She co-starred as detective Irene Daniels in the TNT crime drama series The Closer (2005-2009).
[citation needed] In the early 1990s, Ravera began appearing in guest-starring roles on television shows, including The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Melrose Place, and Star Trek: The Next Generation.
In films, she had a starring role in the 1995 erotic drama Showgirls, directed by Paul Verhoeven, and in 1997 appeared in the comedy-drama Soul Food.
She was a regular cast member of Time of Your Life, a spin-off series of Fox's popular teen drama Party of Five, from 1999 to 2001.
From 2006 to 2008, she also had a recurring role on ER and in 2007, she played Denzel Washington's wife in the biographical film The Great Debaters.