Equally at home on stage and on screen, award-winning actress Loretta Devine has created some of the most memorable roles in theatre, film and television.
Devine first captured national attention in the role of Lorrell, one of the three original āDreamgirlsā in Michael Bennettās classic award-winning Broadway musical of the same name. She followed that performance with a fiery portrayal of Lillian in Bob Fosseās critically acclaimed stage production āBig Deal.ā Subsequent work in George C. Wolfeās āColored Museumā and āLady Day at Emerson Bar and Grill,ā cemented Devineās status as one of the most talented and versatile stage actresses.
Film roles soon followed including a poignant turn as a single mother opposite Whitney Houston, Angela Bassett and Gregory Hines in āWaiting to Exhaleā which earned Devine her first NAACP Image Award for āBest Supporting Actress.ā Devine also won an NAACP Image Award for Best Supporting Actress for her work in Penny Marshallās āThe Preacherās Wife.ā Devine received an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Actress for her work in āWomen Thou Art Loosed.ā Devine was featured in the Academy Award-winning film āCrashā and the hit movie of āDreamgirls.ā Some of her additional film credits include appearances in the successful āUrban Legendā franchise, āI Am Samā opposite Michelle Pfeiffer and Sean Penn, āKingdom Come,ā āWhat Women Want,ā āPunks,ā āHoodlums,ā āDown in the Deltaā and āStanley and Iris.ā
Devineās more recent film credits include co-starring roles in āThis Christmasā and āFirst Sundayā both of which opened Number 1 at the box office. Devine voiced the character of āDeltaā in Disneyās āBeverly Hills Chihuahua.ā She appeared with Chris Rock in Sony Screen Gems remake of āDeath at a Funeralā and āLottery Ticketā for Alcon/Warner Brothers. Devine portrayed āThe Woman in Greenā in Tyler Perryās adaptation of Ntozake Shangeās āFor Colored Girls.ā In 2011, Devine starred in two leading roles in the film āJumping the Broomā with Paula Patton, Laz Alonso and Angela Bassett and in the Tyler Perry directed film āMadeaās Big Happy Family,ā both films earned top spots at the box office, respectively. Devine followed up her box office hits with a strong lineup of independent films including Robert Townsendās āIn The Hiveā which earned Devine a NAACP Image Award nomination for āBest Actress in a Motion Pictureā, āYouāre Not Youā alongside Hilary Swank, James Francoās āThe Sound and the Furyā and the Kristen Wiig dramedy, āWelcome to Me.ā Coming in 2019 will be the release of the independent film "Welcome to Pine Groveā in which she co-stars with Ellen Burstyn, Ann-Margret, James Caan and Jane Curtain.
On television, Devine became a critical darling in her Emmy award-winning role as āAdeleā on ABCās hit medical drama āGreyās Anatomy.ā Devineās credits include numerous series roles on shows such as āThe Cosby Showā spin-off āA Different World,ā Eddie Murphyās stop-motion animated series āThe PJs,ā David E Kellyās āBoston Public,ā ABCās āEli Stoneā and alongside Jennifer Love-Hewitt on Lifetimeās āThe Client List.ā Devine continues to voice āHallie the Hippoā on Disney Channelās Peabody Award-Winning animated series, āDoc McStuffins,ā and three seasons on NBCās āThe Carmichael Showā and co-starred in the 3rd season of BETās āBeing Mary Janeā as the titular characterās main antagonist, āCece.ā She was nominated for an 2019 NAACP Image Award for her guest role in BETās āLove Isā. She later appeared in the Netflix comedy series, āFamily Reunion," as well as "Sierra Burgess Is a Loser," "The Trap," and "Black-ish."
With a career spanning three decades, Devine has earned much praise and accolades for her work on both the big and small screen. For her work as āAdeleā on āGreyās Anatomy,ā Devine earned both a Primetime Emmy Award and a Primetime Emmy Award nomination, a Gracie Allen Award for āOutstanding Female Actor in a Featured Role,ā a nomination for āBest Guest Performer in a Drama Seriesā from the Criticsā Choice Television Awards and a NAACP Image Award and a NAACP Image Award nomination. In total, Devine has won eight NAACP Image Awards and has received eighteen nominations. Devine has received Lifetime Achievement Awards from both the Pan African Film Festival and the NAACP Theatre Awards and the Thespian Award from the LA Femme International Film Festival.
Devine graduated from the University of Houston and later received a Master of Fine Arts from Brandeis University. She also received a Doctorate of Humane Letters as well as a Distinguished Alumni Award from The University of Houston.
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