Photo Credit: TV One

I love me some Debbie Allen and all that she stands for!

Born in Houston, Texas to Vivan Ayers and Andrew Allen, Deborah Kaye Allen is the youngest of three kids. Her mom was a poet and art director, while her father was the town’s best orthodontist. After her parents split, her mom moved her and her siblings to Mexico to escape the blatant racism they experienced in Texas. Even though they thrived in Mexico, they missed home and mostly their Dad. Upon returning to Texas, Debbie completed high school and attended Howard University, graduating cum laude. She then moved to New York to pursue acting and was cast in the musical Raisin. Branching into film and television, she landed the role of dance instructor in Fame, gaining three Emmy awards. Throughout her career, Debbie has held many leadership roles on many productions, such as A Different World, Amistad, All of Us, and Girlfriends. Currently, Debbie is still working various roles in entertainment, while running a very successful dance school, Debbie Allen Dance Academy. Inspired by her daughter, she started the school to motivate other kids and give them the opportunity she didn’t have as a child.

“UNCENSORED” airs Sunday’s at 10/9c on TV One

About UNCENSORED

The auto-biographical series delves into the lives of luminaries as they reveal secrets to their success, obstacles they faced and how they’ve navigated the perils of social media that helped – and sometimes haunted – their careers. This season continues with actor Omari Hardwick and actress/singer Jenifer Lewis. This season also includes five bonus episodes including UNCENSORED: Black Girl Magic, UNCENSORED: Scandals, UNCENSORED: Hip-Hop, UNCENSORED: Black Hollywood and UNCENSORED: Big Break. Each week viewers get a glimpse into the lives of high-profile celebrities as they reveal their stories — in their own words.