Debbie Allen Biography, Age, Family, Fame, Dance Academy, Sister and Actress

Debbie Allen Biography

Debbie Allen born as Debbie Kaye Allen is an American actress, dancer, choreographer, television director, television producer, and a member of the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities. She is best known for her work on the 1982 musical-drama television series Fame, where she portrayed dance teacher Lydia Grant, and served as the series’ principal choreographer. She currently portrays Catherine Avery on Grey’s Anatomy. She is the younger sister of actress/director/singer Phylicia Rashad.

Debbie Allen Age

Debbie was born on January 16, 1950 in Houston, Texas. She is 69 years old as of 2019.

Debbie Allen Family |Debbie Allen Parents |Debbie Allen Siblings

Allen was born in Houston, Texas. She is the third child to orthodontist Andrew Arthur Allen Jr. and Pulitzer Prize-nominated artist, poet, playwright, scholar, and publisher, Vivian (née Ayers) Allen.

Debbie  is the sister of actress/director/singer Phylicia Rashad (with whom she once co-starred on an episode of The Cosby Show), and Tex Allen (Andrew Arthur Allen III, born 1945), noted jazz composer.

Debbie Allen Husband |Debbie Allen Children |Debbie Allen Daughter|Debbie Allen Son

Allen is married to Norm Nixon who is a former NBA player. The two have have three children: dancer Vivian Nichole Nixon, basketball player Norman Ellard Nixon Jr. (Wofford College & Southern University), and DeVaughn Nixon. Previously Debbie was married to Win Wilford from 1975 to 1983.

Debbie Allen And Her Daughter

Vivian Nichole Nixon who is the daughter to Debbie was born on May 30, 1984 in Miami, Florida. She is a dancer and an actress. Vivian made her debut on Broadway as Kalimba in Hot Feet.

Debbie Allen Fame

Debbie for four times she was nominated for the Emmy Award for Best Actress during the show’s run. Debbie is  known as the only actress to have appeared in all three screen incarnations of Fame, playing Lydia Grant in both the 1980 film and 1982 television series and playing the school principal in the 2009 remake.  She was also lead choreographer for the film and television series, winning two Emmy Awards and one Golden Globe Award.

Debbie Allen Dance |Debbie Allen Dance Academy |Debbie Allen Studio

The Debbie Allen Dance Academy is a non-profit organization that offers a comprehensive dance curriculum to students ages four and up.

DADA offers a comprehensive dance program for all skill levels and age groups.

ACADEMY
The Academy prescribes a comprehensive curriculum for the committed student, ages eight and up. All students are required to take a minimum of ten classes weekly.

PRE-ACADEMY
The Pre-Academy Program is designed to prepare dancers for the Academy as well as accomodate students who cannot commit to the full Academy schedule. Students accepted into this program are required to take a minimum of five classes weekly.

OPEN CLASSES
DADA offers a series of dance and fitness Open Classes for all skill levels and ages.

EARLY BIRDS
The Early Bird Program is designed to instill the love of dance in children through technique, musical exercises, teamwork and play. This program is for youth ages 4 to 7. Early Birds are required to take a minimum of four classes weekly.

RED-BIRDS
The Red Bird Program specializes in training exceptional young dancers. These students are hand selected by the Artistic Director, Debbie Allen. Red Birds are required to take a minimum of six to eight classes weekly, based on their level.

ENSEMBLE
DADA Intensives are structured to accelerate the technical skills and creative abilities of all participants in a condensed time period.
VIEW CLASS

Debbie Allen And Phylicia Rashad |Debbie Allen Sister

Debbie  is the sister of actress/director/singer Phylicia Rashad (with whom she once co-starred on an episode of The Cosby Show), and Tex Allen (Andrew Arthur Allen III, born 1945), noted jazz composer.

Debbie Allen Grey’s Anatomy

Debbie has played Catherine Fox since season eight of Grey’s Anatomy. Apart from acting on the show, Debbie has also directed several episodes and she has become an executive producer as of season 12.

Debbie Allen Young |Debbie Allen Life Story

Debbie  and her family decided to return to their permanent home in Texas after their trip  from Mexico.  When  in Texas, Debbie  auditioned at the Houston Ballet School at the age of twelve. Despite that  her audition performance exceeded beyond the qualifications of admission, Debbie was denied admission to the school due to systemic racism that had corrupted the process.  After a year of this devastating news to her , Allen was given another chance and was admitted by a Russian instructor who accidentally saw Debbie Allen perform in a show. When  admission recruiters from the Houston Ballet School were  aware of the situation, they allowed Allen to stay in the institution because they were pleased with the talent she had showcased.

Another  incident  that Allen experienced racism is  when she was sixteen.   After having 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. Unfortunately, she  was denied  acceptance due to her body not being suited for ballet.  African American dancers in many cases, were often discouraged from dance because they were told their body structure did not fit the preferred stereotype ballet dancer’s body. This prejudice effectively blocked many talented and skilled dancers from ballet. After she received a number of rejections, Allen decided to mainly focus on her academics and, from then on, was well on her way to the start of her career.

Actress Debbie Allen |Debbie Allen Work |Debbie Allen Singer

Debbie  had her Broadway debut in the chorus of Purlie. In the Tony Award-winning musical Raisin Debbie also created the role of Beneatha. She first started  receiving critical attention in 1980 for her appearance 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, in 1986 she would receive a second Tony Award nomination for her performance in the title role of Bob Fosse’s Sweet Charity. One of her previous television appearances was in the TV sitcom Good Times in a memorable 2-part episode titled “J.J.’s Fiancee'” as J.J.’s drug-addicted fiancée, Diana.

In the 1980 film Fame Debbie was first introduced as Lydia Grant . Even though her role in the film was relatively small, Lydia would become a central figure in the television adaptation, which ran from 1982 to 1987. In the time of 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.” Debbie was nominated for the Emmy Award for Best Actress four times during the show’s run. She is the only actress to have appeared in all three screen incarnations of Fame, playing Lydia Grant in both the 1980 film and 1982 television series and playing the school principal in the 2009 remake. Allen was also lead choreographer for the film and television series, winning two Emmy Awards and one Golden Globe Award.

She had the important role of Sarah, the lover of Coalhouse Walker in 1981 (Howard E. Rollins) who is killed while trying to defend him in the movie version of the best-selling novel Ragtime. That same role earned a Tony Award for Audra McDonald, for her performance in the Broadway musical.

The Hollywood Reporter, in an article from the Museum of Broadcast Communications commented on Allen’s impact as the producer-director of the 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.

Debbie was also chose to appear in the 1979 miniseries Roots: The Next Generations by Alex Haley where she plays the wife of Haley.  She 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.

Debbie has released two solo albums, 1986’s Sweet Charity and 1989’s Special Look which also had several singles off the album. In 1995, Allen lent her voice (as well directing the voice cast) to the children’s animated series C Bear and Jamal for Film Roman and Fox Kids. Debbie  fulfilled a lifelong dream in 2001 by opening the Debbie Allen Dance Academy in Los Angeles, California. Debbi’s academy offers a comprehensive curriculum for boys and girls ages four to eighteen in all the major dance techniques including Classical Ballet, Modern, African, Jazz, and Hip-Hop. In addition, special workshops are held for concentration in the Peking Opera, Martial Arts dance techniques, Flamenco, Salsa, and Tap. Debbie Allen was awarded an honorary doctorate from the North Carolina School of the Arts, as well as from her alma mater, Howard University. Debbie has participated as a judge and mentor for the U.S. version of So You Think You Can Dance since 2007.  Debbie at the end of Vegas week in Season 4  she had to step aside  to avoid perception of bias, as one of her former dancers, Will, made it to the top 20.

Debbie Allen Movies And Tv Shows

Fame (2009 film) – Principal Angela Simms
Next Day Air (2009) – Ms. Jackson
Blank Check (1994) – Yvonne
Ragtime (1981) – Sarah
Fame (1980 film) – Lydia Grant
The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh (1979) – Ola
Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life is Calling (1986) – Michell

Debbie Allen Tv Shows

3 Girls 3: Variety show
All of Us: “Parents Just Don’t Understand”
A Different World – Dr. Langhorne
The Cosby Show – Emma “Captain Bone-crusher” Newhouse
Roots: The Next Generations – Nan
Fame – Lydia Grant
In The House – Jackie Warren
Good Times – Diana (J.J.’s Junkie Fiancée)
C Bear and Jamal (voice)
Spike Lee & Company: Do It a Cappella – Herself (Documentary)
Quantum Leap – Joanna Chapman
So You Think You Can Dance, seasons 3, 4 and 5 – Guest Judge
Grey’s Anatomy (2011–present) – Dr. Catherine Fox (Avery)
The Love Boat (1978)
Dance Moms (2016–2017)
Jane the Virgin 2016 – Beverly Flores
Raven’s Home (2018) – Aunt Maureen
S.W.A.T. (2018) – Hondo’s mother

Debbie Allen Net Worth

Debbie is an American actress, dancer, singer, choreographer, and director who has a net worth of $3 million dollars

Debbie Allen Books

1. The Highly Paid Expert
2. Skyrocketing Sales!: The Ultimate Guide to Boosting Your Confidence and Exceeding Your Goals
3. Confessions of Shameless Self-Promoters: Great Marketing Gurus Share Their Innovative, Proven, and Low-Cost Marketing Strategies to Maximize Your Success!
4. The Highly Paid Expert: Turn Your Passion, Skills, and Talents Into A Lucrative Career by Becoming The Go-To Authority In Your Industry by Debbie Allen (2014-07-21)
5. By Debbie Allen The Highly Paid Expert: Turn Your Passion, Skills, and Talents Into A Lucrative Career by Becoming T (1st Edition)

Debbie Allen West Side Story

Debbie first received critical attention in 1980 for her appearance 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.

Debbie Allen Ethnicity

Debbie is an American.

Debbie Allen Awards

1. Allen was appointed by President George W. Bush in 2001 as a member of the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities.
2. 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.
3. Allen was presented with the George and Ira Gershwin Award for Lifetime Musical Achievement, at the 1992 UCLA Spring Sing.
4. Three-time Emmy Award winner for Choreography for the series Fame and The Motown 25th Anniversary Special.
5. 10 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.
6. 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.

 

Children’s Books By Debbie Allen

Dancing in the Wings

Debbie Allen Quotes

1. There are some scenes that work beautifully in a moving, sweeping master, which is how I like to work.
2. I’m always moving forward.
3. But out of limitations comes creativity.
4. Time management is a big part of the director’s job.
5. But out of limitations comes creativity.
6. Michael Ralph brilliantly plays the street prophet, a West Indian who foreshadows the Harlem riot.
7. The riot isn’t seen in the movie, but it is alluded to. He has this one speech that gives a great sense of texture and paints a picture of what was happening in Harlem then.
   Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/authors/debbie_allen

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