Alfre Woodard acts.
Alfre Woodard . She also starred 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 . From 2005 to 2006 , Woodard starred as Betty Applewhite in the ABC comedy-drama series Desperate Housewives , and later starred in several short-lived series . She appeared in the films The Family That Preys ( 2008 ) , 12 Years a Slave ( 2013 ) and Annabelle ( 2014 ) , and has also worked as a political activist and producer .