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Tonye T. Patano
Tonye T. Patano
	Patano in 2011
Born	October 16, 1961 (age 63)
Nationality	American
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1984–present

Tonye T. Patano (born October 16, 1961)^{[citation needed]} is an American actress. She may be best known as Heylia James on the television series Weeds.

She has appeared in television shows such as Law & Order, Sex and the City, Monk and Third Watch. Patano was in the original cast of the Broadway play, 45 Seconds from Broadway by Neil Simon.

Career

Film and television

Patano's first screen role was in the 1984 television film The Jesse Owens Story. She has appeared on several television series in guest roles, including Sex and the City,^[1] Monk, Third Watch, Curb Your Enthusiasm and Elementary. Patano has played various characters throughout the Law & Order franchise.

She appeared as Carolyn in Highway Heartbreaker (1992),^[2] and had a small role in A Price Above Rubies (1998).^[3] Other film work includes Little Manhattan^[4] and The Great New Wonderful, both released in 2005.^[5]

In 2005, Patano landed the role of Heylia James,^[6] a marijuana dealer, on Weeds.^[7] She received a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series alongside her Weeds co-stars in 2006.^[8] Two years later, Patano earned an NAACP Image Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series as Heylia.^[9] Patano left the series at the conclusion of its third season, later returning in season 7 on a recurring basis.

Following Weeds, she portrayed Emily in Hallmark movie Loving Leah (2009).^[10] Patano was Beverly, a counselor, in A Vigilante (2018).^[11] She played a probation officer in drama Jack of the Red Hearts (2015).^[12]

Stage

Patano portrayed Nurse O'Neil in a 1997 production of The Sunshine Boys at the George Street Playhouse. One reviewer claimed she was "excellent" in the role.^[13] In 2000, she received a Connecticut Critics Circle Award for best ensemble after acting in From the Mississippi Delta.^[14] Patano appeared on Broadway as Ms. Gravátt in 45 Seconds from Broadway (2001).^[15]

She played the role of brothel owner Mama Nadi in Ruined for the Huntington Theater.^[16] Her performance in this production received positive reception, with one critic calling her "delightful" and "magnetic."^[17] Another found her superb in the role of Mama Nadi.^[18]

Personal life

At age 35, she was diagnosed with diabetes, and she suffered a stroke in 2005.^[19]

Filmography

Films

Year	Film	Role	Awards
1984	The Jesse Owens Story	Laverne Owens
1992	Highway Heartbreaker	Carolyn
1994	Fresh	Girl #2
1998	A Price Above Rubies	Earring woman
1999	The Hurricane	Woman at prison
2004	Messengers	Linda Mabry
2004	Imaginary Heroes	Big Mean Teacher	Voice role
2005	Room	Homeless woman
2005	The Great New Wonderful	Shirley
2005	The Thing About My Folks	Nurse
2005	Little Manhattan	Birdie
2007	The Savages	Mrs. Robinson
2007	Trainwreck: My Life as an Idiot	Mrs. Shelby
2009	The Taking of Pelham 123	Regina
2009	Loving Leah	Emily	TV movie
2009	Bunker Hill	Nurse Evans	TV movie
2009	Come What May	Thema
2010	The Company Men	Joyce Robertson
2010	Ponies	Cashier
2014	The David Dance	Mrs. P.
2014	Every Secret Thing	Clarice
2014	Time Out of Mind	Ms. Jackson
2015	Jack of the Red Hearts	Miz
2017	Roxanne Roxanne	Ms. Denise
2018	A Vigilante	Beverly
2020	Topside	Violet
2023	Eileen	Mrs. Stevens

Television

Year	Series	Role	Episodes
1996	New York Undercover	Mrs. Samuels	Episode 3.01: "A Time of Faith (Part 1)"
2000	Now and Again	Jimmy's Mom	Episode 1.17: "Boy Wonder"
2000, 2003, 2009–12; 2022	Law & Order: Special Victims Unit	Ann, Sally, Judge Maskin	9 episodes
2001	Deadline	Nurse Alice	Episode 1.08: "The Undesirables"
2003	Sex and the City	Ruby	Episode 6.11: "The Domino Effect"
2003	Hope & Faith	Receptionist	Episode 1.07: "Car Commercial"
2004	Law & Order	Feldman	Episode 14.11: "Darwinian"
2004	Monk	Woman on the Train	Episode 3.01: "Mr. Monk Takes Manhattan"
2005	Third Watch	Danielle	Episode 6.18: "Too Little Too Late"
2005–2008, 2011	Weeds	Heylia James	38 episodes
2006–2009	Handy Manny	Mrs. Thompson	Voice role
2008	Eli Stone	Judge Flora Simms	2 episodes
2009–12	One Life to Live	Phylicia Evans	Recurring; Beginning from September 10, 2009
2011	Curb Your Enthusiasm	Board Member #2	Episode 8.10: "Larry vs. Michael J. Fox"
2013	The Americans	Viola	Episodes 1.02: "The Clock" and 1.12: "The Oath"
2016	The Blacklist	Judy Sickler	Episode 3.14: "Lady Ambrosia"
2016	Elementary	Dolores Murphy	Episode 5.03: "Render, and Then Seize Her"
2017	Sneaky Pete	Libby Metzger	Episodes 1.02: "Safe" and 1.03: "Ms. Success"
2018	Younger	Akilah	Episode 5.07: "A Christmas Miracle"
2019	SMILF	Aunt Valerie	Episode 2.07: "Smile More if Lying Fails"
2019	Madam Secretary	Verline Grant	Episode 5.17: "The Common Defense"
2021-2023	FBI: Most Wanted	Susan Barnes	4 episodes