Debbie Allen

Early life

Allen was born in Houston, Texas, the third child of orthodontist Andrew Arthur Allen and artist, poet, playwright, scholar, and publisher, Vivian (née Ayers) Allen. She earned a B.A. degree in classical Greek literature, speech, and theater from Howard University and studied acting at HB Studio in New York City. She was a member of Chi Delta Mu Health Professional Fraternity. She holds honoris causa doctorates from Howard University and the University of North Carolina School of the Arts.

Challenges

Debbie Allen auditioned at the Houston Ballet Academy at the age of twelve, but was denied admission. After another chance, she was admitted a year later by a Russian instructor who accidentally saw her perform in a show. Once recruiters from the academy became aware of the situation, they allowed her to stay because they recognized her talent. While at the academy, she trained under Suzelle Poole.

Her experience at the Houston Ballet Academy is not the only time Allen was refused. When she was sixteen, she had a successful audition for the North Carolina School of the Arts and was given an opportunity to demonstrate dance techniques to other prospective students applying to the institution. However, she was refused admission and was told her body was not suited to ballet. After numerous rejections, she decided to focus on her academic studies and was on her way to the start of her acting career.

Career

1970–1981: Early works

Allen began her career appearing on Broadway theatre. Allen had her Broadway debut in the chorus of Purlie in 1970. She later created the role of Beneatha in the Tony Award-winning musical Raisin (1973), and appeared in Truckload, and Ain't Misbehavin'. In 1980, she received critical attention for her performance as Anita in the Broadway revival of West Side Story which earned her a Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Musical and won her a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical.

In 1976, Allen made her television debut appearing in the CBS sitcom Good Times in a memorable 2-part episode titled "J.J.'s Fiancée" as J.J.'s drug-addicted fiancée, Diana. The following year, she went to star in the NBC variety show 3 Girls 3. Allen later was selected to appear in the 1979 miniseries Roots: The Next Generations by Alex Haley where she plays the wife of Haley. Also, that year, she made her big screen debut appearing in a supporting role in the comedy film The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh. In 1981, she had the important role of Sarah in the movie version of the best-selling novel Ragtime, a role that earned Audra McDonald a Tony Award for in the Broadway musical.

1982–1987: ''Fame''

In the film Fame (1980), Allen played the role of Lydia Grant. Though the film role was relatively small, Lydia became a central figure in the television adaptation, which ran from 1982 to 1987. During the opening montage of each episode, Grant told her students: "You've got big dreams? You want fame? Well, fame costs. And right here is where you start paying ... in sweat." Allen was nominated for the Emmy Award for Best Actress four times during the show's run.

In 1986, Allen received a second Tony Award nomination, at that time for Best Leading Actress in a Musical, for her performance in the title role of Bob Fosse's Sweet Charity. Also that year, she had a supporting role in the comedy-drama film Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling directed, produced by and starring Richard Pryor.

1988–present

After Fame, Allen focused on working off-camera and as a choreographer. She choreographed the 1988 Broadway adaptation of Stephen King's “Carrie.” Carrie was a collaboration with her fellow “Fame” alumni Michael Gore, Dean Pitchford, and Gene Anthony Ray. The show opened to mixed reviews and closed after only 16 previews and 5 performances.

''A Different World''

In an article from the Museum of Broadcast Communications, The Hollywood Reporter commented on Allen's impact as the producer-director of the television series, A Different World. The show dealt with the lives of students at the fictional historically black college, Hillman. The show ran for six seasons on NBC. The Hollywood Reporter is quoted as stating that when Debbie Allen became the producer (and usually director) of A Different World after the first season, she transformed it "from a bland Cosby spin-off into a lively, socially responsible, ensemble situation comedy." She directed a total of 83 episodes.

Singing and choreographing

Allen has released two solo albums, Sweet Charity (1986) and Special Look (1989), which also produced several singles. Also that year, she directed musical film Polly. She later directed crime drama film Out-of-Sync (1995) as well as a number of television films. She choreographed the Academy Awards for ten years, six of which were consecutive. In 1995, Allen directed the voice cast and lent her voice to the children's animated series C Bear and Jamal for Film Roman and Fox Kids. That same year, she starred in the NBC sitcom In the House which ran for five seasons. She co-produced the 1997 Steven Spielberg historical drama film Amistad receiving a Producers Guild of America Award.

Debbie Allen Dance Academy and ''So You Think You Can Dance''

In 2001, Allen founded the Debbie Allen Dance Academy, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. Since 2007, Allen has participated as a judge and mentor for the U.S. version of So You Think You Can Dance. During Season 4, she stepped aside as a judge at the end of Vegas week to avoid perception of bias, since one of her former dancers, Will, had made it to the top 20.

''Cat on a Hot Tin Roof''

In 2008, Allen directed the all-African-American Broadway production of Tennessee Williams' Pulitzer Prize-winning drama Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, starring stage veterans James Earl Jones (Big Daddy), her sister Phylicia Rashad (Big Mama) and Anika Noni Rose (Maggie the Cat), as well as film actor Terrence Howard, who made his Broadway debut as Brick. The production, with some roles recast, had a limited run (2009 – April 2010) in London. She also directed and starred in the 2001 play and its television adaptation The Old Settler.

Television director and ''Grey's Anatomy''

In 2000s and 2010s, Allen directed television shows, including 44 episodes of All of Us, as well as Girlfriends, Everybody Hates Chris, How to Get Away with Murder, Empire, Scandal, and Jane the Virgin. In 2011, she joined the cast of ABC medical drama Grey's Anatomy playing the role of Dr. Catherine Fox. As of the 12th season, she served as an executive producer. In 2020, she directed the musical film Christmas on the Square starring Dolly Parton for Netflix.

Personal life

Allen is married to former NBA player Norm Nixon; the couple have three children: dancer Vivian Nichole Nixon (who played Kalimba in the Broadway production of Hot Feet), basketball player Norman Ellard Nixon Jr. (Wofford College and Southern University), and DeVaughn Nixon. Allen was previously married to Win Wilford from 1975 to 1983. She is the sister of actress/director/singer Phylicia Rashad (she guest starred in an episode of The Cosby Show and Rashad in an episode of In the House and also Grey's Anatomy), Tex Allen (Andrew Arthur Allen III, born 1945), a jazz composer, and Hugh W. Allen, a real estate banker, who appeared on three episodes of A Different World as Quincy Tolleson.

Filmography

Film

Television

Director

Writer

• Movement magazine, regular columnist since 2006
• Dancing in the Wings paperback, by Debbie Allen (Author), Kadir Nelson (Illustrator)
• Brothers of the Knight paperback, by Debbie Allen (Author), Kadir Nelson (Illustrator)

Discography

• Special Look (1989)

Awards and nominations

[[Academy Awards]]

[[Drama Desk Awards]]

[[Emmy Awards]]

[[Golden Globe Awards]]

[[Tony Awards]]

Miscellaneous honors

• Allen has held the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Choreography record for most wins and most nominations.
• Allen was appointed by President George W. Bush in 2001 as a member of the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities.
• For her contributions to the television industry, Debbie Allen was honored in 1991 with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6904 Hollywood Boulevard in the center of Hollywood directly opposite the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center.
• Allen was presented with the George and Ira Gershwin Award for Lifetime Musical Achievement, at the 1992 UCLA Spring Sing.
• 10 NAACP Image Awards as a director, actress, choreographer, and producer for Fame, A Different World, Motown 25, The Academy Awards, The Debbie Allen Special and Amistad.
• On February 4, 2009, Debbie Allen was honored for her contributions to dance and was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award by Nia Peeples at The Carnival: Choreographer's Ball 10th anniversary show.
• Allen was awarded an honorary doctorate from the North Carolina School of the Arts, as well as from her alma mater, Howard University.
• 2020 Kennedy Center Honoree

References

References

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5. (May 6, 2015). "Debbie Allen To Serve As Executive Producer/Director On 'Grey's Anatomy'".
6. Gibson, Cynthia. (February 19, 2016). "Black History Profile: Debbie Allen, 'Born To Dance'".
7. de Luna, Marcy. (January 15, 2019). "Houston-born actress and choreographer Debbie Allen turns 69".
8. Lawrence, Muhammad. "One-woman dynamo". ''[[The Courier-Journal]]'', September 12, 1999
9. "HB Studio - Notable Alumni | One of the Original Acting Studios in NYC".
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11. (December 6, 2012). "Allen, Debbie (1950- ) {{!}} The Black Past: Remembered and Reclaimed".
12. Dunning, Jennifer. (March 29, 1992). "TELEVISION; Debbie Allen Chips Away At the Glass Ceiling". The New York Times.
13. "Famous Biographies & TV Shows - Biography.com".
14. "Debbie Allen – Broadway Cast & Staff | IBDB".
15. O'Connor, John J. (March 30, 1977). [https://www.nytimes.com/1977/03/30/archives/tv-its-instant-stardom-for-3-girls-3.html TV: It's Instant Stardom for '3 Girls 3'] {{Webarchive. link. (August 20, 2020 , ''[[The New York Times]]'')
16. (January 8, 2017). "34 Years Ago Debbie Allen Took Home a Golden Globe".
17. "Carrie – Broadway Musical – Original {{!}} IBDB".
18. Darnell Hunt. "A Different World- U.S. Situation Comedy". Museum.tv.
19. "A Different World". The Museum of Broadcast Communications.
20. "Special Look - Debbie Allen | Songs, Reviews, Credits".
21. Michael Billington (December 2, 2009) [https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2009/dec/02/cat-on-a-hot-tin-roof-billington "Cat On a Hot Tin Roof"] {{Webarchive. link. (December 1, 2017 , ''The Guardian'')
22. "Dolly Parton Is Releasing a BRAND-NEW Christmas Musical This December!".
23. "Dolly Parton Is Releasing a New Christmas Movie Next Winter on Netflix".
24. Peter Vecsey. (March 13, 2007). "BASN's Hometown Hero". blackathlete.net.
25. PEOPLE: "AND BABY MAKES FOUR". – ''[[The Dallas Morning News]]''. – September 2, 1987.
26. Dave Mackall (May 31, 2007) "Nixon fondly remembers Duquesne". – ''[[Pittsburgh Tribune-Review]]''.
27. Joseph Schiefelbein (October 17, 2008) "Spivery, Jaguars to begin practice", ''[[The Advocate (Baton Rouge). The Advocate]]''.
28. (February 22, 2020). "NAACP Image Awards 2020 Winners: The Complete List".
29. (June 17, 2025). "THE ACADEMY TO HONOR DEBBIE ALLEN, TOM CRUISE, DOLLY PARTON AND WYNN THOMAS AT THE 2025 GOVERNORS AWARDS". [[Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences]].
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36. Montgomery, Daniel. (September 12, 2021). "Derek Hough ('Dancing with the Stars') wins 3rd Emmy for Best Choreography, but he's still chasing Debbie Allen in record books". Gold Derby.
37. Transcript: [https://www.pbs.org/kcet/tavissmiley/archive/200803/20080321_allen.html Debbie Allen] {{Webarchive. link. (August 1, 2008 . ''[[Tavis Smiley]]'' [[PBS]], March 21, 2008)
38. (October 25, 2019). "Debbie Allen – Hollywood Walk of Fame".
39. "Calendar & Events: Spring Sing: Gershwin Award". UCLA.
40. (February 2, 2009). "The Carnival: Getting The "Groove On" For 10 Years". Hollywire.com.
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