Actress, dancer and choreographer Debbie Allen will receive the 2021 Governors Award from the Television Academy to honor her career contributions to the television world and her philanthropic work.
“Debbie Allen has been a creative voice for a generation of performers and storytellers and has left an indelible mark on the television industry,” Governors Award selection committee co-chair Eva Basler said in a statement released by the Television Academy.
Committee co-chair Debra Curtis added, “Debbie’s commitment to mentoring underserved communities has been nothing short of extraordinary. She has shared her gift and love of dance and choreography with countless aspiring performers across the globe.”
Allen will receive the award during the 73rd Emmy Awards on Sept. 19.
A three-time Emmy winner for choreography on “Fame” and “The Motown 25th,” Allen is also a Kennedy Center honoree and a winner of 10 Image Awards. She has done choreography for artists including Michael Jackson, Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, Janet Jackson, Dolly Parton and Sammy Davis Jr.
Her television directing and producing credits include “Fame,” “Scandal,” “How To Get Away With Murder,” “Empire,” `That’s So Raven,” “A Different World” and “Grey’s Anatomy.”
She founded the nonprofit Debbie Allen Dance Academy in 2000 in an effort to bring dance to under-served students in the Los Angeles area, then expanding globally. More than 3,000 people a year take part in the school’s programs, which were expanded virtually during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This has been an amazing year for me,” Allen said in a statement. “To be celebrated by the Television Academy is an overwhelming honor that humbles me and says to my community of dancing gypsies, actors, writers and musicians that if you stay passionate about your craft and do the work, you can go far.”