Debbie Allen

Deborah Kaye Allen (born January 16, 1950) is an American actress, dancer, choreographer, singer, director, producer, and a former member of the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities. She has been nominated for 22 Emmy Awards (winning six), and two Tony Awards. She has won a Golden Globe Award, and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1991. In 2026, she received an Academy Honorary Award. Allen is best known for her work in the musical-drama television series Fame (1982–1987), where she portrayed dance teacher Lydia Grant, and served as the series' principal choreographer. For this role in 1983, she received a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy and two Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Choreography and also received four nominations for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series. Allen later began working as director and producer, most notably producing and directing 83 of 144 episodes of the NBC comedy series A Different World (1988–1993). She returned to acting, playing the leading role in the NBC sitcom In the House from 1995 to 1996, and in 2011, began playing Dr. Catherine Avery in the ABC medical drama Grey's Anatomy, also serving as an executive producer/director. She has directed more than 50 television and film productions. In 2001, Allen opened the Debbie Allen Dance Academy in Los Angeles, where she currently teaches young dancers. She also taught choreography to former Los Angeles Lakers dancer-turned-singer, Paula Abdul. She is the younger sister of actress/director/singer Phylicia Rashad.