Loretta Devine is an Emmy Award-winning American singer and actress, who is perhaps best known for her appearances in the TV series “Grey’s Anatomy,” and the romantic film “Waiting to Exhale,” among other projects.
Age, Early Life, and Education Background
Loretta Devine was born under the Leo zodiac sign on 21 August 1949, in Houston, Texas, so is 73 years old as of 2023. She is the daughter of James Devine and his wife, the beautician Eunice O’Neal Devine, who raised her single-handedly alongside her five siblings. Devine developed an interest in music when she was a child, and was a member of her church’s choir.
Loretta attended George Washington Carver High School, where she often performed in talent shows. She was also physically active, and played tennis and soccer in addition to cheerleading. She later matriculated to the University of Houston, where she graduated with a BA in Speech and Drama in 1971. Loretta went for her postgraduate studies at Brandeis University and was awarded an MFA in Theater in 1976. She was a member of the Epsilon Lambda chapter of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. (AKA), the first intercollegiate Afro-American sorority.
Career Beginnings and Stage Appearances
Devine made her acting debut in the production “A Broadway Musical” in 1978, and went on to perform in several other plays. including “Miss Truth” at Apollo Theater in 1978 and “The Wiz” at Henry Street Settlement in the same year, among others. Devine caught the public’s attention with her well-executed portrayal of Lorrell in Michael Bennet’s Broadway musical, “Dreamgirls” in 1981.
Film Appearances
Devine was cast in the 1981 Jessie Maple-directed drama “Will” while she was rehearsing for the musical “Dreamgirls.” She next landed minor roles in several other films throughout the ‘80s; her first major role was in the 1995 Forest Whitaker-directed romantic film “Waiting to Exhale,” appearing alongside the late American legendary singer and actress Whitney Houston, Angela Bassett and Gregory Hines, and her performance saw her scoop an NAACP Image Award. Devine shared the screen with Hines and Houston again in the 1996 Denzel Washington-starring Christmas comedy “The Preacher’s Wife”, and before the century ended, she co-starred alongside Alfre Woodard in the 1998 American-Canadian drama “Down in the Delta”, and the drama “Funny Valentines.”
In 2000, Devine appeared in the Helen Hunt and Mel Gibson-starring comedy “What Women Want” and her following notable appearances were in the musical film “Dreamgirls” in 2006, the drama “The Christmas” in 2007, and the crime comedy “First Sunday” in the year that followed. 2011 saw Devine cast as Mrs Taylor in the NAACP Image Award-winning comedy “Jumping the Broom.” She later appeared in the fantasy comedy “Naked” and the drama “Behind the Movement” in 2017 and 2018 respectively.
Devine’s most recent appearances have been in the Michael Lembeck-directed romantic comedy “Queen Bees” in 2021, the animated film “Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules” (voice role) in 2022, and the comedy “A Snowy Day in Oakland” in 2023.
TV Appearances
Devine gained recognition for guest starring as Stevie in Bill Cosby’s comedy “A Different World” in 1987 and 1988. In the ‘90s, she played supporting characters in several acclaimed dramas, such as “Touched by an Angel,” “Roc,” and “Picket Fences.” In 1999 and 2000, she lent her voice to Muriel Stubbs, who was the main character in Steve Tompkins and Eddie Murphy’s animated comedy “The PJs.” Devine then landed the main role of Marla Hendricks in the hit comedy-drama “Boston Public,” in which she starred alongside Fyvush Finkel and Anthony Heald in 81 episodes between 2000 and 2004.
Later in the decade, Devine appeared in the hit medical drama “Grey’s Anatomy” (2005) and several comedy dramas including “Everybody Hates Chris” and “Eli Stone.” She is credited for voicing Nurse Hattie and Hallie Hippo in the children’s animated series “Doc McStuffins” from 2012 to 2020, and concurrently 2013 saw her selected to voice Hallie in the animated TV mini-series “The Doc Files” and in the year that followed, she was cast in the comedy “Sirens.”
S/o to the L.A. brothers for stepping up and representing Phi Beta Sigma on the set of “Family Reunion” a Netflix series starring Loretta Devine and Tia Mowry.
Phi Beta Sigma will be profiled on one of the episodes of season two.
Our Cause Speeds On It’s Way 🤘🏽#Believe1914 pic.twitter.com/I56cGt8tvx
— Texas A&M Sigmas 🕊 (@TAMU_sigmas) April 29, 2022
Devine has also appeared in several other hit series including “Family Reunion” (2019-2022), “P-Valley” from 2020-2022, “The Loud House” (voicing role) in 2021 and 2022, and most recently in the soap opera “Days of Our Lives: Beyond Salem” in 2022.
Other Works
Devine is the writer as well as performer of her one-woman show “Pieces of Me.” She also composes songs for the show, which was nominated for a Theater Award in the category of Best One-Woman Show. Moreover, Devine has sung in many films and TV series including the comedy movie “Kingdom Come” and several episodes of the TV series “Boston Public.” Moreover, the famed actress has appeared in many talk shows, including “The Wendy Williams Show,” “Made in Hollywood”, and “The Chew.” She also voiced Muriel Hobblepot in the 2015 video game “King’s Quest.”
Awards and Nominations
Loretta has won over 20 awards and has received at least 30 award nominations. In 2011, she scooped a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for her performance in “Grey’s Anatomy.” She’s won 11 Image Awards for her praised performances in several films and TV series including “Boston Public,” “Doc McStuffins,” and “Grey’s Anatomy,” among others. Her performance in the TV series “P-Valley” has seen her win several awards, including an International Online Cinema Award (INOCA), and Image Award (NAACP). She has also scooped a Gold Derby Award, Global Film Festival Award, and several others.
Social Media Presence
Loretta is active on Instagram (@lodivadevine) with over 530,000 followers. She joined Twitter in February 2012, and is currently followed by over 60,000 fans. Moreover, she has a verified Facebook account that has over 1.9 million followers.
Personal Life
Loretta is a married woman. She walked the aisle with the American accountant, Glen Marshall, who prefers to lead a private life – the duo hasn’t revealed the exact date of their wedding. Marshall is very supportive of his wife’s career and often accompanies her to award shows and other red-carpet events. The couple has been together for over two decades and are seemingly much in love; they haven’t welcomed any children together.
Loretta was previously married to the American film editor, Lamar Tyler. The duo walked the aisle in 1973 and stayed together for several years before they separated, but didn’t finalize their divorce until January 2008. Before their separation, Tyler and Devine welcomed a son. James Lawrence Tyler.
Devine has revealed that the cast members of “Waiting to Exhale” are her favorite co-stars. This doesn’t come as a surprise because she’s very outspoken when it comes to her support of other black women. The accomplished actress is also a big supporter of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Height, Weight, and Physical Appearance
Devine is of Afro-American ethnicity and has a pair of dark-brown eyes and black hair. She weighs approximately 145lbs (66kgs) and stands 5ft 7ins (1.70m) tall. Moreover, her vital statistics are 36-25-37 and she wears shoe and dress sizes 8(US) and 6(US) respectively.
Net Worth
Devine has been active in the showbiz industry for over four decades, and during that time has made a name for herself and accumulated a decent bank account – she’s reportedly worth approximately $10 million as of 2023, but leads a modest lifestyle, and is fond of donating to charity organizations.
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