Debbie Allen

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Debbie Allen
Occupation Actor, choreographer, television director, television producer, singer dancer
Years active 1976-present
Spouse(s) Norm Nixon (1984-present)
Win Wilford (1975-1983)
Official website

Debbie Allen (born Deborrah Kaye Allen on January 16, 1950) is an American actress, choreographer, television director, television producer, and a member of the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities[citation needed]. She is probably best known for her role as Lydia Grant in the hit 1982 TV series Fame.

Contents

[edit] Early years

 This section may contain original research or unverified claims.
Please improve the article by adding references. See the talk page for details. (April 2008)

Debbie Allen's mother, Vivia Allen, moved her children away from the USA and down to Mexico to escape prejudice. Her father was Cherokee Native American

Debbie Allen, who is also the sister of Phylicia Rashād, was born in Houston, Texas and went on to earn a B.A. degree in classical Greek literature, speech, and theater from Howard University. She holds honoris causa Doctors from from Howard and the North Carolina School for the Arts. She currently teaches young dancers at her Debbie Allen Dance Academy. She also taught choreography to former L.A. Laker dancer-turned singer, Paula Abdul. Her daughter, Vivian Nixon, played Kalimba in the Broadway production of Hot Feet. She graduated from Jack Yates Senior high school in 1967.

[edit] Career

[edit] West Side Story (1980 Broadway Revival)

Allen first began receiving critical attention in 1980, when she appeared in the role of Anita in the Broadway revival of West Side Story which earned her a Tony Award nomination and a Drama Desk Award.

[edit] "Fame"

Allen was first introduced as Lydia Grant in the 1980 movie Fame. Although her role in the film was relatively small, Lydia would become a central figure in the highly popular television adaptation, which ran from 1982 to 1987. During the opening montage of each episode, Ms. 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 also lead choreographer for the film and television series, winning two Emmy Awards and one Golden Globe Award. She then spun-off the Fame franchise into a reality show in 2003 but it was met only with limited success.

[edit] "A Different World"

In an article from the Museum of Broadcast Communications, the Hollywood Reporter commented on Debbie Allen's impact as the producer-director of the popular television series, A Different World. The show dealt with the life of students at the fictional historically black college, Hillman, and ran for six seasons on NBC. [1].

Debbie Allen was also selected to debut in the critically acclaimed Roots by Alex Haley where she plays the wife of Alex Haley in this film.

[edit] "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof"

In 2008 she directed the all-African-American Broadway production of Tennessee Williams's 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 will make his Broadway debut as Brick.

[edit] Work

[edit] Film

[edit] Television

[edit] Choreographer

  • The Academy Awards Show for five consecutive years
  • Carrie
  • Molly Doodle Molly Doodle

[edit] Director

[edit] Producer

"[Soldiers of Change]" with Michael Armand Hammer

[edit] Writer

  • movmnt magazine, regular columnist since 2006

[edit] Dancing

Dancing in the Wings and Brothers of the Night

[edit] Honors

In 2001, Debbie Allen was appointed by President George W. Bush as a member of the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities.[citation needed]

[edit] Personal life

Debbie Allen is married to former NBA player Norm Nixon.[2] She and Nixon have two children, Vivian (born 1984) and Norm Jr (born 1987).[citation needed] She was once married to Winnefred Wilford. She got divorced in 1983 because of the pressures of their careers.[citation needed]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Darnell Hunt. A DIFFERENT WORLD - U.S. Situation Comedy. museum.tv. Retrieved on 2008-04-12. “Allen...a graduate of historically black Howard University--drew from her college experiences in an effort to accurately reflect in the show the social and political life on black campuses. Moreover, Allen instituted a yearly spring trip to Atlanta where series writers visited two of the nation's leading black colleges, Morehouse and Spelman. During these visits, ideas for several of the episodes emerged from meetings with students and faculty.”
  2. ^ Peter Vecsey (2007-03-13). BASN's Hometown Hero. blackathlete.net. Retrieved on 2008-04-12.

[edit] External links

Awards
Preceded by
Merle Louise
for Sweeney Todd		 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical
1979-1980
for West Side Story		 Succeeded by
Marilyn Cooper
for Woman of the Year (musical)
v • d • e
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Choreography

Tony Charmoli (1976) · Ron Field (1977) · Ron Field (1978) · Kevin Carlisle (1979) · Alan Johnson (1980) · Walter Painter (1981) · Debbie Allen (1982) · Debbie Allen (1983) · Michael Smuin (1984) · Twyla Tharp (1985) · Walter Painter (1986) · Michael Peters / Dee Dee Wood (1987) · Alan Johnson (1988) · Walter Painter / Paula Abdul (1989) · Paula Abdul / Dean Barlow / Michael Darrin (1990) · Debbie Allen (1991) · Paul Taylor (1992) · Michael Peters (1993) · Linda Talcott (1994) · Ulysses Dove (1995) · Anita Mann / Charonne Mose (1996) · Marguerite Derricks / Sarah Kawahara (1997) · Marguerite Derricks / Peggy Holmes (1998) · Judith Jamison / Marguerite Derricks (1999) · Rob Marshall (2000) ·