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Tembi Locke
Tembi Locke on Book Mecca.jpg
Locke in 2019
Born
Tembekile Locke
Occupation Actress
Years active 1994–present
Spouse(s)
Saro Gullo
(m. 1995; died 2012)
Robert
(m. 2020)
Children 1
Relatives Attica Locke (sister)

Tembekile Locke is an American actress who has appeared in television shows and film. She is best known as Dr. Grace Monroe on Syfy's series Eureka and as Dr. Diana Davis in Sliders. Locke is also the author of the bestselling memoir, From Scratch, which was later adapted into a limited series by Netflix.

Life and career

Born to civil rights activist parents, she attended Alief Hastings High School in Houston. After high school, Locke lived for a time in Italy on a foreign exchange program. While there, she appeared several times on Italian television, including the Carnevale Di Venezia. After returning to the United States, she graduated with an art history degree from Wesleyan University, in Connecticut. She speaks fluent Italian.

Locke and her husband, Rosario "Saro" Gullo, a Sicilian chef, lived and worked in Los Angeles, California. He died in 2012 from cancer. They adopted a daughter Zoela, who was 7 at the time of his death. She is an urban homesteader, regularly growing produce on vacant lots in the city. Locke is a gourmet cook, and also enjoys hiking, running and fishing. She is involved in several social activism programs.

She married her partner Robert in 2020 whom she met in 2016.

Career

While in New York, Locke appeared in several off-Broadway productions,[dubious ] and landed a role on the long-running soap opera As The World Turns. Afterward, she moved to Los Angeles. Her prime-time television career began by playing one of Will Smith's love interests on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.

Locke has appeared in numerous television dramas, comedies, and films over the course of her career. She played Dr. Grace Monroe, a biotech specialist, on seasons four and five of Syfy's series EUReKA (2010–2012). She also starred as Dr. Diana Davis on season five of the Fox/Syfy show Sliders (1999–2000).

Locke's television work includes shows such as Castle, Bones, The Mentalist, Windfall, CSI: NY, and Beverly Hills, 90210. Her comedic turns include Friends, The Jamie Foxx Show, House of Payne, Like Family, and Raising Dad, among others. She has appeared in a number of movies made for television, including Black Widow, Final Approach and Born in the USA. In 2014, Locke appeared as Dr. Walcott in Dumb and Dumber To.

As of October 2018, her most recent work is in the second installment of Hulu original "Into the Dark" series. She plays the therapist in the episode Flesh & Blood.

Locke's memoir, From Scratch: A Memoir of Love, Sicily and Finding Home (published April 30, 2019), is about her romance with her Italian husband and her grief after his untimely death. From Scratch was later adapted by producer Reese Witherspoon and writer Marguerite MacIntyre into a limited series starring Zoe Saldana for Hello Sunshine, 3 Arts, Cinestar and Netflix.

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1996 Ringer Neely
1997 Steel Norma
1999 Unbowed Cleola
2003 Art of Revenge Isabel ‘Izzy’ Bloom Video
2010 Words Unspoken Nurse Euphoria Mayes Short
2011 Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star Guinness Woman
2014 Dumb and Dumber To Dr. Katie Walcott
2018 Collusions Regina Thomason
2019 The Obituary of Tunde Johnson Yomi Johnson

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1994 The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Valerie Johnson Episode: ″Grumpy Young Men″
1995 Hangin' with Mr. Cooper Mindy Episode: “One Is the Loneliest Number”
Me and the Boys Sheryl Episode: “The Age of Reason”
Night Stand Fran Episode: ″Athletes as Role Models”
1995–96 Beverly Hills, 90210 Lisa Dixon Recurring cast (season 6)
1996 Martin Linda Livingston Episode: “Kicked to the Curb”
Star Command Ens. Meg Dundee TV movie
In the House Shanna Episodes: “One Love″ & “This is a Test”
1997 Claude's Crib Kaylene Main cast
Hitz Lisa Episode: “Pilot”
The Wayans Bros. Donna Episode: “Pops’ Daughter”
1997–98 Michael Hayes Gina Episodes: “True Blue” & “Vaughn Mower”
1998 The Jamie Foxx Show Monique Episode: “Guess Who’s Not Coming to Dinner?″
1999 Friends Karin Episode: “The One Where Ross Hugs Rachel”
1999–00 Sliders Dr. Diana Davis Main cast (season 5)
2000 Bull - Episodes: “One Night in Bangkok” & “In the Black”
The Hughleys Myisha Episode: “Darryl’s Victory Tour”
2001 Blind Men - TV movie
2001–02 Raising Dad Vice Principal Liz Taylor Recurring cast
2002 One on One Dr. Tiddlehorn Episode: “Misery”
Prep - TV movie
2003 Touched by an Angel Amanda Episode: “And a Nightingale Sang”
The Division Nora Lowell AKA Vick Episode: “Misdirection”
Eve Cammie Episode: “The Talk”
2004 Like Family Ethel Recurring cast
The Bernie Mac Show Mrs. Melanie Diggs Episode: “Thanksgiving”
Quintuplets Jill Episode: “(Disdainfully) the Helbergs”
2005 Unscripted Olivia Ross Episodes “Episode #1.8” & “Episode #1.10”
2006 CSI: NY Ellen Fielding Episode: “Charge of the Post”
Windfall Addie Townsend Recurring cast
2007 The ½ Hour News Hour - Episode: “Town Hall: Identity Politics”
Born in the USA - TV movie
Final Approach Jackie Reynolds TV movie
2008 Black Widow Jill Keegan TV movie
House of Payne Lisa Episode: “Compromising Positions”
2009 The Mentalist Marshal Christy Knox Episode: “Red Sauce”
2010 Bones Marilyn Stoddard Episode: “The Predator in the Pool”
2010–12 Eureka Dr. Grace Monroe Main cast (seasons 4–5)
2012 Castle Beth Cabot Episode: “Secret Santa”
2014 NCIS Alice Kent Staley Episode: “The Searchers”
2015 Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Doctor Tembi Blaine Episode: “My First Thanksgiving with Josh!”
2015–16 The Magicians Dr. Jennifer London Episode: “Unauthorized Magic” & “The World in the Walls”
2016 12 Deadly Days Ms Whitmore Episode: “Singers Slaying”
2017 Private Dick Judy Episode: “Pilot”
Doubt Iris Taylor Episode: “Finally”
The Climb Babe TV movie
Animal Kingdom Monica Recurring cast (season 2)
S.W.A.T. Trisha Watson Episode: “Imposters”
2017–18 NCIS: Los Angeles Leigha Winters Episodes: “Mountebank” & “Vendetta”
2018 Into the Dark Dr. Helen Saunders Episode: “Flesh & Blood”
2019 Proven Innocent Vanessa Dale Recurring cast
2020, 2021, 2023 Never Have I Ever Elise Torres Recurring cast (season 1), guest (1 episode each, seasons 2, 4)
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