Loretta Devine plays the recurring role of Adele on the hit ABC medical drama "Grey's Anatomy." Loretta Devine also starred as Patti in ABC's legal drama "Eli Stone."
Equally at home on stage or on screen, award-winning actress Loretta Devine has created some of the most memorable roles in theatre, film and television. Loretta Devine first captured national attention in the role of Lorrell, one of the three original "Dreamgirls" in Michael Bennett's classic award-winning Broadway musical of the same name. Loretta Devine followed that performance with a fiery portrayal of Lillian in Bob Fosse's critically acclaimed stage production, "Big Deal." Subsequent work in George C. Wolfe's "Colored Museum" and "Lady Day at Emerson Bar and Grill" cemented Loretta Devine's 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 "Waiting to Exhale," which earned Loretta Devine an NAACP Image Award for Best Supporting Actress. Loretta Devine also won an NAACP Image Award for Best Supporting Actress for her work in Penny Marshall's "The Preacher's Wife," and received an IFP "Spirit" Award nomination for Best Actress for her work in "Women Thou Art Loosed." Loretta Devine was featured in the Academy Award-winning film "Crash" and the hit movie of "Dreamgirls." Additional film credits for Loretta Devine include appearances in the successful "Urban Legend" franchise, "I Am Sam," opposite Michelle Pfeiffer and Sean Penn, "Kingdom Come," "What Women Want," "Punks," "Hoodlums," "Down in the Delta" and "Stanley and Iris." Loretta Devine also appeared in "Sticky Fingers," "Amos and Andrew," "The Breaks," "The Price of Kissing," "Lover Girl," "Class Act," "Living Large," "Caged Fear" and "Little Nikita." Most recently Loretta Devine co-starred in two Sony Screen Gems films—"This Christmas" and "First Sunday." Both films opened Number 1 at the box office. Rounding out Loretta Devine's 2007 slate of films was the film festival favorite "Dirty laundry." Up next is the 2008 release of the animated feature "South of The Border" for Disney, starring Drew Barrymore. Loretta Devine voices the character of Delta, the chocolate brown toy poodle.
Loretta Devine received three NAACP Image Awards for her role on David E. Kelley's FOX series, "Boston Public." Additional credits include series roles in "A Different World" and Lifetime Television's "Wild Card." Loretta Devine also provided the voice of Muriel Stubbs on the beloved animated series, "The PJ's."
Loretta Devine graduated from the University of Houston and later received a Master of Fine Arts in Theatre Arts from Brandeis University. She currently resides in Los Angeles.
