An American actress, born in Chicago, Illinois, United States. She studied at the Chicago Chicago Music Conservatory. She also attended the Yale School of Music for a short period, then moved to the Juilliard School in New York. She participated in Broadway shows and won the Audelco Award for Best Supporting Actress for the play A Lesson Before Dying (2001). She is known for Lone Star (1996) and Malcolm X (1992).