Debbie Allen is an American film and television actress and director.

Filmography

• A Different World — Director
• 2025A Murder in Oakland: Beauty is Deadly — Detective Foster
• 2024The Six Triple Eight — Choreographer
• 2023The Hidden Power of Purpose — Narrator (voice)
• 2022A Jazzman's Blues — Choreographer
• 2022Mariah Carey: Merry Christmas to All! — Creative Director
• The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder — Myrtle (voice)
• 2021Angry, Raucous, and Shamelessly Gorgeous — Betty Samson
• The Ms. Pat Show — Director
• 2020Dolly Parton's Christmas on the Square — Director, Executive Producer, Choreographer
• 2019Maurice Hines: Bring Them Back — Self, Executive Producer
• Raven's Home — Great Aunt Maureen
• S.W.A.T. — Charice Harrelson
• Insecure — Director
• Empire — Director
• Grace and Frankie — Dorothy
• How to Get Away with Murder — Director
• Jane the Virgin — Beverly Flores, Director
• 2014The Hot Chocolate Nutcracker — Writer, Director
• 2013A Star for Rose — Rose, Producer
• Witches of East End — Director
• The Client List — Director
• Hellcats — Director
• 2009Fame — Ms. Angela Simms
• 2009Next Day Air — Ms. Jackson
• 2007Tournament of Dreams — Rhonda Dillins
• 2006Life Is Not a Fairytale: The Fantasia Barrino Story — American Idol Auditionee in Sunglasses, Director
• The Game — Director
• 2005Broadway's Lost Treasures III: The Best of The Tony Awards — Anita (segment "West Side Story") (archive footage)
• Everybody Hates Chris — Mother, Director
• Grey's Anatomy — Catherine Fox, Catherine Avery, Director
• All of Us — Director
• That's So Raven — Director
• The Twilight Zone — Director
• 2001All About You — Ruth
• The Division — Wanda
• 2001The Old Settler — Quilly McGrath, Director
• 2001The Painting — Bertha Lee Gilmore
• 2000Everything's Jake — Debbie Allen
• Girlfriends — Director
• 1999Michael Jordan: An American Hero — Deloris Jordan
• The Parkers — Director
• 1998Mariah Carey: Butterfly World Tour - Live at Tokyo Dome — Director
• 1997Amistad — Producer
• Between Brothers — Director
• 1997Ships of Slaves: The Middle Passage — Narrator, Executive Producer
• C Bear and Jamal
• E! True Hollywood Story
• The Jamie Foxx Show — Director
• 1995Forget Paris — Choreographer
• Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child — Precious (voice), Lola (voice)
• In the House — Jackie Warren
• 1995Out-of-Sync — Manicurist, Director
• 1994Blank Check — Yvonne
• 1994Mona Must Die — Betty
• Touched by an Angel — Valerie Hill
• 1993Sinbad: Afros and Bellbottoms — Director
• The Sinbad Show — Director
• 1992Stompin' at the Savoy — Estelle, Director
• 1991Sunday in Paris — Sunday Chase
• Sunday in Paris
• 1990Polly: Comin' Home! — Director
• 1990Spike & Co.: Do It a Cappella
• The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air — Director
• 1989Polly — Director
• Quantum Leap — Joanna Chapman, Director, Choreographer
• 1989The Debbie Allen Special — Self, Director, Writer, Choreographer
• A Different World — Dr. Langhorne, Debbie Allen (uncredited), Director, Producer
• The Bronx Zoo — Director
• 1986An All-Star Celebration Honoring Martin Luther King Jr.
• 1986Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling — Michelle
• 1985Dancing in the Wings — Debbie, Producer, Writer, Choreographer
• 1985Motown Returns to the Apollo
• Celebrity — Regina Brown
• The Cosby Show — Emma
• 1983Women of San Quentin — Carol Freeman
• 1982Alice at the Palace — Red Queen
• Fame — Lydia Grant, Director
• Family Ties — Director
• 1981Ragtime — Sarah
• 1980Fame — Lydia
• 1979Ebony, Ivory and Jade — Claire 'Ebony' Bryant
• Roots: The Next Generations — Nan Branch Haley
• 1979The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh — Ola
• 1977The Greatest Thing That Almost Happened — Julie Sutton
• The Love Boat — Selena Moore, Reesa Marlowe
• Battle of the Network Stars
• Good Times
• Splinter — Mrs. James

Appearances as themselves (34)

• Seen & Heard: The History of Black Television — Self
• JANET JACKSON. — Self
• 2022Soul of a Nation Presents: Screen Queens Rising — Self
• The Jennifer Hudson Show — Self, Self - Guest
• Turning the Tables with Robin Roberts — Self
• Cardi Tries — Self
• 2020Dance Dreams: Hot Chocolate Nutcracker — Herself
• 2020Uprooted: The Journey of Jazz Dance — Self
• The Tamron Hall Show — Self - Guest
• 2018American Tap — Self
• Black Hollywood: 'They've Gotta Have Us' — Self
• 2011A Place for Us: West Side Story's Legacy — Self
• Dance Moms — Self
• Celebrity Ghost Stories — Self
• 2008Bring Back... Fame — Self
• Bring Back... — Self - Lydia Grant
• 2005Confessions of an Action Star — Self
• So You Think You Can Dance — Self - Guest Judge
• 2004AFI's 100 Years... 100 Songs: America's Greatest Music in the Movies — Self
• 2002It's Black Entertainment — Self
• 2002The 1st 13th Annual Fancy Anvil Awards Show Program Special: Live in Stereo — Self (uncredited)
• 1999Intimate Portrait: Josephine Baker — Herself
• Intimate Portrait — Self
• 1990Spike & Co. Do It a-Cappella — Self
• 1987Happy 100th Birthday, Hollywood — Self
• 1987Superstars and their Moms — Self
• 1985Disneyland's 30th Anniversary Celebration — Self
• 1985Night of 100 Stars II — Self
• 1984The Stars Salute the U.S. Olympic Team — Self - Performer
• 1983The Kids from Fame: From the Royal Albert Hall London — Self
• 1978The Sentry Collection Presents Ben Vereen: His Roots — Self
• 3 Girls 3 — Self
• Great Performances — Self
• Broadway: The Next Generation — Self