Filmography
| Film | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
| 1978 | Remember My Name | Rita | ||
| 1979 | Freedom Road | Katie | ||
| 1980 | HealtH | Sally Benbow | ||
| 1981 | Sophisticated Gents, TheThe Sophisticated Gents | Evelyn Evers | ||
| 1982 | The Ambush Murders | Kariha Ellsworth | ||
| 1983 | Cross Creek | Geechee | ||
| 1986 | Extremities | Patricia | ||
| 1987 | Mandela | Winnie Mandela | ||
| 1987 | The Life Saver | Andrea Crawford | ||
| 1988 | Scrooged | Grace Cooley | ||
| 1989 | Miss Firecracker | Popeye Jackson | ||
| 1989 | A Mother's Courage: The Mary Thomas Story | Mary Thomas | ||
| 1990 | Blue Bayou | Jessica Filley | ||
| 1991 | Grand Canyon | Jane | ||
| 1991 | Pretty Hattie's Baby | Hattie | Unreleased | |
| 1992 | Passion Fish | Chantelle | ||
| 1992 | Gun in Betty Lou's Handbag, TheThe Gun in Betty Lou's Handbag | Attorney Ann Orkin | ||
| 1993 | Rich in Love | Rhody Poole | ||
| 1993 | Heart and Souls | Penny Washington | ||
| 1993 | Bopha! | Rosie Mangena | ||
| 1994 | Blue Chips | Lavada McRae | ||
| 1994 | Crooklyn | Carolyn Carmichael | ||
| 1995 | How to Make an American Quilt | |||
| 1995 | Piano Lesson, TheThe Piano Lesson | Berniece | ||
| 1996 | Star Trek: First Contact | Lily Sloane | ||
| 1996 | Gulliver's Travels | Queen of Brobdingnag | ||
| 1996 | Primal Fear | Judge Miriam Shoat | ||
| 1996 | Follow Me Home | Evey | ||
| 1996 | A Step Toward Tomorrow | Dr. Sandlin | ||
| 1997 | Cadillac Desert | Narrator | ||
| 1997 | Miss Evers' Boys | Eunice Evers | ||
| 1997 | Brave Little Toaster to the Rescue, TheThe Brave Little Toaster to the Rescue | Maise the Cat | ||
| 1997 | Member of the Wedding, TheThe Member of the Wedding | Berenice Sadie Brown | ||
| 1998 | Down in the Delta | Loretta Sinclair | ||
| 1999 | Funny Valentines | Joyce May | ||
| 1999 | The Wishing Tree | Clara Collier | ||
| 1999 | Mumford | Lily | ||
| 2000 | What's Cooking? | Audrey Williams | ||
| 2000 | Holiday Heart | Wanda | ||
| 2000 | Love & Basketball | Camille Wright | ||
| 2000 | Innovators | Herself as Host | ||
| 2000 | Dinosaur | Plio | Voice role | |
| 2001 | K-PAX | Claudia Villars | ||
| 2002 | Searching for Debra Winger | Herself | ||
| 2002 | Wild Thornberrys Movie, TheThe Wild Thornberrys Movie | Akela | ||
| 2003 | Singing Detective, TheThe Singing Detective | Chief of Staff | ||
| 2003 | Core, TheThe Core | Talma Stickley | ||
| 2003 | Unchained Memories | a reader of a WPA slave narrative. | ||
| 2003 | Radio | Principal Daniels | ||
| 2003 | Wrinkle in Time, AA Wrinkle in Time | Mrs. Whatsit | ||
| 2004 | Forgotten, TheThe Forgotten | Detective Anne Pope | ||
| 2005 | Beauty Shop | Miss Josephine | ||
| 2006 | Something New | Joyce McQueen | ||
| 2006 | Take the Lead | Principal Augustine James | ||
| 2007 | Pictures of Hollis Woods | Edna Reilly | ||
| 2008 | American Violet | Alma Roberts | ||
| 2008 | Family That Preys, TheThe Family That Preys | Alice Pratt | ||
| 2008 | AmericanEast | Angela Jensen | ||
| 2009 | Reach for Me | Evelyn | ||
| 2012 | Steel Magnolias | Ouiser | ||
| 2013 | Twelve Years a Slave | Harriet Shaw | ||
| Television | ||||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
| 1982–83 | Tucker's Witch | Marcia Fulbright | 12 episodes | |
| 1983 | Hill Street Blues | Doris Robson | 3 episodes | |
| 1985 | Sara | Rozalyn Dupree | 13 episodes | |
| 1985, 1988 | St. Elsewhere | Dr. Roxanne Turner | 13 episodes | |
| 1994 | Frasier | Edna | Episode: "The Botched Language of Cranes" | |
| 1998 | Homicide: Life on the Street | Dr. Roxanne Turner | Episode: "Mercy" | |
| 2003 | Practice, TheThe Practice | Denise Freeman | Episodes: "Final Judgement" and "Down the Hatch" | |
| 2005–06 | Desperate Housewives | Betty Applewhite | 26 episodes, Season 2, series regular | |
| 2008 | My Own Worst Enemy | Mavis Heller | 9 episodes | |
| 2009–10 | Three Rivers | Dr. Sophia Jordan | 12 episodes | |
| 2010, 2012 | True Blood | Ruby Jean Reynolds | 4 episodes | |
| 2010 | Black Panther | Dondi Reese, Queen Mother | ||
| 2010–2011 | Memphis Beat | Lt. Tanya Rice | 20 episodes | |
| 2011 | Grey's Anatomy | Justine Campbell | Episode: "Heart Shaped Box" | |
| 2012 | Private Practice | Dee Bennett | Episode: "The Next Episode" | |
Read more about this topic: Alfre Woodard