DEBBIE ALLEN - FIRST DAY COVER SIGNED - HFSID 13347

DEBBIE ALLEN
A First Day Cover for Jimmie Rodgers signed by the Tony Award winning actress
First Day Cover signed: "Debbie Allen", in black ink, 6½x3½. First Day Cover honoring the Father of Country Music, Jimmie Rodgers. 13¢ stamp featuring Jimmie Rodgers affixed. Meridian, Mississippi. Debbie Allen (b. 1950) is perhaps best known for her role as Lydia Grant on the TV series, Fame, which she also choreographed. Allen, the recipient of three Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe as well as the Tony, began her show business career on Broadway in the chorus of Purlie. She received critical acclaim for her performance in A Raisin in the Sun and was nominated for a Tony Award for West Side Story (1979). Allen would later win a Tony Award for her performance in the 1986 Broadway revival of Sweet Charity. Beginning in the 1970s, she moved to television, where she guested in various series, starred in the miniseries Roots: The Next Generation and appeared on the special, Ben Vereen-His Roots. Allen's success as a choreographer and actress led to her transition to producing and directing. In 1989, Allen, the first Black woman hired as a prime time television director, co-wrote, produced, directed, choreographed and starred in The Debbie Allen Special for ABC, for which she received Emmy nominations for direction and choreography. Allen also directed the pilot and debut episode of Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and made her debut as a feature film director with Out of Sync. In addition to appearing in feature films, made-for-TV movies and guesting on TV series, Allen has choreographed production numbers for five Academy Awards telecasts and hosted the TV talent search, Fame. She and her sister, actress Phylicia Rashad, also founded their own production company, D.A.D. (Dr. Allen's Daughters). Allen has been married to her second husband, former NBA player Norm Nixon, since 1984. Pencil notes (unknown hand) faintly erased on bottom margin. Corners slightly worn. Ink stamp on verso. Otherwise, fine condition.