She attended school at Texas Agricultural and Mechanical University-Kingsville and the University of Texas before earning a post-graduate degree from the Yale School of Drama.
She has appeared in films such as The Abyss, Gross Anatomy, The Waterdance, Drop Zone, The Velocity of Gary, K-PAX, I Am Sam, Impostor, The United States of Leland, Guess Who, World Trade Center and Love and Other Drugs. She frequently appears in the films of Joel Schumacher such as Flatliners, Falling Down and The Client. She is the only actress to appear in different Batman films (Batman Forever and Batman & Robin) as different characters.
Scott has also appeared in the television shows MacGyver, Boy Meets World, The Commish, Family Dog, Emergency, Chicago Hope, Malibu Shores, 3rd Rock from the Sun, Judge Advocate General, Sister, Sister, The Practice, New York City Police Department Blue, Touched by an Angel, Once and Again, Soul Food, Family Law, Providence, Will & Grace, Wonderfalls, 7th Heaven, and Medium.
In 2007, she appeared in the short films Sponsored By, Under The Gun, Open House, and Time Upon A Once that were made during the reality show On the Lot. In 2010, she appeared as Mama Nadi in the Oregon Shakespeare Festival"s version of Ruined by playwright Lynn Nottage, and in 2011 played the tavern owner Mistress Quickly in Shakespeare"s Henry IV, Participant Two.