Actress S. Epatha Merkerson stars in an HBO film, Lackawanna Blues, a love story in a bygone era This video clip is from an interview with the award-winning actress S. Epatha Merkerson that What's The 411TV correspondent, Diana Blain, conducted on the red carpet for the premiere of Lackawanna Blues, on a very cold winter evening in February. Ms. Merkerson is responding to a question where she reflects on a time period from a bygone era. Ms. Merkerson won several awards for the role of Rachel "Nanny" Crosby, including a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie and a NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special. Ms. Merkerson appeared in 391 episodes of the long-running NBC police procedural drama series Law & Order—more than any other cast member. Ms. Merkerson's character, as NYPD Lieutenant Anita Van Buren, is also the longest-running African-American character in the history of primetime television.