AllMovie

Factsheet

• Wanted to be an actor since a child; her parents agreed to let her take acting and dance lessons because they thought it would help her overcome being clumsy.
• First acting teacher was Butterfly McQueen from Gone With the Wind, who attended her church.
• In college she and a fellow student adapted Toni Morrison's novel The Bluest Eye into a play; Morrison invited her to perform the play in her New York apartment before it opened Off-Broadway.
• Won an Obie in 1996 for her performance in Venus.
• Has appeared in recurring roles on NYPD Blue, Prison Break, Saving Grace; and Law & Order.
• Has been a regular on American Dreams; True Blood; and The Newsroom.