Merle Dandridge is currently starring as Seattle’s first female fire chief, Natasha Ross, in ABC’s “Station 19. ” Last year, Merle reprised her role of Marlene, leader of the fireflies in the HBO adaptation of “The Last of Us”, based on Naughty Dog's video game of the same name and finished a 2 season arc as Zarina Killebrew in Apple TV+’s “Truth Be Told”. Merle starred also as the lead character, Grace Greenleaf, in Oprah Winfrey’s hit series “Greenleaf” which ran for five seasons. Other television includes HBO’s “The Flight Attendant”, FX’s “Sons of Anarchy,” CW’s “Starcrossed,” and NBC’s “The Night Shift.”

In the video game space, she is known for Naughty Dog’s “The Last of Us” and “The Last of Us Part II” as Marlene, the leader of Fireflies, Evelyn and the Nun in “Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End,” Legion Commander and Winter Wyvern in “Dota 2,” Alyx Vance in “Half-Life 2,” and Katherine Collins in “Everybody’s Gone To The Rapture” for which she won the 2016 BAFTA for “Best Performer.”

Born in Japan, raised in Nebraska, and schooled in Chicago at Roosevelt University, Dandridge began her acting career with leading roles on Broadway in Spamalot (Lady of the Lake), Rent (Joanne), Aida (Aida), Tarzan (Kala) and Jesus Christ Superstar. More recently, Merle took on the role of Pharaoh in Lincoln Center’s presentation of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. She was also the first woman to play the role of Papa Ge in the Tony Award-winning Broadway revival of Ahrens and Flaherty’s Once on This Island, which received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Musical Theater Album. Last year the critics praised her for her star turn as Desiree Armfeldt in Pasadena Playhouse’s lauded production of A Little Night Music. She has toured the U.S. and Europe six times and has been featured in several regional theatre productions (including multiple stints at The Geffen and Pasadena Playhouse). She has also performed at The Hollywood Bowl, Boston Pops, and at Royal Albert Hall.

Merle serves on the Board of Directors of The Geffen Playhouse and Harvest Home, which provides housing and holistic support to homeless pregnant women. www.harvesthomela.org