She gained further prestige as the producer-director of the television situation comedy A Different World, and she has also directed episodes of Family Ties, Quantum Leap, and The Fresh Prince of Bel Air. PR Newswire, April 11, 2001; June 6, 2002. Her First Professional Acting Gig Was On Good Times. at Howard University (1971) with a concentration in classical Greek literature, speech, and theater. Mya Allen admitted to Page Six that she wasn't aware of ex-boyfriend Oliver Gray's "red flags" while they were dating for over a year. Deborah Kaye Allen was born in Houston, Texas, to African-American parents, Vivian Elizabeth (Ayers), a poet and art director, and Andrew Arthur Allen, an orthodontist. Allen broke out into the TV world with her debut as Diana Buchanan, the fiance to Jimmy Walkers J.J character on the comedy series. I was dancing at the timewearing a fantastic Bob Mackie outfitand I had great directors and writers and choreographers around me. Recalling those early months, she told the Washington Post,I pounded pavements, went to every audition. Allen boosted the show to the top of the ratings, continuing to produce and direct the sitcom until its finale in 1993. The story of the Amistad and its crew came to the attention of Allen in 1979 when she was visiting her father at Howard University and came across a book called Amistad I: Writings in Black History and Culture. . Allen won two Emmy Awards for her choreography on the series, and she was nominated for an Emmy as best actress in a drama as well. (February 22, 2023). Refer to each styles convention regarding the best way to format page numbers and retrieval dates. Married Winfred Wilford, 1975 (divorced, 1983); married Norman Nixon, 1984; children: Vivian Ntchole, Norman, Jr. Education: Howard University, B.A., 1971. Her rendition of (I Like To Be in) America absolutely stole the show, according to a People magazine reviewer, and she was nominated for a Tony Award for the performance. Marriage and motherhood have enhanced her career, Allen says, and making her even more creative, although she drew a fierce line between them in the book Starring Mothers: As a professional woman, I have to be aggressive about my work since my fielddirecting and producingis dominated by men. In the same year, she won the part of dance teacher Lydia Grant in the movie Fame, a role with which she would become closely identified. Michael Jordan: An American Hero. Gallo, Hank. Born Black women The series ran for one season on network television, and an additional four in syndication, netting Allen three Emmy awards for choreography. Blank Check. ." Cite this article Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. Debbie Allen is center, with sunglasses on top of her head. When she first went to see him play, she told the Washington Post, I didnt know anything about basketball, but I could tell that he was a beautiful player. They were married in 1984, and have two children. ." . The ballet world could be non-inclusive, Allen told LA Mag of her inspiration behind including a diverse cast. Later, however, her application was rejected because her body was "unsuited" for ballet a criticism often used to discourage Black dancers. In late 1990, word about Steven Spielbergs film Schindlers List began floating around Hollywood, a movie that many people thought would never get made. ) In a career that spans three decades, the name Debbie Allen is synonymous with dynamic energy, creative talent and innovation. Actress, dancer, and singer appearing in plays, including Purlie, 1972, Raisin, 1973, Aint Misbehavin, 1978, West Side Story, 1980, Louis, 1981, and Sweet Charity, 1986; in motion pictures, including The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh, 1979, Fame, 1980, Ragtime, 1981, and Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling, 1986; in television films, series, and specials, including Roots: The Next Generations, 1979, Fame, NBC, 1982-87, The Kids From Fame, 1983, Motown Returns to the Apollo, 1985, and Celebrating a Jazz Master: Thelonious Sphere Monk, 1987. She is perhaps best known for her work on the 1982 musical-drama television series Fame, where she portrayed dance teacher . We dont have to just be one thing. She also earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Women in Radio and Television. She appeared in a couple of television movies, before moving back to feature films with Blank Check, the dark comedy Mona Must Die, and Out of Sync. Her reputation as an actress burgeoning, Allen appeared in the 1980 Broadway revival of West Side Story, where her portrayal of Anita earned her a Tony Award nomination. She believes firmly in the value of hard work, and scoffs at the idea of fate. U.S. News & World Report, July 20, 1998, p. 10. Allen confessed in Essence that her experience with that recording convinced her that she had not cleared every hurdle in her path. . Even when we were little kids Mother would call us together for conversations about all kinds of thingshistory, the arts, the value of meditating and fasting, Allen remembered in Ebony. Last year she was appointed to represent the United States as a Cultural Ambassador of Dance. She is best known for her role as Clair Huxtable on the NBC sitcom The Cosby Show (1984-1992) which earned her Emmy Award nominations in 1985 and 1986. As a child Allen tried to take ballet classes at the Houston Foundation for Ballet, but she was rejected for reasons her mother thought were discriminatory. Perhaps one of the most important projects that Allen worked on was the Steven Spielberg movie Amistad, a tale of slaves who took over a slaveship and attempted to return to Africa only to be caught and tried for mutiny. Allens marriage to Wilford collapsed under the strain of their careers; they separated in 1982 and divorced a year later. The show celebrated the Motown record labels thirtieth anniversary, and included a retrospective, choreographed by Allen, that traced black-inspired dance from Africa through the twentieth century. Dr. Catherine Fox She was honored by the Kennedy Center when she was asked to help revamp the childrens drama program, starting with the play Brothers of the Knight with James Ingram. She also directed and starred in Stompin at the Savoy, a TV movie about four black women whose lives centered around Harlems Savoy Ballroom in the years before World War II. Performing, she asserted in Essence, is beat up and mixed up in a lot of sweat and blood and tears. Hoping to capture the popularity of the film, Fame became a TV series in 1982, with Allen reprising her role and acting as the shows choreographer. Here are a few things you should know about Debbie Allen. Allen was three when she began dancing, and knew by the time she was four that she wanted to perform. She graduated cum laude from Howard in 1971 with a degree in drama. Debbie Allen then allegedly explained that she liked the idea of Lisa Bonet's character, Denise Huxtable, to raise a child on her own in the show. By the time the admissions department discovered the situation, they were so impressed with her skills that they let Allen stay in the program. Debbie Allen has enjoyed an illustrious career as a dancer, choreographer and actress. Everything Ive done, Phylicias helped me do, Allen acknowledged in McCalls. In time for her upcoming ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood honor, here are five shows you probably didnt know Allen had a directorial hand in: In my Nutcracker,we have an Egyptian doll and weve had different dancers do that role. Retrieved February 22, 2023 from Encyclopedia.com: https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/allen-debbie-1950. Her hopes soared when she was chosen to demonstrate technique for other prospective students; however, the judges rejected her application, saying that her body was unsuited for balleta criticism often used to impede black dancers. Throughout the years, Debbie Allen has found a way to turn rejection into strength. Born on January 16, 1950, in Houston, TX; daughter of Vivian Ayers Allen (a poet) and Arthur Allen (a dentist); married Winfred Wilford, 1975 (divorced 1983); married Norman Nixon, 1984; children: Vivian Nichole, Norman, Jr, Education: Howard University, BA, 1971. anonymously (anonymous users cannot post links). Actor Information When I was five my mother saw that I could be a great dancer, Allen declared in Essence. That experience taught me to overcome what may seem to be limitations., After graduation Debbie joined her sister Phylicia at Howard University. In 2002 she debuted Debbie Allens 5-Step Skin Care Collection, a line of skin care products specifically created for women of color. Besides acting on the show, Debbie has also directed several episodes and she has become an executive producer as of season 12. I was always imitating the ladies in the circus, she told the Chicago Tribune. Company, Johnson Publishing (August 14, 2006). Allen, who earned her degree at Howard University, said she modeled the shows concept after her experience attending the historically Black institution. Her hopes soared when she was chosen to demonstrate technique for other prospective students; however, the judges rejected her application, saying that her body was unsuited for balleta criticism often used to impede black dancers. Like you, I am still a work in progress, she told graduates of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts West, a speech that was quoted in the Washington Post. I can dance too. The man, who would become her mentor, was Mike Malone, well known in Washington, D.C. I was just too devastated, she told the Washington Post. January 16, 1950 [19] Also that year, she directed musical film Polly. Fame won several Academy Awards, and helped launched a dance fad across the U.S. the White supremacists," said U.S. Rep. Debbie . Brothers of the Knight, Dial Books for Young Readers, 1999. A once-famous football player must rent part of his house to support himself. Allen had met Norman Nixon, then an all-star guard on the Los Angeles Lakers basketball team, while shooting The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh. Brooklyn, N.Y.: Carlson, 1993, pp. Addresses: Office William Morris Agency, 151 S El Camino Dr, Beverly Hills, CA 90212-2775. dance lessons; at eight, inspired by an Alvin Ailey dance troupe performance, she was determined to pursue a theatrical career. During her stint with the show, she began to direct whole episodes as well as dance numbers. Mya Allen Says One Small Thing Is "Still a Problem" in Her Relationship with Oliver. Therefore, that information is unavailable for most Encyclopedia.com content. If she had let it slide, I might be in a real different place right now. Allen was born and raised in Houston, Texas, and though her parents divorced when she was four, she remained on cordial terms with both of them. Post date: 28 yesterday. In 2001, Allen opened the Debbie Allen Dance Academy in Los Angeles, California. An honor roll student, Allen entered Howard University, and graduated cum laude from the institution in 1971, with a degree in drama. | I am trembling with gratitude and grace, Im trying not to cry and be equal to the situation because its been many years in the making, taking a lot of courage to be the only woman in the room most of the time, a lot of courage and creativity and faith to believe that I could keep going. The Allen children were groomed for an artistic life from early on (older sister Phylicia Rashad starred as Claire Huxtable on televisions the Cosby Show, and brother Tex Allen is a jazz musician). Later that year she was honored with a Career Achievement Award from the Acapulco Black Film Festival. Her reputation as an actress burgeoning, Debbie appeared in the 1980 Broadway revival of West Side Story, where her portrayal of Anita earned her a Tony Award nomination. 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