Essence Atkins
TV Actress
Dee Dee Thorne from Half & Half who also played Suzanne Kingston on the short-lived series Are We There Yet? and starred in NBC's Marlon. As a film actress, she made an appearance in the 2009 movie Dance Flick.
She had her first television acting role in a 1986 episode of The Cosby Show.
She has had film roles in Deliver Us From Eva and How High.
She got married to Jaime Mendez in 2009. The couple welcomed a son in 2011.
She played Tahj Mowry's on-screen older sister on the Disney series Smart Guy.