BIO: ALFRE WOODARD Performing Arts Program Honoree Gala Co-Chairs Wilkes Bashford Deborah Santana Honorary Chairs Lawrence Bancroft Willie L. Brown, Jr. Kimberly K. Brandon Belva Davis Lloyd Dean Ann & Gordon Getty Anette Harris Kamala Harris Dorothy & Arthur Lathan Dierdre Luddington Goretti Lo Lui Alfre Woodard’s work as an actor has earned her an Oscar nomination, four Emmy Awards with 17 Emmy nominations, three SAG Awards and a Golden Globe. She was mostly recently Emmy nominated for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for her portrayal of Ruby Jean Reynolds on the hit HBO show, TRUE BLOOD. Woodard’s illustrious body of work includes her Oscar nominated performance in Martin Ritt’s CROSS CREEK; HBO’s MANDELA, in which she was honored with an ACE Award for her portrayal of Winnie Mandela; Lawrence Kasdan’s GRAND CANYON; John Sayles’ PASSION FISH; Joseph Sargent’s MISS EVERS’ BOYS, for which she won an Emmy, SAG and Golden Globe Award; Spike Lee’s CROOKLYN; Gina Prince-Bythewood’s LOVE AND BASKETBALL; Tyler Perry’s THE FAMILY THAT PREYS; and Maya Angelou’s DOWN IN THE DELTA. Woodard directed and produced, “Nelson Mandela’s Favorite African Folktales,” which won the 2010 Audiobook of the Year, and garnered a 2010 Grammy Award nomination for “Best Children’s Spoken Word Album.” The audiobook hosts a collaboration of talent both broad and diverse, featuring: Matt Damon, Don Cheadle, Helen Mirren, Alan Rickman, and Samuel L. Jackson. Yvette Radford Timothy A. Simon Loretta Walker Rodney Williams Diane B. Wilsey Brenda Wright Partial Listing Woodard recently starred in TNT’s police drama MEMPHIS BEAT as Lt. Tanya Rice, and Lifetime’s remake of STEEL MAGNOLIA’s, playing Ouiser Boudreaux. Her latest film endeavor is TWELVE YEARS A SLAVE in the role of Mistress Harriet Shaw, starring Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbinder and Brad Pitt. She is currently appearing in the BBC America original series, COPPER. Woodard also enjoys philanthropic work and currently serves on the National Film Preservation Foundation Board, as well as the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences International Outreach Committee. In addition to her acting career, Woodard, a longtime activist, currently serves on The Creative Coalition, is a co-founder of “Artists for a New South Africa,” a nonprofit working to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS, and further the cause of Democracy and Human rights in South Africa. In 2009 Woodard was appointed by President Barack Obama to the “President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities.”