Alfre Woodard
- The Boroughs
2026 Judy Daniels
- The Inquisitor
2025 Narration
- The Last Frontier
2025 Jacqueline Bradford
- Summer Camp
2024 Mary
- The Book of Clarence
2024 Mother Mary
- Salem's Lot
2024 Dr. Cody
- Monsieur Spade
2024 Virginia Dell
- Weathering
2023 Mum
- Space Oddity
2023 Dr. Olsen
- Marvel's Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur
2023 Mimi (voice)
- The Gray Man
2022 Margaret Cahill
- The Porter
2022 Executive Producer
- Fatherhood
2021 Marian
- Miss Alma Thomas: A Life in Color
2021 Alma Thomas (voice)
- Dreamland: The Burning of Black Wall Street
2021 Mary Parrish (voice)
- The Making of Clemency
2020 Herself
- Star Trek: Lower Decks
2020 Lilly Sloane (voice)
- The Lion King
2019 Sarabi (voice)
- Clemency
2019 Executive Producer
- Juanita
2019 Juanita
- No Small Matter
2019 Executive Producer
- See
2019 Paris
- Saint Judy
2018 Judge Benton
- Burning Sands
2017 Professor Hughes
- A Series of Unfortunate Events
2017 Aunt Josephine
- So B. It
2016 Bernadette
- Captain America: Civil War
2016 Miriam
- Marvel's Luke Cage
2016 Mariah Dillard
- Mary Lou Williams: The Lady Who Swings the Band
2015 Mary Lou Williams (voice)
- Mississippi Grind
2015 Sam
- Knucklehead
2015 Sheila
- Empire
2015 Renee
- Annabelle
2014 Evelyn
- State of Affairs
2014 President Constance Payton
- The Last Ship
2014 Amy Granderson
- 12 Years a Slave
2013 Mistress Shaw
- The Door
2013 E
- Steel Magnolias
2012 Ouiser
- Women, War & Peace
2011 Narrator (voice)
- Black Panther
2010 Dondi Reece
- Black Panther
2010 Dondi Reece (voice)
- Memphis Beat
2010 Lieutenant Tanya Rice
- Three Rivers
2009 Dr. Sophia Jordan
- Tyler Perry's The Family That Preys
2008 Alice Pratt
- Reach for Me
2008 Evelyn
- Medal of Honor
2008 Narrator
- American Violet
2008 Alma Roberts
- Henry Box Brown
2008
- My Own Worst Enemy
2008 Mavis Heller
- True Blood
2008 Ruby Jean Reynolds
- Pictures of Hollis Woods
2007 Edna Reilly
- Private Practice
2007 Dee Bennett
- Take the Lead
2006 Augustine James
- The Water Is Wide
2006 Mrs. Brown
- King Leopold's Ghost
2006 Ilanga (voice)
- Something New
2006 Joyce McQueen
- Class of 3000
2006
- Beauty Shop
2005 Ms. Josephine
- Grey's Anatomy
2005 Justine Campbell
- Inconceivable
2005 Dr. Lydia Crawford
- The Forgotten
2004 Det. Anne Pope
- Desperate Housewives
2004 Betty Applewhite
- The Core
2003 Stickley
- A Wrinkle in Time
2003 Mrs. Whatsit
- Radio
2003 Principal Daniels
- The Singing Detective
2003 Chief of Staff
- Nat Turner: A Troublesome Property
2003 Narrator
- The Wild Thornberrys Movie
2002 Akela (Cheetah Mother) (voice)
- K-PAX
2001 Claudia Villars
- The Wild Thornberrys: The Origin of Donnie
2001 Medicine Woman (voice)
- Dinosaur
2000 Plio (voice)
- Love & Basketball
2000 Camille Wright
- Holiday Heart
2000 Wanda Dean
- Lost Souls
2000 Dr. Allen
- What's Cooking?
2000 Audrey Williams
- John Henry
2000 Polly / Narrator (voice)
- The Tulsa Lynching of 1921: A Hidden Story
2000 Mary Parrish (voice)
- Eleanor Roosevelt
2000 Narrator (voice)
- Half Past Autumn: The Life and Works of Gordon Parks
2000 Narrator
- Static Shock
2000 Jean Hawkins (voice)
- Mumford
1999 Lily
- Funny Valentines
1999 Joyce May
- The Wishing Tree
1999 Clara
- Down in the Delta
1998 Loretta Sinclair
- The Wild Thornberrys
1998 Medicine Woman (voice)
- Follow Me Home
1997 Evey
- Miss Evers' Boys
1997 Eunice Evers, R.N.
- The Member of the Wedding
1997 Berenice Sadie Brown
- The Brave Little Toaster to the Rescue
1997 Maisie (voice)
- Seven Candles For Kwanzaa
1997 Narrator
- The Practice
1997 Denise Freeman
- Cadillac Desert
1997 Narrator (voice)
- Star Trek: First Contact
1996 Lily Sloane
- Primal Fear
1996 Shoat
- A Step Toward Tomorrow
1996 Dr. Sadlin
- Special Report: Journey to Mars
1996 Tamara O'Neil
- Gulliver's Travels
1996 Queen of Brobdingnag
- How to Make an American Quilt
1995 Marianna
- The Piano Lesson
1995 Berniece Charles
- Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child
1995 Winsome (voice)
- Crooklyn
1994 Carolyn Carmichael
- Blue Chips
1994 Lavada McRae
- Malcolm X: Make It Plain
1994 Narrator
- Aliens for Breakfast
1994 Mrs. Marks
- Bopha!
1993 Rosie Mangena
- Heart and Souls
1993 Penny Washington
- Frasier
1993 Edna (voice)
- Homicide: Life on the Street
1993 Dr. Roxanne Turner
- Passion Fish
1992 Chantelle
- The Gun in Betty Lou's Handbag
1992 Ann
- Rich in Love
1992 Rhody Poole
- Grand Canyon
1991 Jane
- Blue Bayou
1990 Jessica Filley
- A Mother's Courage: The Mary Thomas Story
1989 Mary Thomas
- Miss Firecracker
1989 Popeye Jackson
- Scrooged
1988 Grace Cooley
- The Child Saver
1988 Andrea Crawford
- American Experience
1988 Narrator (voice)
- Mandela
1987 Winnie Mandela
- Unnatural Causes
1986 Maude DeVictor
- Extremities
1986 Patricia
- L.A. Law: Pilot
1986 Adrianne Moore
- L.A. Law
1986 Adrianne Moore
- Words by Heart
1985 Claudie Sills
- Puss in Boots
1985 Princess Lovinia
- Sara
1985 Rozalyn Dupree
- Sweet Revenge
1984 Vicki Teague
- Go Tell It on the Mountain
1984 Esther
- The Killing Floor
1984 Mattie
- WonderWorks
1984 Claudie Sills
- Cross Creek
1983 Geechee
- The Ambush Murders
1982 Karisha Ellsworth
- For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide / When the Rainbow Is Enuf
1982 Woman who lost her stuff
- Precious Blood
1982 Narrator
- Tucker's Witch
1982 Marcia Fulbright
- Faerie Tale Theatre
1982 Princess Lovinia
- St. Elsewhere
1982 Roxanne Turner
- American Playhouse
1982 Woman who lost her stuff
- The Sophisticated Gents
1981 Evelyn Evers
- HealtH
1980 Sally Benbow
- Freedom Road
1979 Katie
- Remember My Name
1978 Rita
- The Trial of the Moke
1978 Lucy Smith
- The White Shadow
1978 Sandra Wilcox
- Hallmark Hall of Fame
1951 Mrs. Brown
- Baby of the Family
Rachel
