Epatha Merkerson Law & Order television appearance is no more. The actress has left the NBC television series after 16 years. She says it was the end of her contract this year.

“It’s the end of my contract this year, and the storyline has been so perfect. I’ve given it my best for 16 years. It’s time to move on. I’m doing other things and this will be a great way to leave what has been an extraordinary gig,” she said in a statement.

Merkerson was one of the Law & Order originals. She has been on the show for so long that it will be difficult to image the casting photos without her. However, the actress admits that she made her decision to leave the NBC television series last year.

“I just looked at the things that I’ve been doing, and the show takes a lot of commitment. And I just feel like I wanted to do some other things,” the actress said. She joined the TV show in 1993. Merkerson appeared in more than 380 Law & Order episodes.

She plays Lieutenant Anita Van Buren on the show. The story line has taken a personal turn as she battles cancer, which may figure into Merkerson’s departure. The actress recently stated that the network will remove the character with dignity.

S. Epatha Merkerson has won several awards that include American Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild, NAACP Image Award and an Emmy Award. She has also received two Tony Award nominations. Believe it or not, her first role was “Reba the Mail Lady” on “Pee Wee’s Playhouse” in the 1980s.

“It was one of those wild things where I went to audition. And I thought I was funny and the person I auditioned for didn’t, and so I had blown the job, and I guess weeks later they got new casting people,” Merkerson said in a statement. She also said there were times she couldn’t get through the show without laughing, “I didn’t know who Pee-wee Herman was, so if, you know, for fans of the show, if they watch like the first episode that I ever did, I think it was a big party, and he just kept making me laugh because I had never seen the character before.”

It was her supervisor role as Lt. Anita Van Buren on Law & Order that made her famous. It is NBC’s longest running television crime drama show. She was also the longest cast member on the TV series.

Merkerson was formerly married to Toussaint L. Jones. She lives in the Harlem section of New York City. Her brother, Barrie Merkerson, currently works as an attorney for the city of Detroit.

Merkerson is an outspoken advocate against smoking and for lung cancer research and awareness. She had a 23-year addiction to smoking but quit when she woke up one morning unable to breathe. Until May 2007, she sat on the Board of Directors of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.

For her role as Van Buren on Law & Order, she wears a wig. Her real hair is made up in short locks. The TV actress decided to wear the wig in an effort to be more like the character she was playing.

In December 2008, she was sued for $222,908.40 by the Gersh Agency. The talent agency claimed she had an oral agreement with Merkerson. The agreement was based on a 10 percent commission rate.