Tembi Locke Explained

Tembi Locke
Spouse:
    Occupation:Actress
    Yearsactive:1994–present
    Children:1

    Tembi 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.[1]

    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.

    Locke and her husband, Rosario "Saro" Gullo, a Sicilian chef, lived and worked in Los Angeles, California. He died in 2012 from cancer.[2] She married her partner Robert in 2020 whom she met in 2016.[3]

    Career

    While in New York, Locke 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 EURKA (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, , 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.[4]

    Filmography

    Film

    YearTitleRoleNotes
    1996RingerNeely
    1997SteelNorma
    1999UnbowedCleola
    2003Art of RevengeIsabel ‘Izzy’ BloomVideo
    2010Words UnspokenNurse Euphoria MayesShort
    2011Guinness Woman
    2014Dumb and Dumber ToDr. Katie Walcott
    2018CollusionsRegina Thomason
    2019The Obituary of Tunde JohnsonYomi Johnson

    Television

    YearTitleRoleNotes
    1994The Fresh Prince of Bel-AirValerie JohnsonEpisode: ″Grumpy Young Men″
    1995Hangin' with Mr. CooperMindyEpisode: “One Is the Loneliest Number”
    Me and the BoysSherylEpisode: “The Age of Reason”
    Night StandFranEpisode: ″Athletes as Role Models”
    1995–96Beverly Hills, 90210Lisa DixonRecurring cast (season 6)
    1996MartinLinda LivingstonEpisode: “Kicked to the Curb”
    Star CommandEns. Meg DundeeTV movie
    In the HouseShannaEpisodes: “One Love″ & “This is a Test”
    1997Claude's CribKayleneMain cast
    HitzLisaEpisode: “Pilot”
    The Wayans Bros.DonnaEpisode: “Pops’ Daughter”
    1997–98Michael HayesGinaEpisodes: “True Blue” & “Vaughn Mower”
    1998The Jamie Foxx ShowMoniqueEpisode: “Guess Who’s Not Coming to Dinner?″
    1999FriendsKarinEpisode: “The One Where Ross Hugs Rachel”
    1999–00SlidersDr. Diana DavisMain cast (season 5)
    2000Bull-Episodes: “One Night in Bangkok” & “In the Black”
    The HughleysMyishaEpisode: “Darryl’s Victory Tour”
    2001Blind Men-TV movie
    2001–02Raising DadVice Principal Liz TaylorRecurring cast
    2002One on OneDr. TiddlehornEpisode: “Misery”
    Prep-TV movie
    2003Touched by an AngelAmandaEpisode: “And a Nightingale Sang”
    The DivisionNora Lowell AKA VickEpisode: “Misdirection”
    EveCammieEpisode: “The Talk”
    2004Like FamilyEthelRecurring cast
    The Bernie Mac ShowMrs. Melanie DiggsEpisode: “Thanksgiving”
    QuintupletsJillEpisode: “(Disdainfully) the Helbergs”
    2005UnscriptedOlivia Ross Episodes “Episode #1.8” & “Episode #1.10”
    2006Ellen FieldingEpisode: “Charge of the Post”
    WindfallAddie TownsendRecurring cast
    2007The ½ Hour News Hour-Episode: “Town Hall: Identity Politics”
    Born in the USA-TV movie
    Final ApproachJackie ReynoldsTV movie
    2008Black WidowJill KeeganTV movie
    House of PayneLisaEpisode: “Compromising Positions”
    2009The MentalistMarshal Christy KnoxEpisode: “Red Sauce”
    2010BonesMarilyn StoddardEpisode: “The Predator in the Pool”
    2010–12EurekaDr. Grace MonroeMain cast (seasons 4–5)
    2012CastleBeth CabotEpisode: “Secret Santa”
    2014NCISAlice Kent StaleyEpisode: “The Searchers”
    2015Crazy Ex-GirlfriendDoctor Tembi BlaineEpisode: “My First Thanksgiving with Josh!”
    2015–16The MagiciansDr. Jennifer LondonEpisode: “Unauthorized Magic” & “The World in the Walls”
    201612 Deadly DaysMs WhitmoreEpisode: “Singers Slaying”
    2017Private DickJudyEpisode: “Pilot”
    DoubtIris TaylorEpisode: “Finally”
    The ClimbBabeTV movie
    Animal KingdomMonicaRecurring cast (season 2)
    S.W.A.T.Trisha WatsonEpisode: “Imposters”
    2017–18Leigha WintersEpisodes: “Mountebank” & “Vendetta”
    2018Into the DarkDr. Helen SaundersEpisode: “Flesh & Blood”
    2019Proven InnocentVanessa DaleRecurring cast
    2020, 2021, 2023Never Have I EverElise TorresRecurring cast (season 1), guest (1 episode each, seasons 2, 4)

    Notes and References

    1. News: Vognar . Chris . 2022-10-20 . In ‘From Scratch,’ the Locke Sisters Tell a Story of Love, Loss and Food . en-US . The New York Times . 2022-10-20 . 0362-4331.
    2. Web site: Tembi Locke About . www.tembilocke.com . 2023-02-10.
    3. Pullar . Jess . Bradney-George . Amy . April 16, 2024 . Where Is Tembi Locke, The Woman Who Inspired Netflix’s ‘From Scratch’, Now? . marie claire . July 27, 2024 .
    4. Web site: Zoe Saldana to Star in Netflix Limited Series 'From Scratch' with Reese Witherspoon Producing (EXCLUSIVE) . variety.com . 7 November 2019 . 2023-02-10.