
Merritt Janson
Actor · b. 1978 · Yardley, Pennsylvania, USA
MERRITT JANSON is a New York based actor working across theater, television and film. Devoted to developing new work, Merritt has originated roles in Robert Woodruff's Notes From Underground and Autumn Sonata (Yale Rep, La Jolla, Theatre for a New Audience); Your Blues Ain’t Sweet Like Mine, created by Ruben Santiago-Hudson (Two River); Built with Robert O’Hara at 59E59, Jonathan Franzen’s House For Sale directed by Daniel Fish (Duke Theater, Transport Group); Lloyd Suh’s Great Wall Story (Denver Center); The Deception created by Dominique Serrand (La Jolla); and The Onion Cellar with Amanda Palmer and The Dresden Dolls at the American Repertory Theater. An Off-Broadway regular, Merritt has specialized in classical roles with Theater for a New Audience (Julius Caesar directed by Shana Cooper, Sir Michael Boyd's Tamburlaine the Great, and Measure for Measure directed by Simon Godwin); The Public (Richard II w/WNYC, A Midsummer Night’s Dream); Red Bull Theater (Coriolanus) and Shakespeare Theatre DC’s Othello. Over five seasons with Shakespeare & Company she played Miranda opposite Olympia Dukakis in The Tempest, Viola in Twelfth Night, Rosalind in As You Like It, Titania in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Desdemona in Othello opposite John Douglas Thompson. Other works include the title role in The Wilma’s Eurydice directed by Blanka Zizka, American Repertory Theater’s Britannicus directed by Robert Woodruff, Paradise Lost directed by Daniel Fish and HVSF’s Mr. Burns, A Post-Electric Play, directed by Davis McCallum. She can be found regularly onscreen most recently appearing on “Law & Order” (NBC Universal); “Dexter: New Blood” (Showtime), “Elementary” (CBS), “Billions” (Showtime), “Quantico” (ABC), and “Madam Secretary” (CBS). Merritt also plays music. Her style and composition are rooted in early American blues and her primary instruments are finger-style guitar, piano and tenor banjo. She has used this skill in several productions, most recently in TFANA’s Measure for Measure. Merritt holds an MFA in Acting from ART/MXAT at Harvard University.
Series8
TV7.3CrimeDramaIn cases ripped from the headlines, police investigate serious and often deadly crimes, weighing the evidence and questioning the suspects until someone is taken into custody. The district attorney's office then builds a case to convict the perpetrator by proving the person guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Working together, these expert teams navigate all sides of the complex criminal justice system to make New York a safer place.
Law & Order
1990 · 729 votes
TV7.6DramaMysteryA modern-day drama about a crime-solving duo that cracks the NYPD's most impossible cases. Following his fall from grace in London and a stint in rehab, eccentric Sherlock escapes to Manhattan where his wealthy father forces him to live with his worst nightmare - a sober companion, Dr. Watson.
Elementary
2012 · 1.9K votes
TV7.6CrimeDramaThe Fugitive Task Force relentlessly tracks and captures the notorious criminals on the Bureau's Most Wanted list. Seasoned agents oversee the highly skilled team that functions as a mobile undercover unit that is always out in the field, pursuing those who are most desperate to elude justice.
FBI: Most Wanted
2020 · 450 votes
TV7.8DramaShrewd, savvy U.S. Attorney Chuck Rhoades and the brilliant, ambitious hedge fund king Bobby "Axe" Axelrod are on an explosive collision course, with each using all of his considerable smarts, power and influence to outmaneuver the other. The stakes are in the billions in this timely, provocative series.
Billions
2016 · 1.1K votes
TV7.0DramaWar & PoliticsAfter years away from the CIA, Elizabeth McCord is pulled back into the political arena. The newly appointed Secretary of State is tough, fair, and smart, driving international diplomacy, wrangling office politics, and circumventing protocol as she negotiates global and domestic issues, both at the White House and at home.
Madam Secretary
2014 · 347 votes
TV6.5CrimeDramaA diverse group of recruits has arrived at the FBI Quantico Base for training. They are the best, the brightest and the most vetted, so it seems impossible that one of them is suspected of masterminding the biggest attack on New York City since 9/11.
Quantico
2015 · 734 votes
TV7.9DramaCrime10 years after Dexter went missing in the eye of Hurricane Laura, we find him living under an assumed name in the small town of Iron Lake, New York. Dexter may be embracing his new life, but in the wake of unexpected events in this close-knit community, his Dark Passenger beckons.
Dexter: New Blood
2021 · 1.7K votes
TV6.9DramaWar & PoliticsA former U.S. President is called out of retirement to find the source of a deadly cyberattack, only to discover a vast web of lies and conspiracies.
Zero Day
2025 · 502 votes
Movies1
Movie5.5ComedyTiffany "Rex" Simpson has always dreamed of going to space, and her "doctored" application lands her in NASA's ultra-competitive astronaut training program. In over her head, can this Florida girl rely on her quick wits, moxie and determination to get through training and into the cosmos before she blows her cover?
Space Cadet
2024 · 309 votes