Khandi Alexander

While many stage performers stayed close to their roots when making the jump to acting, Khandi Alexander moved far afield from her background as a dancer and choreographer with expert turns in both comedy and drama on television, most notably on "NewsRadio" (NBC, 1995-99), "The Corner" (HBO, 2000), "CSI: Miami" (CBS, 2002-12) and "Treme" (HBO, 2010-13). Though glamorous, Alexander eschewed Tiffany roles in favor of parts with depth and grit, and she impressed critics and audiences alike in her turns as women with seemingly boundless reserves of strength and resolve. Some of her characters used that strength for comic purposes, like her steely anchor Catherine Duke on "NewsRadio," but most needed it to simply survive their environments. Whether surrounded by abject poverty in "The Corner," crime and violence on "CSI," or the destruction of their homes in "Treme," Alexander presented women who persevered through their own willpower, but always remembered to show their human sides through carefully chosen moments of emotion. In doing so, she became a critical favorite and one of the most accomplished character actresses on television.