Debbie Allen
About
Biography
Filmography
Family & Companions
Biography
With notable credits on stage as an actress and on TV as an actor, producer, director and choreographer, Debbie Allen has become one of the more diversified talents in TV. The career of this dynamic, award-winning singer-dancer has been an inspirational beacon to Black women in the entertainment industry. On Broadway, Allen was a fiery Anita in the 1980 revival of "West Side Story" and a high-kicking prostitute with a heart of gold in Bob Fosse's 1986 revival of "Sweet Charity." She began appearing regularly on TV in the mid-1970s in guest shots, summer replacement series, variety specials and TV-movies. Featured as hard-driving dance teacher Lydia Grant in the film "Fame" (1980), she reprised the greatly expanded role on the critically acclaimed TV series (NBC, 1982-83; first-run syndication, 1983-87) which she also choreographed.
Allen joined the already popular "Cosby Show" spin-off, "A Different World" (NBC, 1987-93), during its second season as producer and primary director. Under her guidance, the show found its focus, hit its stride and became a ratings powerhouse. Along with Cosby, Allen became one of contemporary TV's leading proponents of Black bourgeois values. She has numerous directing credits on such family-oriented sitcoms as "The Cosby Show," "Family Ties," and "The Sinbad Show." She also helmed the 1990 NBC pilot for the hit sitcom "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air." Allen also proved adept as a director of hour long TV drama with two episodes of "Quantum Leap."
Allen may be most widely known to international audiences as the choreographer of the annual Academy Awards presentations since 1991. Though the sometimes unseemly and vulgar production numbers have received their share of critical brickbats, several linger in the memory for their sheer audacity.
Allen returned to the regular grind of a weekly sitcom as the co-star, opposite rapper-turned-actor LL Cool J, of "In the House" (NBC, 1995-96), a family sitcom about a once wealthy divorced mother who finds herself sharing a household with a former pro football player. Her feature acting credits include Milos Forman's "Ragtime" (1981), Richard Pryor's semi-autobiographical "Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling" (1986) and the Disney family comedy "Blank Check" (1994).
Since the 80s, Allen has been more active behind the camera, helming the Disney musical comedy remake "Polly" (NBC, 1989) and its 1990 sequel "Polly Comin' Home!" (both of which featured her sister Phylicia Rashad) and the feature "Out of Sync" (1995). She also provided choreography for Billy Crystal's "Forget Paris" (1995). In 1997, Allen realized a long-held dream of producing the film "Amistad," directed by Steven Spielberg, which recounted the story of an 1839 revolt on a Spanish slave ship and court battle for the Africans freedom.
Filmography
Director (Feature Film)
Cast (Feature Film)
Producer (Feature Film)
Music (Feature Film)
Dance (Feature Film)
Director (Special)
Cast (Special)
Writer (Special)
Producer (Special)
Music (Special)
Dance (Special)
Special Thanks (Special)
Misc. Crew (Special)
Cast (TV Mini-Series)
Life Events
1972
Made her Off-Broadway debut in "Ti-Jean and His Brothers"
1972
First appeared on Broadway in "Purlie"
1976
Early TV guest spot, "Good Times," (CBS) as Jimmy Walker's heroin-addicted girlfriend, Diana
1977
Appeared as a regular on "3 Girls 3," an NBC variety series
1979
Feature acting debut, "The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh"
1979
Made miniseries debut in "Roots: The Next Generation" (ABC)
1980
First introduced as Lydia Grant in the film, "Fame"
1980
Received critical attention for playing the role of Anita in the Broadway revival of "West Side Story"; earned a Tony Award nomination
1981
First film in a leading role, Milos Forman's feature adaptation of "Ragtime"
1982
Played dance teacher Lydia Grant in the TV adaptation of "Fame" (NBC, 1982-1983; syndicated, 1983-1987), also choreographed the series
1983
Acted in the television movie, "Women of San Quentin" (NBC)
1985
Appeared in Richard Pryor's movie, "Jo-Jo Dancer, Your Life is Calling"
1986
Played the title role in the Broadway revival of "Sweet Charity"; earned a Tony Award nomination
1988
Joined "A Different World," (NBC) the popular spinoff from "The Cosby Show" during its second season as producer and primary director
1989
Produced, directed, choreographed and hosted "The Debbie Allen Special" on ABC; earned Emmy nominations for directing and choreography
1989
Directed and choreographed the NBC TV-movie, "Polly," starring her sister Phylicia Rashad
1990
Helmed the successful pilot for "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air," (NBC) starring Will Smith
1990
Re-teamed with Phylicia Rashad to direct "Polly: Coming Home" (NBC)
1991
Choreographed the 63rd through the 67th Academy Award shows
1992
Produced and directed the CBS TV-movie, "Stompin' at the Savoy"
1993
Directed the HBO special, "Sinbad Live From the Paramount"; released on video, in an expanded form, as "Afros & Bellbottoms"
1995
Made feature directorial debut with "Out Of Sync"
1997
Produced the Steven Spielberg-directed epic, "Amistead"
1998
Directed the musical "Brothers of the Knight" at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC
1999
Returned as choreographer for the 71st Academy Awards show
2001
Co-starred with sister Phylicia Rashad in the PBS production of "The Old Settler"; also directed and co-produced
2002
Staged a production of "Carmen Jones" at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC
2003
Produced and co-hosted NBC's reality dance competition, "Fame"
2003
Directed episodes of "All of Us" (UPN, 2003-2006; The CW, 2006-2007), executive produced by Jada Pinkett and Will Smith
2004
Helmed several episodes of Disney Channel's "That's So Raven"
2005
Directed episodes of the sitcom, "Girlfriends" (UPN, 2005-2006; The CW, 2006-2008)
2006
Directed the CW sitcom, "Everybody Hates Chris"; created and executive produced by Chris Rock
2007
Was a frequent guest judge on the FOX reality dance competition, "So You Think You Can Dance"
2008
Directed the all-African-American Broadway production of Tennessee Williams' "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof," co-starring sister Phylicia Rashad
2009
Played the school's principal in the feature remake of "Fame"
Family
Companions
