Alfre Woodard facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Alfre Woodard
Woodard at the 19th Screen Actors Guild Awards in 2013
Born	(1952-11-08) November 8, 1952 (age 72) Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S.
Education	Boston University (BFA)
Occupation	Actress producer
Years active	1973–present
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Roderick Spencer ​ (m. 1983)​
Children	2
Awards	Full list

Alfre Woodard (born November 8, 1952) is a famous American actress and producer. She is known for playing strong and inspiring characters in movies, on television, and on stage. Throughout her career, she has won many awards, including four Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and three Screen Actors Guild Awards.

Woodard has also been nominated for an Academy Award and a BAFTA Award. In 2020, The New York Times named her one of "The 25 Greatest Actors of the 21st Century." She is also a board member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the group that gives out the Oscars.

Some of her most well-known movies include Cross Creek (1983), Star Trek: First Contact (1996), 12 Years a Slave (2013), and Clemency (2019). She was also the voice of Sarabi in the 2019 version of The Lion King.

On television, she is famous for her roles in shows like St. Elsewhere, Desperate Housewives, and the Marvel series Luke Cage. Besides acting, Woodard is a political activist who works to support important causes.

Early Life and School

Alfre Woodard was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Her mother, Constance, was a homemaker, and her father, Marion, was a businessman and interior designer. She is the youngest of three children. In high school, she was a cheerleader.

Woodard went to Bishop Kelley High School, a private school in Tulsa, and graduated in 1970. She then studied acting at Boston University and earned a degree in Fine Arts.

Acting Career

Getting Started in the 1970s

Woodard began her acting career in 1974 on stage in Washington, D.C. Her big break came in 1977 with the Off-Broadway play For Colored Girls.... The next year, she appeared in her first movie, Remember My Name. She also starred in a TV film called The Trial of the Moke with Samuel L. Jackson.

Success in the 1980s

Woodard with her husband Roderick Spencer at the 1987 Emmy Awards.

In 1983, Woodard starred in the movie Cross Creek. Her performance was so good that she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. That same year, she won her first Emmy Award for her role in the TV drama Hill Street Blues.

She became well-known for her role as Dr. Roxanne Turner in the medical drama St. Elsewhere from 1985 to 1986. She starred alongside actor Denzel Washington. Her work on the show earned her two Emmy nominations.

In 1987, she played Winnie Mandela in the HBO movie Mandela. To prepare for the role, she studied news clips to get Mandela's accent just right. She also appeared in comedy movies like Scrooged (1988) and Miss Firecracker (1989).

Movie and TV Roles in the 1990s

Woodard at a rally during the Democratic National Convention in 2008.

In the 1990s, Woodard starred in many popular films. In 1992, she received great reviews for her role as a nurse in the movie Passion Fish. For this role, she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award.

She also appeared in the fantasy film Heart and Souls (1993) with Robert Downey, Jr.. In 1994, she had a leading role in the movie Crooklyn, directed by Spike Lee.

In 1996, she played two memorable roles. She was Judge Miriam Shoat in the crime movie Primal Fear and played Lily Sloane in the science fiction film Star Trek: First Contact. Her performance in Star Trek was highly praised by critics.

Woodard also had great success on television during this time. She won a Screen Actors Guild Award for the TV film The Piano Lesson. In 1997, she won an Emmy and a Golden Globe for her leading role in the HBO movie Miss Evers' Boys.

A New Century of Roles

In the 2000s, Woodard continued to act in a variety of movies. She appeared in the romantic drama Love & Basketball (2000), the science fiction film K-PAX (2001), and the comedy Beauty Shop (2005). She also did voice work for the Walt Disney animated movie Dinosaur.

From 2005 to 2006, she joined the cast of the hit TV show Desperate Housewives as Betty Applewhite. Her character was part of a major mystery in the show's second season. Her performance earned her another Emmy nomination.

She also starred in the Tyler Perry movie The Family That Preys (2008). Critics praised her performance, saying she was the best part of the film.

Recent Work in the 2010s and Beyond

Woodard at the premiere of 12 Years a Slave at the 2013 Toronto Film Festival.

From 2010 to 2011, Woodard starred in the TV series Memphis Beat. She also had a recurring role on the HBO show True Blood, which earned her another Emmy nomination. In 2012, she starred in the Lifetime remake of Steel Magnolias, which was a huge success.

In 2013, she appeared in the Oscar-winning film 12 Years a Slave. Even though her role was small, her performance was very powerful.

From 2016 to 2018, she played the character Mariah Dillard in the Netflix series Luke Cage. This was her second role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as she also had a small part in the movie Captain America: Civil War (2016).

In 2019, she voiced Sarabi in the new version of The Lion King. That same year, she starred in the drama film Clemency as a prison warden. Her performance received amazing reviews and a nomination for a BAFTA Award.

More recently, she starred with Kevin Hart in the Netflix movie Fatherhood (2021) and appeared in the action film The Gray Man (2022). In 2024, she starred in the comedy Summer Camp with Diane Keaton and Kathy Bates.

Personal Life and Activism

Woodard speaks for Barack Obama in New Philadelphia, Ohio in 2008.

Woodard lives in Santa Monica, California, with her husband, writer Roderick Spencer. They have two children, Mavis and Duncan.

She is also a dedicated activist. In 1989, she helped start Artists for a New South Africa. This organization works to support democracy and equality in South Africa and has raised millions of dollars for healthcare.

Woodard is active in politics and has supported the Democratic Party. She campaigned for Barack Obama in the 2008 and 2012 presidential elections. She also supports rights for the LGBT community.

In 2015, she appeared on the TV show Who Do You Think You Are? and learned about her family history. She discovered that her great-grandfather was born into slavery but was able to register to vote and buy his own land after the Civil War.

Awards and Recognition

Alfre Woodard has received many awards for her acting. She has won four Primetime Emmy Awards, which ties the record for the most acting Emmys won by an African-American performer. She has also won a Golden Globe Award and three Screen Actors Guild Awards.

She has been nominated for an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, and two Grammy Awards. Her amazing career shows her talent and her impact on film and television.

Images for kids

• 

  Woodard at Johnson C. Smith University in 2012.

Filmography

A full list of Alfre Woodard's movies and TV shows is very long. Below are some of her most notable works.

Film

Television