Dillard currently lives in New York City. She dances in her free time and writes screenplays and plays for the stage. Dillard was the long-time girlfriend of actor Laurence Fishburne beginning in 1992 when the two met on the set of the film Deep Cover. Their relationship ended in 1995.

Dillard’s most notable television role was as Janelle Cooper in the ABC sitcom Spin City. She stayed on the show for three seasons before leaving in 2000. Her other television credits include Star Trek: The Next Generation, Seinfeld, Roc, L.A. Law, Chicago Hope, Martin, Moesha, Family Law, Law & Order, Law & Order: Criminal Intent and other series.

Some of her film credits are Coming to America (1988), Deep Cover (1992), The Glass Shield (1994), Internal Affairs (1990), Out-of-Sync (1995) with LL Cool J, and Ricochet (1991) with Denzel Washington. Dillard also appeared as Betty Shabazz in the 2001 film Ali, her last film to date.

In 2005, at the age of 36, Dillard was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. It is the same disease that afflicts her former Spin City co-star, actor Michael J. Fox. She has since become an advocate for Parkinson’s disease research and treatments.