Debbie Allen
Highest Rated: 100% Maurice Hines: Bring Them Back (2019)
Lowest Rated: 9% Blank Check (1994)
Birthday: Jan 16, 1950
Birthplace: Houston, Texas, USA
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.
Photos
Filmography
Movies
| Credit | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 63% | 50% | Dolly Parton's Christmas on the Square |
Director, Executive Producer |
- | 2020 |
| 100% | No Score Yet | Maurice Hines: Bring Them Back |
Self, Executive Producer |
- | 2019 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Hot Chocolate Nutcracker | Director | - | 2014 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | A Star for Rose | Rose (Character) | - | 2013 |
| 24% | 36% | Fame | Principal Simms (Character) | $22.5M | 2009 |
| 21% | 31% | Next Day Air | Ms. Jackson (Character) | $10.0M | 2009 |
| No Score Yet | 100% | Tournament of Dreams | Rhonda Dillins (Character) | - | 2007 |
| No Score Yet | 75% | The Fantasia Barrino Story: Life Is Not a Fairy Tale | Director | - | 2006 |
| No Score Yet | 81% | All About You | Ruth (Character) | - | 2001 |
| No Score Yet | 91% | The Painting | Bertha Lee Gilmore (Character) | - | 2001 |
| No Score Yet | 82% | Everything's Jake | Librarian (Character) | - | 2000 |
| No Score Yet | 52% | Michael Jordan: An American Hero | Deloris Jordan (Character) | - | 1999 |
| 77% | 79% | Amistad |
Producer, Original Song |
- | 1997 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Out of Sync | Director | - | 1995 |
| 9% | 34% | Blank Check | Yvonne (Character) | $30.6M | 1994 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Mona Must Die | Betty (Character) | - | 1994 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Stompin' at the Savoy | Director | - | 1992 |
| No Score Yet | 95% | Polly | Director | - | 1989 |
| 53% | 79% | Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling | Michelle (Character) | $16.4M | 1986 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Women of San Quentin | Carol Freeman (Character) | - | 1983 |
| 83% | 77% | Ragtime | Sarah (Character) | - | 1981 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Ebony, Ivory and Jade | Claire `'Ebony'` Bryant (Character) | - | 1979 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Greatest Thing That Almost Happened | Julie Sutton (Character) | - | 1977 |
TV
| Credit | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 84% | 75% | Grey's Anatomy |
Catherine Avery (Guest Star), Executive Producer, Director |
2010-2022 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Soul of a Nation | Self | 2022 |
| 71% | 83% | Janet Jackson. | Self | 2022 |
| No Score Yet | 69% | S.W.A.T. | Charice (Guest Star) | 2018-2019 2021 |
| No Score Yet | 0% | The Ellen DeGeneres Show | Guest | 2021 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | CBS This Morning | Guest | 2021 |
| No Score Yet | 0% | The Talk | Guest | 2011 2015 2020 |
| No Score Yet | 50% | The Kelly Clarkson Show | Guest | 2020 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Home & Family | Guest | 2018-2019 |
| No Score Yet | 72% | Raven's Home | Aunt Maureen (Guest Star) | 2018 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | They've Gotta Have Us | Guest | 2018 |
| No Score Yet | 88% | Step Up: High Water | Director | 2018 |
| 97% | 82% | Insecure | Director | 2016 |
| 100% | 85% | Jane The Virgin |
Unknown (Guest Star), Director |
2014-2016 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | FABLife | Guest | 2015 |
| 93% | 73% | Scandal | Director | 2014-2015 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Today | Guest | 2014 |
| 88% | 85% | How to Get Away With Murder | Director | 2014 |
| No Score Yet | 69% | So You Think You Can Dance |
Guest, Judge |
2007 2013-2014 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Mo'Nique Show | Unknown (Character) | 2014 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Oprah: Where Are They Now? | Guest | 2014 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Let's Stay Together | Unknown (Guest Star) | 2013 |
| No Score Yet | 61% | Army Wives | Director | 2013 |
| 68% | 78% | The Client List | Director | 2013 |
| 65% | 46% | Hellcats | Director | 2010-2011 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | My Parents, My Sister & Me | Producer | 2010 |
| 95% | 98% | Everybody Hates Chris |
Mother (Guest Star), Director |
2006-2009 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Game | Director | 2008 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Girlfriends | Director | 2006-2008 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | All of Us |
Unknown (Guest Star), Director |
2003-2007 |
| No Score Yet | 100% | That's So Raven | Director | 2006 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Parkers | Director | 2003 |
| 50% | 80% | The Twilight Zone | Director | 2003 |
| 70% | No Score Yet | Linc's | Director | 1998-2000 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Jamie Foxx Show | Director | 1997-1998 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Cosby | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1997 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child | Unknown (Voice) | 1997 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Touched by an Angel | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1996 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | In the House | Unknown (Character) | 1995-1996 |
| No Score Yet | 84% | Quantum Leap |
Joanna Chapman (Guest Star), Director |
1991 1993 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | A Different World | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1991-1992 |
| No Score Yet | 91% | The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air | Director | 1990 |
| No Score Yet | 54% | The Cosby Show | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1988 |
| No Score Yet | 100% | Family Ties | Director | 1987-1988 |
| No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Fame |
Lydia Grant (Character), Director, Producer |
1982-1987 |
| No Score Yet | 100% | Good Times | Diana Buchanan (Guest Star) | 1976 |