Alfre Woodard
Emmy Award-Winning Actress
Alfre Woodard
Emmy Award-Winning Actress
Biography
Alfre Woodard is an actor and producer whose illustrious body of work includes her Academy Award nominated performance in Martin Ritt’s CROSS CREEK; BAFTA Award nominated role in CLEMENCY; Steve McQueen’s 12 YEARS A SLAVE, HBO’s MANDELA; Lawrence Kasdan’s GRAND CANYON; John Sayles’ PASSION FISH; Joseph Sargent’s MISS EVERS’ BOYS, for which she won Emmy, SAG, and Golden Globe Awards; Spike Lee’s CROOKLYN; Gina Prince-Bythewood’s LOVE AND BASKETBALL; Tyler Perry’s THE FAMILY THAT PREYS; Maya Angelou’s DOWN IN THE DELTA; played Betty Applewhite on the ABC drama DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES and Ruby Jean Reynolds, mother to Lafayette Reynolds, on HBO’s TRUE BLOOD. Woodard co-starred in Lifetime’s hit remake of STEEL MAGNOLIAS, in which she was nominated for a SAG and Emmy Award and won an NAACP Image Award for her performance as Ouiser.
Woodard appeared as Dr. Cody in the Stephen King adaptation of SALEM’S LOT and in director Jeymes Samuel’s THE BOOK OF CLARENCE. She also starred in the Apple TV+ series SEE, opposite Jason Momoa, in the BET+ series THE PORTER and the Joe & Anthony Russo directed film THE GRAY MAN with Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans. She can currently be seen in the Apple TV+ drama series LAST FRONTIER with Jason Clarke and Dominic Cooper and in 2026, will star in the Duffer brothers’ Netflix Sci Fi series THE BOROUGHS with Geena Davis and Alfred Molina.
Other film appearances include the blockbusters THE LION KING, directed by Jon Favreau, as the voice of Sarabi, CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR and ANNABELLE for New Line. On the small screen, she starred as the fierce Mariah Dillard in MARVEL’S LUKE CAGE and in the Netflix original film FATHERHOOD, alongside Kevin Hart and as the title character in JUANITA, which she also developed and produced.
Woodard has been nominated for 17 Emmy Awards (winning four), seven SAG Awards (winning three), three Golden Globe Awards (winning one), 21 NAACP awards (winning nine), and three Independent Spirit Awards (winning one). She received a BAFTA award, a Gotham award, and an Independent Spirt Award nomination for her leading role in Neon’s CLEMENCY. Her performance in Martin Ritt’s CROSS CREEK earned her an Academy Award nomination.
She directed and produced NELSON MANDELA’S FAVORITE AFRICAN FOLKTALES, which garnered her a Grammy Award nomination for “Best Children’s Spoken Word Album”. It hosts a collaboration of talent both broad and diverse, featuring Matt Damon, Don Cheadle, Helen Mirren, Alan Rickman, and Samuel L. Jackson.
In addition to her acting career, Woodard is an influential activist, who for 25 years worked to support human rights, democracy, and the fight against HIV/AIDS in South Africa. In 2009, U.S. President Barack Obama appointed Woodard to the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities, where she helped establish the Turnaround Arts Initiative as a way to narrow the achievement gap and increase student engagement across the country. She also works in support of the Children's Defense Fund.
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