Alfre Woodard

Alfre Woodard (born November 8, 1952) is an American actress.

Known for portraying strong-willed and dignified roles on stage and screen, she has received various accolades, including four Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and three Screen Actors Guild Awards as well as nominations for an Academy Award, BAFTA Award, and two Grammy Awards.

Woodard attended Bishop Kelley High School, a private Catholic school in Tulsa, graduating from there in 1970.

She studied drama at Boston University, from which she graduated.

Woodard made her professional theater debut in 1974 on Washington, D.C.'s Arena Stage.

On off-Broadway, she performed in the play So Nice, They Named it Twice at The Public Theater in early 1976.

In 1976, she moved to Los Angeles, California.

She later said, "When I came to L.A., people told me there were no film roles for black actors. I'm not a fool. I know that. But I was always confident that I knew my craft."

After her breakthrough role in the Off-Broadway play For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide / When the Rainbow Is Enuf (1977).

Her breakthrough role was in the Off-Broadway play For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf in 1977.

The next year, Woodard made her film debut in Remember My Name, a thriller written and directed by Alan Rudolph.

In the same year, she had a leading role in The Trial of the Moke, a Great Performances television film co-starring Samuel L. Jackson.

In 1980, Woodard had a role in the ensemble comedy film Health directed by Robert Altman.

She later appeared in the NBC miniseries The Sophisticated Gents, and had a regular role alongside Catherine Hicks and Tim Matheson in the short-lived comedy-drama Tucker's Witch (1982–83).

She received an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress nomination for her role in Cross Creek (1983).

Later in 1983, Woodard starred opposite Mary Steenburgen in the biography drama film Cross Creek directed by Martin Ritt.

For her performance in the film, she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.

Later in 1983, Woodard won her first Primetime Emmy Award in the Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series category for her three-episode arc as Doris Robson in the NBC critically acclaimed serial drama Hill Street Blues.

Her next television role was on the short-lived NBC sitcom Sara starring Geena Davis.

In the next few years, Woodard received critical acclaim for her lead performances in a number of made-for-television films.

She's received four Primetime Emmy Awards for her roles in the NBC drama series Hill Street Blues in 1984, the NBC series L.A. Law in 1987, the HBO film Miss Evers' Boys (1997), and The Practice in 2003.

She was nominated for Primetime Emmy Awards for her roles in the films Words by Heart (1985), Unnatural Causes (1986), and A Mother's Courage: The Mary Thomas Story (1989).

From 1985 to 1986, she also was a regular cast member of the NBC medical drama St. Elsewhere.

She played the role of Dr. Roxanne Turner, a strong doctor and the love interest of the Denzel Washington character.

Woodard gained prominence for her television role as Dr. Roxanne Turner in the NBC medical drama St. Elsewhere, for which she was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series in 1986, and for Guest Actress in 1988.

In 1986, Woodard starred opposite Farrah Fawcett in the drama film Extremities, which was based on the 1982 Off-Broadway play by William Mastrosimone.

She won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for her performance as a woman dying of leukemia in the pilot episode of the NBC drama series L.A. Law.

She left the show after a single season and guest-starred in 1988.

Woodard's notable films include Grand Canyon (1991), Passion Fish (1992), Heart and Souls (1993), Crooklyn (1994), How to Make an American Quilt (1995), Primal Fear (1996), Star Trek: First Contact (1996), Down in the Delta (1998), 12 Years a Slave (2013), and Juanita (2019).

From 2005 to 2006, Woodard starred as Betty Applewhite in the ABC comedy-drama series Desperate Housewives.

In the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) she portrayed the "Black" Mariah Dillard Stokes in the Netflix series Luke Cage (2016–2018).

She is also known for her work as a political activist and producer.

Woodard is a founder of Artists for a New South Africa, an organization devoted to advancing democracy and equality in that country.

Woodard was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma to Constance, a homemaker, and Marion H. Woodard, an entrepreneur and interior designer.

She is the youngest of three children and was a cheerleader in high school.

She earned a BAFTA Award for Best Actress nomination for her role in Clemency (2019).

She voiced Sarabi in The Lion King (2019).

In 2020, The New York Times ranked her as one of "The 25 Greatest Actors of the 21st Century".

She is a board member of Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Woodard began her acting career in theater.