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Debbie Allen Biography (1950–) (586 hits)

Debbie Allen Biography (1950–)

Debbie Allen is a choreographer, director, and dancer who has worked on such projects as 'Fame,' 'West Side Story' and 'Sweet Charity.'

Who Is Debbie Allen?

Actress, dancer and choreographer Debbie Allen hit it big in 1980, starring in a Broadway revival of West Side Story. Her performance earned her a Tony nomination and landed her a role as a dance instructor in the movie Fame (1980). The film evolved into a successful television spin-off in 1982, in which Allen co-starred and won three Emmy awards for choreography. In 2001, Allen opened the Debbie Allen Dance Academy in Los Angeles. She also made other appearances on TV, starring in In the House and Grey's Anatomy.

Early Life

Deborrah Kaye Allen was born on January 16, 1950, in Houston, Texas, the third child of Pulitzer-winning poet Vivian Ayers, and dentist Arthur Allen. Allen was 3 when she began dancing. By the age of 4 she had become determined to be a professional performer, and her parents enrolled her in dance classes at the age of 5.

Allen's parents divorced in 1957, leaving mother Vivian as the main caregiver for Allen and her siblings. Under Vivian's watchful eye, the Allen children were expected to complete writing assignments to encourage their creativity, and each of them had to perform household chores to establish independence.

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