Essence Atkins, an actress featured on UPN sitcom Half and Half and WB’s Smart Guy, is getting married in a few weeks to a guy she met online. Essence initially didn’t post a photo of herself in order to ensure that she wasn’t recognized, and she contacted her future husband when results showed they were 97% compatible:

When it comes to Internet dating, you never know if the other person is gonna be a plumber, an actress or someone who wants you to put the lotion in the basket — but one lucky man found himself an actress … and he’s about to put a ring on it.

We’ve learned a guy named Jaime Mendez hit the Internet hookup jackpot when he met actress Essence Atkins — who started her career on “The Cosby Show” — on Match.com back in February 2008.

Essence tells us she liked the website because she didn’t have to post a picture of herself — and ended up sending Jamie a message on Valentine’s Day because they were 97% compatible.

The two were engaged one year later and are set to get hitched on Sept 26.

Beat that, eHarmony.

[From TMZ]

In terms of other future husbands initially not knowing that their dates are actresses, I love the story of how A.J. Langer, (Rayanne Graff on My So Called Life) met her future husband, a real-life English Lord and son of an Earl, in a bar in Vegas. He also happens to be a practicing lawyer, which makes him a doubly-good catch. Langer quipped “He didn’t know I was an actress. I didn’t know he had a castle.” Langer, 35, and her husband of five years, Lord Charles Peregrine Courtenay, have been married five years and have two children together, daughter Joscelyn, two and a half, and son Jack, three weeks.

My husband and I sometimes tell acquaintances we met “through friends,” but we usually admit to good friends that we met through Match.com. We’ve been married almost five years and have a son together. I can’t recommend online dating enough – you have to be careful and trust your instincts, but it’s a very targeted way to meet someone in your area who shares your values and is also looking for a longterm relationship. Congratulations to Essence and Jaime and best wishes for a lifetime of happiness together! Oh – and in terms of eHarmony I’ve heard some people say it’s good at filtering out people who aren’t committed to filling out a million forms, but I thought it was completely worthless. Maybe I’m one of those people who can’t be bothered answering so many questionnaires, and it’s possible it’s improved in the years since I used it.

So who else would benefit from some down low use of online dating services? A few single actresses and actors do come to mind.

Essence Atkins is shown at the premiere of Dance Flick on 5/20/09. I’m not sure if that’s her fiance or not. Credit: PRPhotos. Photo of Essence’s engagement ring credit: WENN.com/Fayes Vision