Alfre Woodard is a performer.
Alfre Woodard ( born November 8 , 1952 ) is an American film , stage , and television actress , producer , and political activist . After her breakthrough role in the Off-Broadway play For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf ( 1977 ) , she made her film debut in Remember My Name ( 1978 ) . 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 . She also drew critical praise for her performances in the independent dramas Passion Fish ( 1992 ) , for which she won an Independent Spirit Award and was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress , as well as Down in the Delta ( 1998 ) .