Debbie Allen photographed by Anthony Barboza (1983).
Allen was first introduced as Lydia Grant in the film Fame (1980). Although her role in the film was relatively small, Lydia became a central figure in the television adaptation, which ran from 1982 to 1987. During the opening montage of each episode, Grant told her students: "You've got big dreams? You want fame? Well, fame costs. And right here is where you start paying ... in sweat." Allen was nominated for the Emmy Award for Best Actress four times during the show's run.
She is the only actress to have appeared in all three screen incarnations of Fame, playing Lydia Grant in both the 1980 film and 1982 television series and playing the school principal in the 2009 remake. Allen was also lead choreographer for the film and television series, winning two Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Choreography and one Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy.
She became the first Black woman to win a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Television Series—Musical or Comedy.
Raisin is a musical with music by Judd Woldin, lyrics by Robert Brittan, and a book by Robert Nemiroff and Charlotte Zaltzberg. It is an adaptation of the Lorraine Hansberry play A Raisin in the Sun; the musical's book was co-written by Hansberry's husband, Robert Nemiroff.
Debbie Allen - (Fame, A Different World) - A Kennedy Center Award winning actress, choreographer, and TV director! She also has a Netflix documentary called "Dance Dreams" about her dance studio which is very cute and fun.
Elizabeth Montgomery - (Bewitched) - That nose twitch is adorable, plus she was an outspoken progressive activist in real life!
Master Poll List of the Hot Vintage TV Ladies Bracket