Sheryl Lee Ralph's Best Acting Roles Are Proof That Her Emmy Was Long Overdue

After countless TV guest-star appearances and a brief main cast role in "Code Name: Firefox" (1985), Ralph became a lead cast member as Ginger St. James on "It's a Living." The show follows the lives of a group of waitresses who work at a high-scale restaurant in Los Angeles.

Ralph's breakout role was in "The Mighty Quinn" as Lola Quinn, the estranged wife of a policeman, played by Denzel Washington, who tries to help a childhood friend named Maubee (Robert Townsend) clear his name after he becomes a murder suspect.

In "To Sleep With Anger," Ralph plays Linda, one of the many family members in an overcrowded house in South Central Los Angeles. When the family patriarch, Gideon (Paul Butler), invites an old friend named Harry (Danny Glover) to stay with them, good times and unforeseen tragedy ensue.

"New Attitude" only ran for two months on ABC, but Ralph's role as Vicki St. James was unforgettable. In the sitcom, Yvonne (Phyllis Yvonne Stickney) and Vicki, the more sensible St. James sibling, do their best to keep their beauty salon up and running with the help of their hairdresser Lamarr (Morris Day), their receptionist Taylor (Karen Bankhead), and their landlord Leon (Earl Billings).

"Mistress" is a comedy drama starring Ralph, Robert De Niro, Danny Aiello, Eli Wallach, and more. The film follows Marvin Landisman (Robert Wuhl), a struggling Hollywood screenwriter who catches a break when a producer offers to help find investors for his screenplay. In exchange for their financial support, all three investors insist their mistresses — Beverly (Ralph), Patricia (Jean Smart), and Peggy (Tuesday Knight) — get roles in the film, ultimately resulting in drastic changes to the screenplay that upset Marvin's vision.

Starring opposite Eddie Murphy, Ralph shines as Miss Loretta Hicks in "The Distinguished Gentleman." The comedy stars Murphy as a politician who attempts to take down a fellow congressman whose investment in electric companies is causing cancer in young children.

In the acclaimed "Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit," Ralph stars opposite Whoopi Goldberg, Kathy Najimy, Maggie Smith, and more as Florence Watson, an overprotective parent who doesn't support her daughter Rita Louise Watson's (Lauryn Hill) singing career.

One of Ralph's most iconic roles is Deidra "Dee" Mitchell on "Moesha." As Moesha's (Brandy) stepmother and a teacher at Crenshaw High School, Dee is the source of countless words of wisdom over the course of the six-season series, often acting as the family disciplinarian alongside her husband, Frank (William Allen Young).

"Deterrence" is a political thriller depicting fictional events ahead of Super Tuesday in the primary elections in the spring of 2008. As National Security Advisor Gayle Redford, Ralph and the rest of US President Walter Emerson's (Kevin Pollak) entourage discuss how to move forward when news arrives that Iraq has invaded Kuwait, all while the politicians are trapped in a blizzard.

Ralph joined the cast of crime drama "Ray Donovan" in 2013 as Claudette Boone. Claudette is the mother of Daryll Donovan (Pooch Hall), a professional boxer and limousine driver who is also Ray's half-brother. During the series, Claudette is often caught up in stressful scenarios with her ex Mickey Donovan (Jon Voight), Daryll's father. While Ralph was only a recurring cast member in seasons one, two, and seven of the seven-season series, her role as Claudette helped the series pilot episode break viewership records, making it Showtime's biggest TV premiere of all time.

Ralph won her first Emmy on Sept. 12 for her role as the no-nonsense elementary-school teacher Barbara Howard on Quinta Brunson's "Abbott Elementary." Barbara is a religious woman and a no-nonsense kindergarten teacher who sparks admiration in younger teachers like Janine Teagues (Brunson). While stern, Barbara is one of the most beloved teachers at Abbott, both by the students and staff.