Khandi Alexander is an American dancer, choreographer

Choreography

Choreography is the art of designing sequences of movements in which motion, form, or both are specified. Choreography may also refer to the design itself, which is sometimes expressed by means of dance notation. The word choreography literally means "dance-writing" from the Greek words "χορεία" ...

, and film and television actress. She is perhaps best known for the roles of Dr. Alexx Woods

Alexx Woods

Alexx Woods is a fictional character on the CBS crime drama CSI: Miami, portrayed by actress Khandi Alexander.- Character's background :...

 on CSI: Miami

CSI: Miami

CSI: Miami is an American police procedural television series, which premiered on September 23, 2002 on CBS. The series is a spin-off of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation....

and as Catherine Duke on NewsRadio

NewsRadio

NewsRadio is an American television situation comedy that aired on NBC from 1995 to 1999. The series was created by executive producer Paul Simms, and was filmed in front of a studio audience at CBS Studio Center and Sunset Gower Studios...

. She also had a major recurring role on ER

ER (TV series)

ER is an American medical drama television series created by novelist Michael Crichton that aired on NBC from September 19, 1994 to April 2, 2009. It was produced by Constant c Productions and Amblin Entertainment, in association with Warner Bros. Television...

as Jackie Robbins, sister to Dr. Peter Benton

Peter Benton

Dr. Peter Benton is a fictional character on the television series ER for its first eight seasons. He was played by Eriq La Salle. Benton was often portrayed as arrogant, irritable, or even hostile, but he is nevertheless an exceptionally talented surgeon who is passionate about medicine...

. She is currently appearing in the HBO series Treme

Treme (TV series)

Treme is an American television drama series created by David Simon and Eric Overmyer that premiered on April 11, 2010 on HBO. It takes its name from Tremé, a neighborhood of New Orleans...

.

Early life

Khandi Alexander was born in New York City

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

 and educated at Queensborough Community College

Queensborough Community College

Not to be confused with Queens College, City University of New YorkQueensborough Community College , is one of six community colleges within the City University of New York system. It is located in the neighborhood of Bayside, Queens County, New York City, New York. The total enrollments are...

. She appeared on Broadway starring in Chicago

Chicago (musical)

Chicago is a musical set in Prohibition-era Chicago. The music is by John Kander with lyrics by Fred Ebb and a book by Ebb and Bob Fosse. The story is a satire on corruption in the administration of criminal justice and the concept of the "celebrity criminal"...

, Bob Fosse

Bob Fosse

Robert Louis “Bob” Fosse was an American actor, dancer, musical theater choreographer, director, screenwriter, film editor and film director. He won an unprecedented eight Tony Awards for choreography, as well as one for direction...

's Dancin, and Dreamgirls. She was a choreographer for Whitney Houston

Whitney Houston

Whitney Elizabeth Houston is an American singer, actress, producer and a former model. Houston is the most awarded female act of all time, according to Guinness World Records, and her list of awards include 1 Emmy Award, 6 Grammy Awards, 30 Billboard Music Awards, 22 American Music Awards, among...

's world tour from 1988–1992, and also appeared as a dancer in Natalie Cole

Natalie Cole

Natalie Maria Cole , is an American singer, songwriter and performer. The daughter of jazz legend Nat King Cole, Cole rode to musical success in the mid-1970s as an R&B artist with the hits "This Will Be ", "Inseparable" and "Our Love"...

's video for "Pink Cadillac

Pink Cadillac (song)

"Pink Cadillac" is a humorous song by Bruce Springsteen which though a minor item in his canon of recorded music was a prominent concert number during Springsteen's 1984-85 Born in the U.S.A. Tour...

" in 1988.

Career

Since the early 1990s, Alexander has concentrated on film and TV, playing the character Catherine Duke on NewsRadio

NewsRadio

NewsRadio is an American television situation comedy that aired on NBC from 1995 to 1999. The series was created by executive producer Paul Simms, and was filmed in front of a studio audience at CBS Studio Center and Sunset Gower Studios...

- a role she played for 4 seasons before departing but returned for a guest appearance in the final season's premiere episode. She also played the recurring character Jackie Robbins on ER

ER (TV series)

ER is an American medical drama television series created by novelist Michael Crichton that aired on NBC from September 19, 1994 to April 2, 2009. It was produced by Constant c Productions and Amblin Entertainment, in association with Warner Bros. Television...

. She is known for her starring role as Fran, a mother addicted to drugs in The Corner

The Corner

The Corner is a 2000 HBO drama television miniseries based on the nonfiction book The Corner: A Year in the Life of an Inner-City Neighborhood by David Simon and Ed Burns and adapted for television by Simon and David Mills. It premiered on premium cable network HBO in the United States on April 16,...

. She portrayed the character Alexx Woods

Alexx Woods

Alexx Woods is a fictional character on the CBS crime drama CSI: Miami, portrayed by actress Khandi Alexander.- Character's background :...

, a medical examiner

Medical examiner

A medical examiner is a medically qualified government officer whose duty is to investigate deaths and injuries that occur under unusual or suspicious circumstances, to perform post-mortem examinations, and in some jurisdictions to initiate inquests....

 in the forensics-related drama CSI: Miami

CSI: Miami

CSI: Miami is an American police procedural television series, which premiered on September 23, 2002 on CBS. The series is a spin-off of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation....

for 6 seasons as a series regular.

She has made guest appearances on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit is an American police procedural television drama series set in New York City, where it is also primarily produced...

, NYPD Blue

NYPD Blue

NYPD Blue is an American television police drama set in New York City, exploring the internal and external struggles of the fictional 15th precinct of Manhattan...

, Third Watch

Third Watch

Third Watch is an American television drama series which first aired on NBC from 1999 to 2005 for a total of 132 episodes, broadcast in 6 seasons of 22 episodes each....

, Cosby

Cosby

Cosby is a situation comedy television series broadcast on CBS from September 16, 1996 to April 28, 2000, loosely based on the British sitcom One Foot in the Grave. The program starred Bill Cosby, Phylicia Rashād...

, Better off Ted

Better Off Ted

Better Off Ted is an American satirical situation comedy series, created and written by Victor Fresco , who also serves as the show's Executive Producer...

and La Femme Nikita.

Khandi starred in the movie CB4

CB4

CB4 is a 1993 comedy film directed by Tamra Davis, and starring Chris Rock. The film follows a fictional rap group named 'CB4', named after the prison block in which the group was allegedly formed...

with Chris Rock

Chris Rock

Christopher Julius "Chris" Rock III is an American comedian, actor, screenwriter, television producer, film producer and director. He was voted in the US as the 5th greatest stand-up comedian of all time by Comedy Central...

 and Charlie Murphy

Charlie Murphy

Charles Quinton "Charlie" Murphy is an American actor, comedian, and writer notable as being a cast member and writer on the Comedy Central sketch-comedy series Chappelle's Show...

. Other film credits include Dark Blue, Sugar Hill

Sugar Hill (1994 film)

Sugar Hill is a 1994 American crime film starring Wesley Snipes and Michael Wright as brothers Roemello and Raynathan Skuggs. The film focuses on the two brothers, who are major drug dealers in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City.-Plot:...

, Menace II Society

Menace II Society

Menace II Society is a 1993 urban crime drama and the directorial debut of twin brothers Allen and Albert Hughes. Menace II Society is set in South Central Los Angeles and follows the life of a hoodlum named Caine Lawson and his close friends. The film gained notoriety for its frequent scenes of...

, House Party 3

House Party 3

House Party 3 is a 1994 comedy film, starring Kid 'n Play and Bernie Mac. It is the third and intended final installment of the House Party film series, and the last film in the series to feature Kid 'n Play. This was to be the last film in the franchise, making it a trilogy but 7 years later, a...

, There's Something About Mary

There's Something About Mary

There's Something About Mary is a 1998 American comedy film, directed by the Farrelly brothers, Bobby and Peter. It stars Cameron Diaz, Matt Dillon and Ben Stiller, and it is a combination of romantic comedy and gross-out film....

, Rain

Rain (2006 film)

Rain is a 2006 film directed by Craig DiBona. The screenplay was written by Andrew Neiderman, based on the novel by V.C. Andrews. It premiered at the Palm Beach International Film Festival, although it did not receive further domestic distribution.-Plot:...

, Poetic Justice, and the Tina Turner

Tina Turner

Tina Turner is an American singer and actress whose career has spanned more than 50 years. She has won numerous awards and her achievements in the rock music genre have led many to call her the "Queen of Rock 'n' Roll".Turner started out her music career with husband Ike Turner as a member of the...

 biopic What's Love Got To Do With It, where she portrayed an Ikette.

She left the CBS

CBS

CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...

 hit show CSI: Miami shortly before the end of the 2007-2008 season. Her final appearance aired Monday, May 5, 2008 ("Rock and a Hard Place"). On February 2, 2009, she returned to the role of Alexx Woods

Alexx Woods

Alexx Woods is a fictional character on the CBS crime drama CSI: Miami, portrayed by actress Khandi Alexander.- Character's background :...

 for a guest appearance in the episode "Smoke Gets In Your CSI's". She later returned again as Alexx Woods for more guest appearances in the episodes "Out of Time" on September 21, 2009 and "Bad Seed" on October 19, 2009.

Khandi currently stars in the award-winning HBO television series by David Simon

David Simon

David Simon is an American author, journalist, and a writer/producer of television series. He worked for the Baltimore Sun City Desk for twelve years. He wrote Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets and co-wrote The Corner: A Year in the Life of an Inner-City Neighborhood with Ed Burns...

, Treme

Treme (TV series)

Treme is an American television drama series created by David Simon and Eric Overmyer that premiered on April 11, 2010 on HBO. It takes its name from Tremé, a neighborhood of New Orleans...

, where she plays a bar owner in an affected neighborhood of post-Katrina New Orleans.

Awards and nominations

• Black Reel Awards
  Black Reel Awards
  The Black Reel Awards began in 2000 and were designed to annually recognize and celebrate the achievements of black people in feature, independent and television films...
  
  
  • 2001, Best Actress Network/Cable: The Corner (Winner)

• Image Awards
  • 2007, Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series: CSI: Miami
    CSI: Miami
    CSI: Miami is an American police procedural television series, which premiered on September 23, 2002 on CBS. The series is a spin-off of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation....
    
    (Nominated)
  • 2006, Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series: CSI: Miami (Nominated)
  • 2005, Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series: CSI: Miami (Winner)
  • 2002, Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series: CSI: Miami (Nominated)
  • 2001, Outstanding Actress in a TV Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special: The Corner (Nominated)
  • 1998, Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series: NewsRadio (Nominated)

External links