Debbie Allen: "Fame" in the '80s

Debbie Allen in her signature role as dance instructor
Lydia Grant from 1982 to 1987 in the TV drama "Fame".
Source: https://www.the-solute.com/celebrating-the-living-debbie-allen/
(May be subject to copyright)

“You’ve got big dreams? You want fame? Well, fame costs. And right here is where you start paying…in sweat.” ~ Lydia Grant

That iconic speech by dance teacher Lydia Grant began every single episode of “Fame”.

I recently saw Debbie Allen, the actor who played Lydia Grant, in an episode of “Grey’s Anatomy” where she has had a recurring role as Catherine Fox, Jackson’s mother, since 2011.

Although she may have played Catherine Fox longer, Lydia Grant is still her iconic role.

Let's dance
The show is set in the New York City High School for the Performing Arts and follows the lives of students and teachers.

Lydia Grant is the demanding, tough talking dance instructor. The only thing she is more passionate about than her dancing is her students. The quote above, which was part of the opening credits of every episode, epitomized her high expectations. Perhaps the best part about Lydia Grant was she was an actual dancer, played by an actual dancer, and that contributed a lot to the show.

"Fame" spent its first two years, 1982 and 1983 on network television on NBC, then another four years, from 1983 to 1987, in syndication. In Canada, CBC aired fame on Channel 7 on the peasant vision dial for its entire run.

Debbie Allen is the only actor who appeared in all three incarnations of “Fame” – the original movie as Lydia Grant, the television series as Lydia Grant, and in the 2015 re-imagination of “Fame” as principal Angela Simms.

She won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Choreography for “Fame” in 1982 and 1983, and was nominated in the same category in 1984 and 1985. She was also nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama series from 1982 to 1985, and a Golden Globe for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy in 1983.

Behind the camera
Debbie Allen was also a producer and director for “Fame”, “A Different World”, and much more in the 1980s and beyond, as well as a choreographer.

The years after
She continued to act after “Fame” in shows such as “The Cosby Show”, “Touched by an Angel”, “All of Us”, “Girlfriends”, “Everybody Hates Chris”, “How to Get Away with Murder”, “Empire”, “Scandal”, “Jane the Virgin”, “Grey’s Anatomy”, and much more.

She also received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1991.

My outstanding memory of her is a 1991 episode of “Quantum Leap”. She plays another dance instructor, this time helping a hearing-impaired dancer escape a sad life and possible death. It was called “Private Dancer” and was an amazing episode of television.

Parting thoughts
Debbie Allen, like Tim Reid, blazed a trail for not only African-American performers, but women as well, in a career that has seen her not only as a dancer, choreographer, and actor but also director and producer. In particular, her work on “A Different World” broke ground for its stories about a largely Black cast of characters at a one-time all-Black college. The show tackled all sorts of issues of race and gender.

Even now, as Catherine Fox, she is playing another strong, confident, brash female character. At times, it feels like Catherine Fox is what Lydia Grant would be in her 60s or 70s.

More than a strong, female character, Catherine Fox is a strong, accomplished Black character. There are still not a lot, and nowhere near enough, Black characters like world-class doctors and surgeons, much less Black women. She continues to break new ground.

Yet, if you grew up in the 1980s, Debbie Allen is best remembered on screen as Lydia Grant. She was a teacher who was mother, sister, mentor, role model, advocate and much more to her students.

“You’ve got big dreams? You want fame? Well, fame costs. And right here is where you start paying…in sweat.”

That sums up Lydia Grant.