Khandi Alexander

Khandi Alexander, born Harriet Rene Alexander on September 4, 1957, is an American dancer, choreographer, and actress. She gained recognition in the 1980s as a dancer and choreographer for Whitney Houston's world tours. Alexander then transitioned into acting and appeared in notable films such as CB4 (1993), What's Love Got to Do with It (1993), Sugar Hill (1994), and There's Something About Mary (1998). She achieved television success by starring as Catherine Duke in the sitcom NewsRadio (1995-1998) and as Jackie Robbins in the medical drama ER (1995-2001). Alexander received critical acclaim for her performance in the HBO miniseries The Corner (2000) and later portrayed Dr. Alexx Woods in CSI: Miami (2002-2009) and LaDonna Batiste-Williams in Treme (2010-2013). In 2013, she joined the cast of Scandal as Maya Lewis, Olivia Pope's mother.