- Love in Exile
2026
- Betty and Coretta
2013 Narrator
- A Thousand Words
2012 Annie McCall
- Politics of Love
2011
- Video Girl
2011 Valerie
- The Perfect Age of Rock 'n' Roll
2011 Miss Candy
- America
2009 Mrs. Harper
- A Place Out of Time: The Bordentown School
2009 Narrator (voice)
- American Gangster
2007 Mama Lucas
- Steam
2007 Doris
- All About Us
2007 Ms. Ella
- No. 2
2006 Nanna Maria
- The Way Back Home
2006 Maude
- Their Eyes Were Watching God
2005 Nanny
- TV in Black: The First Fifty Years
2004 (archive footage)
- Feast of All Saints
2001 Elsie Claviere
- Taking Back Our Town
2001 Emelda West
- Finding Buck McHenry
2000 Mrs. Henry
- A Storm in Summer
2000 Grandmother
- Passing Glory
1999 Mommit Porter
- Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters' First 100 Years
1999 Annie Elizabeth 'Bessie' Delany
- Baby Geniuses
1999 Margo
- The Unfinished Journey
1999 Narrator (voice)
- The Wall
1998 Mrs. Mitchell (segment "The Badge")
- A Time To Dance: The Life and Work of Norma Canner
1998 Narrator
- A Simple Wish
1997 Hortence
- Mr. and Mrs. Loving
1996 Sophia
- Captive Heart: The James Mink Story
1996 Indigo
- Just Cause
1995 Evangeline Ferguson
- Tuesday Morning Ride
1995 Jennie
- Whitewash
1994 Grandmother (voice)
- The Stand
1994
- Cop & ½
1993 Rachel
- After Goodbye
1993 Narrator
- The Ernest Green Story
1993 Lydia Wilson
- Color Adjustment
1992 Narrator
- Jungle Fever
1991 Lucinda Purify
- Jazztime Tale
1991 Narrator (voice)
- Love at Large
1990 Corrine Dart
- Decoration Day
1990 Rowena
- The Court-Martial of Jackie Robinson
1990 Jackie's Mother
- Zora is My Name!
1990 Zora Neale Hurston
- Do the Right Thing
1989 Mother Sister
- Go Tell It on the Mountain
1984 Mrs. Grimes
- Papua New Guinea: Anthropology on Trial
1983 Vocals
- Cat People
1982 Female
- Long Day's Journey Into Night
1982 Mary Tyrone
- All God's Children
1980 Irene Whitfield
- I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
1979 Grandmother Baxter
- Countdown at Kusini
1976 Leah Matanzima
- It's Good to Be Alive
1974 Ruth Campanella
- Wedding Band
1974 Julia Augustine
- Chelsea D.H.O.
1973 Dr. Bianca Pearson
- Buck and the Preacher
1972 Ruth
- Black Girl
1972 Netta's mother
- To Be Young, Gifted and Black
1972 Lorraine Hansberry and other assorted characters
- On Merit
1972 Narrator (voice)
- The Sheriff
1971 Sue Ann Lucas
- Deadlock
1969 Lucinda
- Uptight
1968 Writer
- The Incident
1967 Joan Robinson
- Neighbours
1966 Vicky Kingsbury
- Gone Are the Days!
1963 Lutiebelle Gussie Mae Jenkins
- The Balcony
1963 Thief
- A Raisin in the Sun
1961 Ruth Younger
- Virgin Island
1959 Ruth
- Take a Giant Step
1959 Christine
- St. Louis Blues
1958 Elizabeth
- Edge of the City
1957 Lucy Tyler
- Go Man Go
1954 Irma Jackson
- The Tall Target
1951 Rachel
- The Jackie Robinson Story
1950 Rae Robinson
- No Way Out
1950 Connie Brooks (uncredited)
- What a Guy
1948
- Easy to Get
1947 Drugstore Girl
- That Man of Mine
1946 Joan
