2026
Wildwood
as General (voice)
2025
Making Mission: Impossible - A 10 News First Special
as Self
2025
Zero Day
as President Evelyn Mitchell
(6 episodes)
2025
Number One on the Call Sheet
as Self
(1 episode)
2024
Damsel
as Lady Bayford
2024
Orion and the Dark
as Sweet Dreams (voice)
2024
Butterfly in the Sky
as Self (archive footage)
2024
Disney Legends Awards Ceremony
as Self
2024
Inside the Dream: Mugler
as Self
2024
OWN Spotlight: Oprah & Angela Bassett
as Self
2024
Queens
as Narrator (voice)
(7 episodes)
2024
Doctor Odyssey
as Athena Grant
(1 episode)
2023
Marvel Studios Assembled: The Making of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
as Self
2023
The Metropolitan Opera: The Life and Times of Malcolm X
as Host
2023
MPower
as Self
(1 episode)
2023
Marvel's Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur
as Decoy (voice)
(2 episodes)
2022
Wendell & Wild
as Sister Helley (voice)
2022
Good Night Oppy
as Self - Narrator (voice)
2022
20/20 Presents Black Panther: In Search of Wakanda
as Self
2022
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
as Ramonda
2022
Sherri
as Self - Guest
(1 episode)
2021
2021 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony
as Self
2021
Gunpowder Milkshake
as Anna May
2021
TINA
as Self
2021
Malika the Lion Queen
as Self - Narrator (voice)
2021
What If...?
as Queen Ramonda (voice)
(1 episode)
2021
Marvel Studios Legends
as Ramonda (archive footage) (uncredited)
(2 episodes)
2020
Attorneys At Love
as Narrator
2020
Between the World and Me
as Self
2020
Soul
as Dorothea (voice)
2020
9-1-1: Lone Star
as Sergeant Athena Grant
(1 episode)
2019
Otherhood
as Carol Walker
2019
The Apollo
as Self
2019
Avengers: Endgame
as Ramonda
2019
Tamron Hall
as Self - Guest
(2 episodes)
2019
A Black Lady Sketch Show
as Mo
(1 episode)
2019
The Kelly Clarkson Show
as Self
(4 episodes)
2019
The Imagineering Story
as Narrator (voice)
(6 episodes)
2018
Black Panther
as Ramonda
2018
Bumblebee
as Shatter (voice)
2018
The Flood
as Self - Narrator (voice)
2018
Red Table Talk
as Self
(1 episode)
2018
9-1-1
as Athena Grant
(142 episodes)
2017
August 28: A Day in the Life of a People
as Self
2016
London Has Fallen
as Lynne Jacobs
2016
The Snowy Day
as Nana (voice)
2016
BET Presents Love & Happiness: An Obama Celebration
as Self
2016
National Museum of African American History and Culture Grand Opening Ceremony
as Self
2016
Close to the Enemy
as Eva
(7 episodes)
2015
Survivor
as Maureen Cranepaul
2015
Curious George 3: Back to the Jungle
as Dr. Kulinda (voice)
2015
Chi-Raq
as Miss Helen Worthy
2015
The Late Late Show with James Corden
as Self - Guest
(2 episodes)
2015
Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter
as Self
(1 episode)
2015
Master of None
as Catherine
(2 episodes)
2015
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
as Self - Guest
(1 episode)
2014
We the People: From Crispus Attucks to President Barack Obama
2014
Life's Essentials with Ruby Dee
as Self
2014
White Bird in a Blizzard
as Dr. Thaler
2014
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
as Self
(3 episodes)
2014
Trailblazer Honors
as Self
(1 episode)
2014
BoJack Horseman
as Ana Spanakopita (voice)
(10 episodes)
2014
Variety Studio: Actors on Actors
as Self
(1 episode)
2013
Olympus Has Fallen
as Lynne Jacobs
2013
Betty and Coretta
as Coretta Scott King
2013
Black Nativity
as Aretha Cobbs
2013
The Arsenio Hall Show
as Self
(1 episode)
2012
This Means War
as Collins
2012
I Ain't Scared of You: A Tribute to Bernie Mac
as Self
2012
Finding Your Roots
as Self
(2 episodes)
2012
RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars
as Self - Special Guest
(1 episode)
2011
Green Lantern
as Dr. Amanda Waller
2011
Jumping the Broom
as Mrs. Watson
2011
American Horror Story
as Desiree Dupree
(13 episodes)
2011
American Horror Story
as Ramona Royale
(12 episodes)
2011
American Horror Story
as Monet Tumissee
(10 episodes)
2011
American Horror Story
as Marie Laveau
(11 episodes)
2009
Notorious
as Voletta Wallace
2009
Why We Laugh: Black Comedians on Black Comedy
as Narrator (voice)
2009
Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen
as Self - Guest
(5 episodes)
2008
Gospel Hill
as Sarah Malcolm
2008
Nothing But the Truth
as Bonnie Benjamin
2008
Meet the Browns
as Brenda Brown
2008
Of Boys and Men
as Rieta Cole
2007
Meet the Robinsons
as Mildred (voice)
2006
Akeelah and the Bee
as Tanya Anderson
2006
Time Bomb
as Jill Greco
2005
Mr. & Mrs. Smith
as Mr. Smith's Boss (voice) (uncredited)
2004
The Lazarus Child
as Dr. Elizabeth Chase
2004
Mr. 3000
as Maureen "Mo" Simmons
2003
Masked and Anonymous
as Mistress
2003
Unchained Memories: Readings from the Slave Narratives
2003
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
as Self
(1 episode)
2002
The Rosa Parks Story
as Rosa Louise McCauley Parks
2002
Sunshine State
as Desiree Perry
2001
The Score
as Diane
2001
Ruby's Bucket of Blood
as Ruby Delacroix
2001
Making "The Score"
as Herself
2001
Alias
as Hayden Chase
(4 episodes)
2001
The Bernie Mac Show
as Angela Bassett
(1 episode)
2001
Critics Choice Awards
as Self - Presenter
(1 episode)
2000
Supernova
as Kaela Evers
2000
Whispers: An Elephant's Tale
as Groove (voice)
2000
Boesman and Lena
as Lena
1999
Music of the Heart
as Janet
1999
Our Friend, Martin
as Miles' Mom (voice)
1998
How Stella Got Her Groove Back
as Stella Payne
1998
Africans in America: America's Journey Through Slavery
as Herself
(4 episodes)
1997
Contact
as Rachel Constantine
1997
The View
as Self
(4 episodes)
1997
The View
as Self - Guest
(1 episode)
1995
Strange Days
as Lornette 'Mace' Mason
1995
Waiting to Exhale
as Bernadine
1995
Vampire in Brooklyn
as Detective Rita Veder
1995
Panther
as Dr. Betty Shabazz
1994
ER
as Catherine Banfield
(22 episodes)
1993
What's Love Got to Do with It
as Anna Mae Bullock / Tina Turner
1992
Malcolm X
as Betty Shabazz
1992
Critters 4
as Fran
1992
Innocent Blood
as U.S. Attorney Sinclair
1992
Passion Fish
as Rhonda / Dawn
1992
The Jacksons: An American Dream
as Katherine Jackson
(2 episodes)
1991
Boyz n the Hood
as Reva Styles
1991
One Special Victory
as Lois
1991
Locked Up: A Mother’s Rage
as Willie
1991
The Heroes of Desert Storm
as Lt. Phoebe Jeter
1991
Line of Fire: The Morris Dees Story
as Pat
1991
City of Hope
as Reesha
1991
Fire! Trapped on the 37th Floor
as Allison
1991
Stat
as Dr. Willie Burns
(6 episodes)
1990
In the Best Interest of the Child
as Lori
1990
Perry Mason: The Case of the Silenced Singer
as Carla Peters
1990
Kindergarten Cop
as Stewardess
1990
Challenger
as Cheryl McNair
1990
The Flash
as Linda Lake
(1 episode)
1990
Family of Spies
as Bev Andress
(2 episodes)
1989
The Simpsons
as Michelle Obama (voice)
(1 episode)
1989
A Man Called Hawk
1989
Snoops
as Laura Hale
(1 episode)
1989
Alien Nation
as Renee Longstreet
(1 episode)
1987
thirtysomething
1987
Tour of Duty
as Lt. Camilla Patterson
(2 episodes)
1986
Liberty
as Linda Thornton
1986
F/X
as TV reporter
1985
Doubletake
as Prostitute at Headquarters
1985
Spenser: For Hire
1985
227
1984
The Cosby Show
as Sara
(2 episodes)
1983
Reading Rainbow
as Self - Narrator (voice)
(1 episode)
1953
The Oscars
as Self
(6 episodes)
1949
The Emmy Awards
as Self
(1 episode)
1944
Golden Globe Awards
as Self - Presenter
(1 episode)
1944
Golden Globe Awards
as Self - Nominee
(1 episode)
Not in library
Not in library
Not in library
Not in library
Not in library
Not in library
Not in library
Not in library
Not in library