Alfre Woodard is an American actress, producer, and political activist. She has been nominated for four Academy Awards, four Golden Globe Awards, and has won a Critics' Choice Award and three Primetime Emmy Awards. Woodard began her career in theater before making her film debut in the 1982 comedy-drama film 'Cross Creek'. She has since starred in numerous films, including 'Miss Firecracker', 'Passion Fish', 'Star Trek: First Contact', and '12 Years a Slave'. Woodard is also known for her television roles, such as Dr. Roxanne Turner on the NBC medical drama 'St. Elsewhere' and as Matty Walker in the ABC primetime soap opera 'Desperate Housewives'.