Miss Evers’ Boy

Background:

“I’m a mom and a wife. That’s what I do in the world. That’s my identity. Second, I’m an actor.” Alfre Woodard

Award-winning actress Alfre Woodard reached the zenith of her victorious career after portraying nurse Eunice Evers in the TV docudrama about a government’s erroneous experiment, Miss Evers’ Boys (1997), in which she harvested a number of awards, including an Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award. Her proud journey onscreen began in 1983 with the Oscar-nominated portrayal of Geechee in the biopic Cross Creek and the Emmy-winning guest performance as Doris Robson in “Hill Street Blues.” The actress also won two other Emmy Awards for her magnetic acting in the pilot for the NBC drama series “L.A. Law” (1985, as rape victim Adrianne Moore) and the acclaimed legal series “The Practice” (2003, guest starred as Denise Freeman), as well as two other Screen Actors Guild Awards, seven NAACP Image Awards, and a Women in Film’s Crystal Award.

The six-time Emmy nominee also presented beautiful acting in the drama series “St. Elsewhere” (1985-1988, as Dr. Roxanne Turner), the TV biopic A Mother’s Courage: The Mary Thomas Story (1989), The Wishing Tree (1989), Radio (2003) and the TV drama The Water Is Wide (2006). Currently, Woodard is working on the acclaimed series “Desperate Housewives” (2005-current) with the supporting role of Betty Applewhite.

Outside her luminous screen career, Woodard is the co-founder of Artists to Free South Africa, which she formed in 1989. As a supporter of the South Africa’s welfare, in 1993, she attended Nelson Mandela’s inauguration. As for her family life, she now lives in Santa Monica with husband Roderick Spencer and their two adopted children.


Mother & Wife

Childhood and Family:

Alfre Woodard was born on November 8, 1952, in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Her mother is Constance Woodard. She caught the acting bug after joining a school play while studying at the Bishop Kelley High School. Relocating to Massachusetts, she studied theater at Boston University’s School of Fine Arts. Right after graduation, Alfre engaged herself in a stage production in Washington, D.C.

She is married to writer Roderick Spencer, whom she wed in 1983. The couple now resides in Santa Monica with their two adopted children, Mavis and Duncan.


Betty Applewhite

Career:

Alfre Woodard made her first professional stage debut with the Arena Stage Theater in Washington, D.C. She then moved to L.A. to join the Mark Taper Forum’s Improvisational Theatre Project and scored a breakthrough with her role in “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow Is Enuf” (1977, later reprised the role in the 1982 big screen revival of the play).

A year later, she appeared in the TV drama The Trial of the Moke (1978) and Remember My Name (1978, as Rita). After Freedom Road (1979, TV), Woodard immediately demonstrated her acting skill in Robert Altman’s comedy HealtH (1980), as deadpan hotel manager Sally Benbow. She also had an episodic performance in “Enos” (1981) before eventually acquiring a regular role in the short-lived supernatural detective drama “Tucker’s Witch” (1982-1983, as Marcia Fulbright).

Woodard rose to fame in 1983 with her fine portrayal of a housekeeper named Geechee in the biopic of writer Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings’ Cross Creek, where she earned an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress. The same year, she made an Emmy-winning recurring performance as Doris Robson in three episodes of cop drama series “Hill Street Blues” (1983). Woodard was next seen in the supporting role of Vicki Teague in Sweet Revenge (1984, TV).

In 1985, she delivered an Emmy-winning turn as rape victim Adrianne Moore in the pilot for the NBC drama series “L.A. Law,” as well as gained several Emmy nominations for her fine supporting turns in the TV drama Words by Heart (played Claudie) and the hospital-set drama “St. Elsewhere” (1985-1987 & 1988, as Dr. Roxanne Turner). The performer also fascinated many with her quality leading role of Maude DeVictor in the TV movie Unnatural Causes (1986, won an NAACP Image award and earned an Emmy nomination) and her impressive acting as South African activist Winnie Mandela in the TV biopic Mandela (1987, received an NAACP Image and an ACE award). After appearing in the Bill Murray-starring fantasy movie Scrooged (1988), Woodard brought home her third NAACP Image award and an Emmy nomination after depicting the titular mother of a basketball star in the TV biopic A Mother’s Courage: The Mary Thomas Story (1989).

The skillful actress appeared in Blue Bayou (1990) and Lawrence Kasdan’s Grand Canyon (1991) before costarring as nurse Chantelle, opposite Mary McDonnell, in the drama Passion Fish (1992, won an Independent Spirit award and earned a Golden Globe nomination). Woodard, who in the 90s executive produced the Los Angeles staging of “East Texas Hot Links,” also took part in the romantic comedy Hearts and Souls (1993) and the Spike Lee-helmed comedy drama Crooklyn (1994, starred as Carolyn Carmichael).

Dramatically carrying out the female lead role of Berniece Charles in the made-for-TV drama The Piano Lesson (1995), the actress brought home her first Screen Actors Guild award, as well as an NAACP Image award and an Emmy nomination. The recipient of the 1995 Women in Film’s Crystal award mesmerized her younger audience with the Emmy-nominated supporting turn of Queen of Brobdingnag in the TV adaptation of Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels (1996).

Another accomplishment took place in 1997 after the actress beautifully portrayed Eunice Evers, R.N., in the TV docudrama Miss Evers’ Boys (1997). Before long, Woodard reaped numerous awards, such as an Emmy, a Golden Globe, a Screen Actors Guild, a Golden Satellite, an NAACP Image and a CableACE for Best Actress. Next, an Emmy and Daytime Emmy nomination came, respectively, for her guest performance in “Homicide: Life on the Street” (1988) and for her lovely leading turn of attorney Clara in The Wishing Tree (1989).

First producing the movie Down in the Delta (1998, also starred as Loretta Sinclair), Woodard made her second producing attempt in Funny Valentines (1999, TV, as executive producer), where she also played Joyce May. She then worked on the romantic comedy Love & Basketball (2000, gained an NAACP Image award for her acting as Camille Wright) before detouring to the fantasy genre in the sci-fi K-Pax (2001) and the animated The Wild Thornberrys Movie (2002, voiced Akela the cheetah mother).

2003 saw the actress put on her charisma onscreen persona with a guest appearance in the acclaimed legal series “The Practice” (won an Emmy for playing Denise Freeman) and the leading turn of Principal Daniels, opposite Cuba Gooding Jr., in Radio (collected an NAACP Image and a Camie award). Subsequent to the underrated thriller The Forgotten (2004), Woodard fared better in the comedy Beauty Shop (2005), playing Ms. Josephine.

Still in 2005, the actress joined the cast of the international series “Desperate Housewives” (2005-current), as a mysterious new neighbor on Wisteria Lane named Betty Applewhite. Thanks to her convincing performance, Woodward soon took home a Screen Actors Guild for Best Ensemble (shared with other actors in the series) and an Emmy nomination for Best Supporting Actress. Amid her work for the series, Woodward also starred as Mrs. Brown in the TV drama The Water Is Wide (2006), where she received an Emmy nomination.


Awards:

- Screen Actors Guild: Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series, “Desperate Housewives,” 2006
- Camie (Character and Morality in Entertainment), Radio, 2005
- NAACP Image: Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture, Radio, 2004
- Emmy: Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series, “The Practice,” 2003
- NAACP Image: Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture, Love & Basketball, 2001
- Screen Actors Guild: Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a TV Movie or Miniseries, Miss Evers’ Boy, 1998
- Golden Satellite: Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television, Miss Evers’ Boy, 1998
- NAACP Image: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, Mini-Series or Television Movie, Miss Evers’ Boy, 1998
- Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV, Miss Evers’ Boy, 1998
- CableACE: Actress in a Movie or Miniseries, Miss Evers’ Boy, 1997
- Emmy: Actress in a Miniseries or a Special, Miss Evers’ Boy, 1997
- Screen Actors Guild: Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a TV Movie or Miniseries, The Piano Lesson, 1996
- NAACP Image: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, Mini-Series or Television Movie, The Piano Lesson, 1996
- Women in Film Crystal: Crystal Award, 1995
- Independent Spirit: Best Supporting Female, Passion Fish, 1993
- NAACP Image: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, Mini-Series or Television Movie, A Mother’s Courage: The Mary Thomas Story, 1992
- NAACP Image: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, Mini-Series or Television Movie, Mandela, 1990
- ACE: Actress in a Movie or Miniseries, Mandela, 1989
- NAACP Image: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, Mini-Series or Television Movie, Unnatural Causes, 1989
- Emmy: Outstanding Guest Performer in a Drama Series, “L.A. Law,” 1987
- Emmy: Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series, “Hill Street Blues,” 1984