Merle Dandridge, born in Okinawa, Japan on May 31, is a Japanese actress who played the role of Rita Roosevelt on the FX original series Sons of Anarchy. Making her debut on the episode "Dorylus" in the series' fourth season, Merle plays the role of the wife of Eli Roosevelt. Playing a recurring role through the series' fourth and fifth seasons, Merle owned a florist shop in Charming, California, was on the committee to cancel the plans to build Charming Heights, and met her demise in the Season 5 episode "Small World".