S. Epatha Merkerson

Campaign spokeswoman S. Epatha (pronounced "E-pay-tha") Merkerson is best known for her role as ‘Lt. Anita Van Buren’ on the Emmy Award-winning NBC crime/drama series "Law & Order."

But Ms. Merkerson, a former smoker, also has played an active role helping America’s kids fight tobacco. She works diligently to persuade state lawmakers all over the country to dedicate a portion of their tobacco settlement funds to teen smoking prevention programs. She starred in and narrated a Campaign video, Saving Lives, designed to help advocates nationwide fight for programs that protect kids from tobacco. She emceed the Campaign’s 1998 Youth Advocates of the Year Awards gala, at which the nation’s top youth tobacco control advocates were honored for their achievements. And in 1999, she joined the Board of the Campaign.

Ms. Merkerson’s additional television credits include a starring role in the USA original, "An Unexpected Life," and series regular roles on "Peewee’s Playhouse" (as ‘Reba, the Mail Lady"), Dick Wolf’s "Mann and Machine," and the comedy series "Here & Now." Additionally, Merkerson has starred in the telefilms, "Breaking Through," Hallmark’s "A Place for Annie," and "A Mother’s Prayer."

Merkerson’s feature credits include teasing Gene Hackman in "Loose Cannons," mourning for her lost love in "Navy SEALs," seducing Tim Robbins in "Jacob’s Ladder," and screaming for dear life in "Terminator 2."

Merkerson has won outstanding critical acclaim for her multifaceted work in theatre. Born and raised in Michigan, Merkerson attend Wayne State University and graduated with a BFA degree. She and her husband, Toussaint L. Jones, divide their time between New York City and Maryland.

ur Ambassadors are popular young celebrities, but they also have a lot in common with you. For one thing, they don’t think tobacco companies should be allowed to use cool-looking and misleading ads to trick kids into smoking -- a deadly habit they know kids will have a hard time breaking later.

As Ambassadors, their job is to encourage kids to get involved in the war on tobacco by assisting youth anti-smoking groups around the country and by working with the Campaign on various initiatives.

In this section, you can learn more about who our Ambassadors are and what they like to do when they’re not working on the set or busy Kicking Butts.

Larisa Oleynik

The star of Nickelodeon’s "The Secret World of Alex Mack" got her start in show business when she was just 8 years old, by answering a newspaper ad looking for actors for the musical "Les Miserables." Her first part was actually two parts: sometimes she played Young Cosette, and other times she played Young Eponine.

"Ris" or "Rissy," as she’s known to her friends, is from outside San Francisco. She’s 18 years old and has no brothers or sisters, but she does have a cat named "Tigger." Like other kids, Larisa enjoys hanging out with her friends and listening to music.

Most recently, Larisa starred in the movie, "10 Things I Hate About You," and has guest starred on "Third Rock from the Sun." You may also remember seeing Larisa in "The Babysitter’s Club," or on "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman." She was also the voice behind the animated character Odette in the movie "The Swan Princess." And, if you enjoy Tiger Beat magazine, you may have read her monthly advice column.

In "Boy Meets World," Rider plays the part of Shawn Hunter. In real life, he’s friends with Larisa Oleynik, whom he met when they were both in the musical "Les Miserables." He was just nine years old when he got that part (he played Gavroche). Now he’s 20.

Rider loves the outdoors, which is a good thing, since he grew up in the Redwood forest in northern California. He likes to go backpacking, swimming and roller-blading. His favorite hobby is whitewater rafting with his brother, Shiloh, and his parents, King and Lin.

Rider also likes to read and work on computers. He got hooked on show business after he and Shiloh produced their own home movies, spinning tales of super heroes, detectives and ghosts. Someday, he wants to write a script for a feature film or direct a movie.

Before "Boy Meets World," you might have seen Rider on TV shows such as "Evening Shade," in which he played a recurring role, or "Home Improvement," "Empty Nest" and "Going Places," in which he sometimes guest-starred. He also played the role of Julie Andrews’ son in the short-lived series, "Julie," and appeared in the movie "Benefit of the Doubt" with Donald Sutherland and Amy Irving.