfriend is engaged to her former college friend, the two women reconnect and team up with her best friend, turning a painful betrayal into an unexpected journey of friendship and healing.
He Wasn't Man Enough
2025
5.8Jennifer, Vanessa, and Evelyn meet as contestants on a reality dating show and suffer heartbreak under the spotlight. Their shared rejection sparks an unlikely sisterhood that carries them from Los Angeles to a new life in Seattle.
Toni Braxton’s Breathe Again
2026
7.7Obsessive Jessica refuses to be discarded after a one night stand gone wrong. Instead of leaving Marcus' luxurious mansion, she finds a quiet place to hide and moves in permanently. Resuming their seemingly perfect lives, power couple Marcus and Milan have no idea Jessica is now living with them.
One Night Stay
2024
NRWhen a storm prevents their parents from getting home on Christmas Eve, two sisters overcome their sibling rivalry to outsmart a pair of intruders.
A Screenshot to Santa
2023
7.6Madison lands her dream job at a publishing company. To her dismay, she must complete a probationary period and will not receive her full salary until the process is over, leaving her in a financial struggle. With a new career and struggling to make ends meet, she works under the demands of her new job while raising two teens on her own. Making matters even more complicated, she finds herself torn between an old flame and a new love interest.
Coins for Love
2020
4.1Cameron and Wren have had an open marriage for the last 3 years. They set rules as boundaries to assure a healthy open relationship, however they quickly learn that rules applied to the art of emotion will often be broken.
Open
2020
1.0A couple finds out that starting a extra marital affair is a lot easier to do than ending one when they both are seduced into outside situations.
Illicit
2020
10.0Lifelong friends become adversaries when they compete for the lead role in a new Christmas film, stirring up old family rivalries and threatening their yuletide joy.
Queens of Christmas
2024
6.3Madison and Alec are flourishing in their dream jobs and have grown their budding romance but new challenges open old wounds and threaten to derail their relationship and their friendship.
Coins Forever
2021
10.0A traumatized woman seizes a rare chance to turn the tables on her attacker, but revenge threatens to turn her into the very monster she fears.
Angie's Cure
2022
2010s · 19 titles
6.2After exorcising the demons of his ex, Malcolm starts afresh with his new girlfriend and her two children. After moving into their dream home, Malcolm is once again plagued by bizarre paranormal events.
A Haunted House 2
2014
6.0Malcolm and Kisha move into their dream home, but soon learn a demon also resides there. When Kisha becomes possessed, Malcolm - determined to keep his sex life on track - turns to a priest, a psychic, and a team of ghost-busters for help in this spoof of all the "found-footage/documentary style" films released in recent years.
A Haunted House
2013
6.4Longing to experience more of life, twentysomething preacher's daughter Angie strikes out on her own for the very first time and joins a traveling gospel show.
Preacher's Kid
2010
5.3Matthew and Sharon are one day away from their highly anticipated wedding when her sister Candice comes home from New York.
My Sister's Wedding
2013
6.1A group of college friends are reunited after the death of their very successful friend. The will dictates that each person will receive a large sum of money if they can all successfully stay in his mansion for a week. If one person leaves, everyone forfeits the money.
Dysfunctional Friends
2012
8.5When gruff and independent Candy meets her angry and stubborn birth mother, can the two open their hearts to each other?
My Other Mother
2014
5.7Set in Trinidad and Tobago, the comedy which is described as Waiting To Exhale meets The Hangover, Girlfriends’ Getaway is about four friends who take a trip to the Caribbean to celebrate two of their friends’ birthdays. One thing leads to another and they get into a bit of trouble.
Girlfriends' Getaway
2014
10.0Patrice and Corrine are two sexy, confident women with great relationships, but they've got it all wrong when it comes to love. Before they drive their men crazy, they've got some tough lessons to learn about trust and fidelity, if they hope to make love last.
From This Day Forward
2012
5.4Kelly Lofton is a young, successful dentist who has all the material things a woman could ask for. However, Kelly has struggled to find time for love in her busy schedule, so when her younger sister Susan gets engaged to a seemingly perfect man and organizes an extravagant engagement party, Kelly panics. She hires a gorgeous actor for the weekend to accompany her to the party. Her ruse quickly develops into something real and Kelly realizes the only thing missing in her life is love.
Act Like You Love Me
2013
5.4N-Secure is a no holds-barred thrilling drama mixed with murder, mayhem and manipulation among affluent professionals. This film sheds light on a man's downfall from the pinnacles of success into the depths of his damaged character. His insecurities lead him into a series of troubled romantic relationships and eventually a web of events that include betrayal and murder.
N-Secure
2010
10.0From the creator and director of the critically acclaimed documentary Dark Girls, award-winning filmmaker Bill Duke continues the conversation on colorism with Light Girls. Sharing the untold stories and experiences of lighter-skinned women, Light Girls dives deep into the discussion of skin color, preference, privilege, pain and prejudice. The documentary features interviews with Russell Simmons, Soledad O'Brien, Diahann Carroll, India Arie, Iyanla Vanzant, Michaela Angela Davis, Kym Whitley, Salli Richardson-Whitfield and more.
Light Girls
2015
4.9Ashley Scott plays an executive for a company that produces pet supplies. Just after getting into a fight with her boyfriend about their relationship status, she takes up with the company's mascot and the company president's son on a road trip across America at Christmastime in an effort to get home for the holiday season.
Holiday Road Trip
2013
5.5Single mom Madison finds herself scraping pennies together two weeks before Christmas after the IRS freezes her bank account, her ex fails to come through with any help and her boss fires her. Desperate to pay bills and buy gifts for her teenage children, Madison jumps into the ever-popular "gig economy." That's when she meets and eventually gets hired by obnoxious, sidelined former pro football player Alec Darby, also secretly on the verge of going broke. This odd couple butts heads time and time again, but they eventually forge a friendship. And, to their surprise, they learn a lot about themselves and teach one another how to be better people.
Coins for Christmas
2018
6.0A bride and her three friends travel to Puerto Rico for her wedding when chaos ensues.
Girlfriends Getaway 2
2015
NRPreacher's Kid is an amazing journey of love, family, faith and forgiveness that touches upon the themes of a biblical story, while giving a message that is current and relevant in a way that can be embraced by everyone. Produced for the “Preacher’s Kid” DVD.
The Prodigal Experience: Reflections on a Story
2010
NRA melting pot rich in history, culture and entertainment, Atlanta was the perfect location to shoot this film based on its understanding and reverance for the gospel community. Produced for the “Preacher’s Kid” DVD.
The Preacher's Kid in Atlanta
2010
9.5As Tonya Keating grapples with the innate knowledge that her death is imminent, she is compelled to let go of the past and reconcile with her estranged twin sister.
Same Difference
2019
5.2Every Marine has a story, some they're proud of, other they'd rather forget. After coming home from his tour of duty in Afghanistan suffering from PTSD, Luke Stephens wants nothing more than to forget. What happens when our soldiers come back to Another Stateside?
Battle Scars
2017
5.030-year-old Lance is marrying Michelle, the girl of his dreams, and his closest buddies, Trey, Reny and Akeem are throwing him a bachelor party. What starts out as an innocent evening of fun and frolic quickly turns bitter when tempers flare, vendettas are revealed, painful memories surface, friendships are tested and love is measured by lies.
The Bachelor Party
2011
2000s · 8 titles
6.4Jamal and Silas, two ordinary guys who smoke something magical, pass their college entrance exams with flying colors and end up at Harvard. Ivy League ways are strange but Silas and Jamal take it in a stride -- until their supply of supernatural smoke runs dry. That's when they have to start living by their wits and rely on their natural resources to make the grade.
How High
2001
5.0Street dancer Thomas Uncles is from the wrong side of the tracks, but his bond with the beautiful Megan White might help the duo realize their dreams as they enter in the mother of all dance battles.
Dance Flick
2009
6.5Eva Dandridge has been in charge of her younger sisters ever since their parents died many years ago. She is a very uptight young woman who constantly meddles in the affairs of her sisters and their significant others. Her brothers-in-law, who are tired of Eva interfering in their lives, decide to set her up with someone so she can leave them alone. They end up paying Ray, the local "playboy," $5,000 to date her. The plan goes by smoothly, but trouble comes when Ray actually falls in love with Eva.
Deliver Us from Eva
2003
5.3In this warm-hearted romantic comedy, Stormy La Rue, a rising star T.V. Talk Show host in Philadelphia must dig her way out the hole she creates by telling an innocent white lie. Stormy's relentless aspirations of becoming the next talk show superstar are sidelined when her nana, the only person in the world who means more to her than her precious career, is diagnosed with a fatal illness. Stormy would do anything to please her Nana, even if it means lying to her on her deathbed! So when Nana's dying wish is to have her favorite granddaughter married, Stormy tries to pull off the biggest show of her life - faking her own wedding!
Love and Other Four Letter Words
2007
6.0A teenage girl seeks love in all the wrong places. In particular, with her English teacher, who is engaged to the school’s assistant principal.
Nikita Blues
2001
6.0Trey is a young deliveryman who can't seem to catch a break. His whole life is a shambles - no money for college and no game to attract the ladies. After a failed attempt to get together with the girl of his dreams, Trey gets caught up by a seductive older woman who pays for his "personal delivery services." He's having the time of his life - at first, but this deceptively ideal situation soon sends his life spinning out of control!
Love for Sale
2008
7.6A privileged, black college student with a fiance falls in love with a white musician she meets on her 21st birthday.
Love Song
2000
4.5An edgy indie-psychological drama about an alluring but mixed-up L.A. Girl who flip-flops between facing life's uncertainty under her own direction or "the good life" provided by a wealthy, disturbing middle-aged benefactor.
Looking Through Lillian
2002
Series credits
8.6Dr. Gregory House, a drug-addicted, unconventional, misanthropic medical genius, leads a team of diagnosticians at the fictional Princeton–Plainsboro Teaching Hospital in New Jersey.
House
2004
2.6Sherri Shepherd, actress, comic, and Emmy Award-winning longtime co-host of "The View", appears before a live audience with a daily dose of pop culture, comedy, conversations, and daytime talk staples, including celebrity and human interest interviews.
Sherri
2022
8.1The off-kilter, unscripted comic vision of Larry David, who plays himself in a parallel universe in which he can't seem to do anything right, and, by his standards, neither can anyone else.
Curb Your Enthusiasm
2000
7.8On her sixteenth birthday, Sabrina Spellman discovers she has magical powers. She lives with her 600-year-old aunts Hilda and Zelda as well as talking cat Salem in the fictional town of Westbridge, Massachusetts.
Sabrina, the Teenage Witch
1996
7.0The Cosby Show is an American television situation comedy starring Bill Cosby, which aired for eight seasons on NBC from September 20, 1984 until April 30, 1992. The show focuses on the Huxtable family, an upper middle-class African-American family living in Brooklyn, New York.
The Cosby Show
1984
6.8A long-running dramedy centering on the Winslow family, a middle-class African American family living in Chicago, and their pesky next-door neighbor, ultra-nerd Steve Urkel. A spin-off of Perfect Strangers.
Family Matters
1989
5.5Celebrated comedian Taylor Tomlinson hosts the smartest show on television about the dumbest things on the internet alongside a panel of guests from the worlds of entertainment, comedy, music, and beyond.
After Midnight
2024
6.9The everyday life of Moesha Mitchell, a vivacious young woman juggling romance, school, ever-changing family dynamics, and friendships.
Moesha
1996
7.2Brothers Shawn and Marlon are on the lookout for money and success, though the two are complete opposites. Shawn is responsible and conservative while Marlon is free-spirited and liberal. They are not immune to sibling rivalry, but frequently enjoy being each other's partner in crime.
The Wayans Bros.
1995
6.9The John Larroquette Show is an American television sitcom .The show was a vehicle for John Larroquette following his run as Dan Fielding on Night Court. The series takes place in a seedy bus terminal in St. Louis, Missouri and originally focused on the somewhat broken people who worked the night shift, and in particular, the lead character's battle with alcoholism.
The John Larroquette Show
1993
8.3Half & Half is an American sitcom that aired on UPN from September 23, 2002, to May 15, 2006. The show focuses on the lives of two paternal half-sisters in their twenties who were estranged throughout their childhood, and are finally developing a close relationship. The series is set in San Francisco. It was the second-most-watched show on UPN's Monday night line-up and fourth overall on the network. The show was on The CW's first draft line-up in March 2006, but due to several circumstances—including The CW's contractual obligation to pick up Reba, the uncancelling of All of Us, and the pick-up of the Girlfriends spin-off The Game—Half & Half was left off the final Fall 2006 schedule and ended production. The series has aired in reruns on Global TV in Canada, Trouble in the UK and in local syndication in the United States. It also airs in the United States on TV One.
Half & Half
2002
7.2A night of passion leads to love between con man Charlie and undercover CIA officer Emma, who are unknowingly on a collision course professionally. While Charlie ramps up the ‘family business’ so he can get out for good, Emma’s closing in on the vengeful criminal who holds Charlie’s family debts in-hand — forcing them to reckon with the lies they’ve told so they can save themselves and their families from disastrous consequences.
The Company You Keep
2023
8.0Family Reunion follows a family of six who travel from Seattle, Washington to Columbus, Georgia for the McKellan Family Reunion and decide to stay to be closer to their family.
Family Reunion
2019
7.1A narrative series set in a limitless magical reality full of dynamic, hilarious characters and celebrity guests presenting sketches performed by a core cast of black women.
A Black Lady Sketch Show
2019
7.1A narrative series set in a limitless magical reality full of dynamic, hilarious characters and celebrity guests presenting sketches performed by a core cast of black women.
A Black Lady Sketch Show
2019
7.1The Parent 'Hood is an American sitcom that aired on The WB airing from January 18, 1995 to July 25, 1999. The series starred Robert Townsend and Suzzanne Douglas. Originally to have been titled Father Knows Nothing, the series was one of the four sitcoms that aired as part of the original Wednesday night two-hour lineup that helped launch The WB network.
The Parent 'Hood
1995
7.9T.J. is a boy genius who gets bumped up from the fourth grade to high school. T.J. tries to adjust to his new life, but he shares some classes with his 14 year-old brother Marcus, the school jock, and his clueless and self-absorbed 16 year-old sister Yvette.
Smart Guy
1997
6.5Are We There Yet? opens where the popular film of the same name left off, with Nick and Suzanne newly married. After six months, their family is beginning to show growing pains, from the complexities of life as newlyweds to weathering the storm of teenage children. Work makes life all the more complicated. Former athlete Nick has sold his sports paraphernalia store and now works in information technology. Party planner Suzanne also has a hectic professional schedule.
Are We There Yet?
2010
6.7A loving (but immature) father is committed to co-parenting his two kids with his very-together ex-wife. While his misguided fatherly advice, unstoppable larger-than-life personality and unpredictable Internet superstardom might get in the way sometimes, for Marlon, family really always does come first - even if he's the biggest kid of all.
Marlon
2017
8.0Three women band together after their first marriages fall apart, and find strength in their sisterhood - and of course a little revenge. Based on the 1996 film.
First Wives Club
2019
5.5An improvised, comedic approach to major events in American history in celebration of the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States.
Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness: An Almost History of America
2026
7.3A multigenerational family saga centered around one woman who, having recently relocated and intent on revitalizing her marriage, finds herself going head to head with some of the most powerful and deceitful players in the city.
Ambitions
2019
6.1After raising her two children, getting divorced and retiring from teaching, Carol Chambers embarks on a unique second act: she’s going to become a doctor.
Carol's Second Act
2019
7.0The gang from Bayside High is leaving home and heading to the campus of California University for four years of new challenges, new faces and wild, new adventures.
Saved by the Bell: The College Years
1993
7.0The gang from Bayside High is leaving home and heading to the campus of California University for four years of new challenges, new faces and wild, new adventures.
Saved by the Bell: The College Years
1993
5.8An adventure reporter must adapt to the times when he becomes the boss to a group of millennials in the digital department of the magazine.
The Great Indoors
2016
The energetic staff of LOVE, INC. takes pride in their success as full-service dating consultants. Leading the flourishing team is owner and founder of LOVE, INC., Clea. After her marriage of nine years falls apart, she now finds herself thrust into the dating world once again. Denise Johnson, an energetic, pragmatic, young woman who helps Clea make the company a success, is skilled at helping her clients find their seemingly unattainable soulmates, yet struggles with her inability to find true love. Making the hip busy offices run smoothly is Francine, who in addition to being a excellent wingwoman, has a great sense of fashion style and encourages her clients to trust it. Rounding out the staff is Viviana, a quick-witted and sharp tongued receptionist, and Barry, a wingman whose quirky ways and comments always stun everyone.
Love, Inc.
2005
6.9A group of 20-somethings who are inextricably bound together having shared the same third-grade class. Now face to face at an impromptu reunion to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the day they met, they wonder if they'll have anything in common besides vague memories of playground kisses and underwear sightings on the monkey bars. Turns out they do. After two decades apart for most of them, some are eager to show off, some want to rekindle old crushes and others just want to satisfy their curiosity.
The Class
2006
5.5Legendary talk radio host and happily divorced Poppa has his point of view challenged at work when a new female co-host is hired, and at home where he finds himself still parenting his adult son, a brilliant dreamer who is trying to pursue his passion while being a responsible father and husband.
Poppa's House
2024
8.0Malibu Shores is an American primetime teen drama/soap opera that aired on Saturday Night at 8:00PM EST from to June 1996 for ten episodes on NBC. Created by Aaron Spelling and starring Keri Russell and Tony Lucca, the program followed the exploits of Southern California teens.
Malibu Shores
1996
6.7Here and Now is an American television sitcom that aired on NBC from September 19, 1992 to January 2, 1993. The series starred Malcolm-Jamal Warner in the lead role, who prior to this series co-starred in The Cosby Show which ended its run in Spring 1992. Bill Cosby served as one on the show's executive producers along with Warner serving as executive consultant credited as M.J. Warner. The song "Tennessee" by Arrested Development was used as the show's theme song.
Here and Now
1992
7.1MADtv is an American sketch comedy television series originally inspired by Mad magazine. The one-hour show aired Saturday nights on Fox.
MADtv
1995
NRFour women at the top of their game examine their personal journeys, highlighting the power of faith as their driving force.
Behind Her Faith
2020
Under One Roof is an American drama series that aired on CBS in March and April 1995. A family drama, the series starred James Earl Jones, Joe Morton and Vanessa Bell Calloway.
Under One Roof
1995
10.0Gabrielle Union is celebrating her 50th trip around the sun with an epic, continental journey that takes us on a personal and collective discovery from the island of Zanzibar to the streets of Ghana, Namibia and South Africa!
Gabrielle Union: My Journey to 50
2023
A pilot for an unsold NBC series. A single woman with three children realizes that her family has lost sight of their values and gives up her career as a daytime-drama actress in New York to move back with her extended family on their Texas farm.
Sunday in Paris
1991


