Alfre Woodard acts.
Alfre Woodard ( born November 8 , 1952 ) is an American film , stage , and television actress , producer , and political activist . Woodard began her acting career in theater . 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 .