Debbie allen and phylicia rashad biography

American actress and dancer (born 1950)

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 20 times for an Emmy Award (winning five), and two Tony Awards. She has won a Golden Globe Award, and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1991.

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 – Television Series Musical or Comedy and two Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Choreography and was nominated for four Primetime Emmy Awards 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

They’re two powerhouses!

While there are some luminaries whose impact on the culture is undeniable, there’s only a few who can say they belong to entire families of greatness. In the hall of legendary entertainment families there are The Wayans, The Isleys, The Jacksons, and one you may not know of, the Allens.

Phylicia Rashad was born Phylicia Ayers Allen was born June 19, 1948, in Houston, Texas, Encyclopedia Britannica reports. The second of four children born to dentist Andrew Arthur Allen and Pulitzer Prize-nominated poet Vivian Ayers Allen, all of the Allen children took interest in the arts. Her brother, Arthur Allen Jr. became a jazz musician, Rashad, became an accomplished actress, and her younger sister, Debbie Allen, born January 16, 1950, went on to become a dancer, actress, and television producer.

Both sisters earned their degrees in fine arts from Howard University and got their start on Broadway. Rashad got her start with the Negro Ensemble Company, making her first Broadway debut in 1972, appealing in several big musicals like The Wiz (1975) and Dreamgirls (1981) before transitioning to television.Her younger sister Allen wasn’t far behind her, performing chorus roles and appearances in commercials and television series before making her debut in the 1980 revival of West Side Story, Biography.com reports.

Allen’s performance earned her a Tony Award nomination and led to her big break as a dance instructor in the hit movie Fame. The film won several Oscars, igniting a dance craze around the world and leading to a successful spin-off TV show in 1982. Allen co-starred and earned three Emmy Awards for her work as a choreographer

Simultaneously, Rashad had made the transition to television in 1982, appearing in the soap opera One Life to Live. Eventually, she landed the role of attorney Clair Huxtable on the trailblazing sitcom, The Cosby Show, which ran from 198

Actors Debbie Allen and Phylicia Rashad discovered their love of the performing arts while growing up in Houston with their parents, Vivian and Andrew Allen.

Vivian, a poet and cultural activist, worked with the Harris County Community Association in the city, and Andrew was a dentist there. When their daughters were kids, Texas was segregated, and they faced racism and discrimination, ultimately moving to Mexico. Vivian encouraged Debbie and Phylicia to pursue the arts, which helped them navigate that difficult time.

Sadly, Andrew died of diabetes in 1984. Vivian, however, turned 100 in 2023, and Debbie and Phylicia still have a special relationship with her. They celebrated her milestone birthday with multiple parties and also helped re-publish her famous poem, "Hawk."

“My mother is incredible,” Debbie said during an interview with Ebony in 2023. “I think her mental capacity has led her to this golden age of 100. She's had a lot of challenges in her life, and we've lived through those challenges with her. But at the end of the day, there's always been positive energy.”

Here’s everything to know about Debbie Allen and Phylicia Rashad’s parents, Vivian and Andrew Allen.

They share four kids

Vivian and Andrew welcomed four children together. Debbie and Phylicia have two brothers who are not in the spotlight — Hugh Allen, a real estate banker, and Andrew Arthur "Tex" Allen Jr., an accomplished jazz musician.

Debbie Allen’s 3 Kids: All About Vivian, Norman Jr. and DeVaughn

They raised their kids in Texas

Vivian and Andrew raised their kids in Houston where they were immersed in the arts scene.

“For us, the arts were as much a part of life as climbing trees,” Phylicia told Town & Countryabout their childhood in a 2018 interview.

The actress returned to Texas to perform with the Houston Symphony at Jones Hall the year prior and at the time, she opened

American actress (born 1948)

Phylicia Rashad (fih-LEE-shə rə-SHAHD) (néeAyers-Allen; born June 19, 1948) is an American actress. She was most recently dean of the College of Fine Arts at Howard University before her three-year contract ended in May 2024. She is best known for her role as Clair Huxtable on the sitcom The Cosby Show (1984–1992) which earned her two Primetime Emmy Award nominations in 1985 and 1986. She also played Ruth Lucas on Cosby (1996–2000).

In 2004, Rashad became the first black actress to win the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play, which she won for her role in the revival of A Raisin in the Sun. In 2022, Rashad won her second Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for her performance in Dominique Morisseau's Skeleton Crew. Her other Broadway credits include Into the Woods (1988), Jelly's Last Jam (1993), Gem of the Ocean (2004), and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (2008). Rashad won an NAACP Image Award when she reprised her A Raisin in the Sun role in the 2008 television adaptation.

She has appeared in the films For Colored Girls (2010), Good Deeds (2012), Creed (2015), Creed II (2018), Creed III (2023), and The Beekeeper (2024). She also voiced Brenda Glover on the Nick Jr. animated children's educational televisio