Deborrah Kaye “Debbie” Allen (born January 16, 1950) is an American actress, choreographer, television director, television producer, and a member of the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities. She is probably best known for her role as Lydia Grant in the hit 1982 TV series Fame.

Allen was born in Houston, Texas, the youngest of three children to orthodontist Andrew Arthur Allen Sr. (A Louisiana Creole who died in 1984), and African American Vivian (née Ayers) Allen, a poet (Spice of Dawns and other books) and museum art director.

She went on to earn a B.A. degree in classical Greek literature, speech, and theater from Howard University. She holds honoris causa Doctors from Howard and the North Carolina School for the Arts. She currently teaches young dancers. She also taught choreography to former L.A. Laker dancer-turned-singer, Paula Abdul. Her daughter, Vivian Nixon, played Kalimba in the Broadway production of Hot Feet. She graduated from Jack Yates Senior high school.