Harriet Rene "Khandi" Alexander (born September 4, 1957) is an American dancer, choreographer, and actress. She began her career as a dancer in the 1980s, and was a choreographer for Whitney Houston's world tours from 1988 to 1992.

During the 1990s, Alexander appeared in a number of films, including CB4 (1993), What's Love Got to Do with It (1993), Sugar Hill (1994), and There's Something About Mary (1998). She starred as Catherine Duke in the NBC sitcom NewsRadio from 1995 to 1998. She also had a major recurring role in the NBC medical drama ER (1995–2001) as Jackie Robbins, sister to Dr. Peter Benton. Alexander also received critical acclaim for her leading performance in the HBO miniseries The Corner in 2000.

From 2002 to 2009, Alexander starred as Dr. Alexx Woods in the CBS police procedural series CSI: Miami. From 2010 to 2013, she starred as LaDonna Batiste-Williams in the HBO drama Treme. Later in 2013, she joined the cast of the ABC drama Scandal as Maya Lewis, Olivia Pope's mother, for which she received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination in 2015. Alexander also received a Critics' Choice Television Award nomination for playing Bessie Smith's sister Viola in the 2015 HBO film Bessie.

Early life, family and education Khandi Alexander was born in Jacksonville, Florida, the daughter of Alverina Yavonna (Masters), an opera and jazz singer, and Henry Roland Alexander, who owned a construction company. She was raised in Queens, New York. By the time she was in fifth grade, she knew she wanted to be in show business.

She attended Queensborough Community College. She trained at Alvin Ailey Studio.

Career

Alexander performed on stage in 1980 and 1981 as Susie in Period of Adjustment. She was a dancer in Natalie Cole's music video for "Pink Cadillac" in 1988. She met pop singer Whitney Houston in 1989, backstage at an American Music Awards ceremony. She became Houston's choreographer, "working with her on her world tour" until 1992. Alexander has appeared on Broadway, starring in Chicago, Bob Fosse's Dancin', and Dreamgirls.

Alexander appears as a dancer in the 1985 film A Chorus Line. She made her television debut on the 1985 sketch-comedy show FTV. Since the early 1990s, Alexander has concentrated on film and TV, playing supporting roles in several movies, including CB4, Joshua Tree, What's Love Got to Do with It, Poetic Justice, and Sugar Hill.

In 1995, Alexander was cast as Catherine Duke on the NBC comedy series NewsRadio. She stayed with the show until season 4, episode 7, "Catherine Moves On", then returned for a final appearance in the season 5 premiere episode, "Bill Moves On" to memorialize Phil Hartman. She played the recurring character of Jackie Robbins in the medical drama series ER. Alexander has made a number of guest appearances on other television shows, including Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, NYPD Blue, Third Watch, Cosby, Better Off Ted, La Femme Nikita, and Body of Proof.

In 2000, Alexander won critical acclaim for her performance as Fran Boyd, a mother addicted to drugs in the Emmy Award-winning HBO miniseries The Corner. She later appeared in the films Emmett's Mark and Dark Blue, and starred opposite Rob Lowe in the Lifetime television movie Perfect Strangers. In 2002 through 2008, she portrayed the character of Alexx Woods, a medical examiner in the CBS police drama CSI: Miami. Alexander left CSI: Miami shortly before the end of the 2007–2008 season. Her final appearance aired on May 5, 2008. On February 2, 2009, she returned to the role of Alexx Woods for a guest appearance in the episode "Smoke Gets in Your CSI's". She returned again as Alexx Woods in guest appearances in the episodes "Out of Time" on September 21, 2009, and "Bad Seed" on October 19, 2009.

In fall 2008, Alexander was cast as a lead character in the HBO drama pilot Treme, that premiered on April 11, 2010. She played a bar owner in a neighborhood of New Orleans affected by Hurricane Katrina. She received critical acclaim for her performance in the show. Alexander starred in the award-winning HBO television series by David Simon from 2010 to 2013. The series ended after four seasons. She later was cast in Shonda Rhimes' drama series Scandal as Maya Lewis, Kerry Washington's character Olivia Pope's mother. In 2015, she was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for her performance.

In 2014, Alexander was cast as older sister of Queen Latifah's title character in the HBO Film Bessie about iconic blues singer Bessie Smith. She was nominated for a Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Movie/Miniseries.

Personal life Alexander has resided in Queens, New York City, New York; and Los Angeles, California. She has owned cats.

Alexander's drug usage began "in the mid-1980s. By the late-1980s, her drug problem began to interfere with her dancing and choreographing. Eventually Alexander had a breakdown and realized that she needed help," and she checked herself in to drug rehabilitation facility for 30 days in 1990 with support from her friend and employer Whitney Houston.

Filmography

Film Year Film RoleNotes 1985 Streetwalkin' Star A Chorus Line Dancer 1987 Maid to Order Hooker in Jail 1993 CB4 Sissy Joshua Tree Maralena Turner Menace II Society Karen Lawson What's Love Got to Do with It Darlene Poetic Justice Simone 1994 Sugar Hill Ella Skuggs House Party 3 Janelle Greedy Laura Densmore, P.I. 1996 No Easy Way Diana Campbell 1998 There's Something About Mary Joanie 1999 Thick as Thieves Janet 2002 Fool Proof Icarus Emmett's Mark Detective Middlestat Dark Blue Janelle Holland 2006 Rain Latishia Arnold 2007 First Born Dierdre 2013 The-N-word Ms. Greene Short 2016 A Woman, a Part Leslie Pushing Dead Dot Patriots Day Veronica the Interrogator 2018 Fahrenheit 451 Toni Morrison

Television Year Title Role Notes 1985 FTV Various Characters TV series 1987 Rags to Riches The Delights Episode: "Pilot" 1988 Duet Nurse Episode: "Special Delivery" 1989 A Different World Theressa Stone Episode: "Citizen Wayne" 1992 The Edge Various Characters Episode: "Episode #1.11" 1993 Shameful Secrets Rosalie TV movie 1994 To My Daughter with Love Harriet TV movie 1995–1998 NewsRadio Catherine Duke Main cast (season 1–4), guest (season 5) 1995–2001 ER Jackie Robbins Recurring cast (season 1–8) 1996 Terminal Dr. Deborah Levy TV movie 1998 La Femme Nikita Terry Episode: "Soul Sacrifice" 1999 Cosby Karen Episode: "The Awful Truth" NYPD Blue Sonya Episode: "What's Up, Chuck?" Spawn 3: Ultimate Battle Lakesha / Nurse (voice) Episode: "Seed of the Hellspawn" X-Chromosome Yolanda (voice) TV series Partners Charlie TV movie 2000 Rude Awakening Juanita Wilson Episode: "Star 80 Proof" The Corner Denise Francine 'Fran' Boyd Main cast Third Watch Beverly Saunders Episode: "History" 2001 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Sgt. Karen Smythe Episode: "Paranoia" 2002 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Dr. Alexx Woods Episode: "Cross Jurisdictions" 2002–2009 CSI: Miami Dr. Alexx Woods Main cast (season 1–6), guest (season 7–8) 2003 Life's a Bitch Yolanda Episode: "Pilot" 2004 Perfect Strangers Christie Kaplan TV movie 2009 Better Off Ted Stella Clifton Episode: "Battle of the Bulbs" 2010–2013 Treme LaDonna Batiste-Williams Main cast 2012 Body of Proof Beverly Travers Episode: "Occupational Hazards" & "Identity" 2013–2018 Scandal Maya Pope Recurring cast (season 3–4 & 6–7) 2014 The Assault Detective Jodi Miller TV movie 2015 Bessie Viola Smith TV movie BoJack Horseman Police Chief / Farmer's Wife (voice) Episode: "Chickens" 2019 A Black Lady Sketch Show Narrator Episode: "Why Are Her Pies Wet, Lord?" SEAL Team Ambassador Nicole Marsden Episode: "All Along the Watchtower: Part 1 & 2" 2021 What We Do in the Shadows Contessa Carmilla De Mornay Episode: "A Farewell" 2026 Abbott Elementary Miss Carroll Episode: "Mall Part 3: Heroes"

Music videos Year Title Artist 1993 "Heaven Knows" Luther Vandross

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Work Result1998NAACP Image AwardOutstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series NewsRadio 2000Online Film & Television AssociationBest Actress in a Motion Picture or MiniseriesThe Corner 2001NAACP Image AwardOutstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special Black Reel AwardsBest Actress 2002NAACP Image AwardOutstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit 2003DVD Exclusive AwardsBest Actress Emmett's Mark 2005NAACP Image AwardOutstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama SeriesCSI: Miami 2006Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series 2011Vision AwardBest Performance - DramaTreme 2012NAACP Image AwardOutstanding Actress in a Drama Series 2013 2014 Vision AwardBest Performance - Drama2015NAACP Image AwardOutstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series Scandal Critics' Choice Television Award Best Supporting Actress in a Movie or MiniseriesBessie Primetime Emmy AwardOutstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series Scandal

References

External links