Loretta Devine - Career

Career

Devine appeared in the 1978 flop A Broadway Musical, which closed after one performance. She captured attention in Dreamgirls, a Broadway musical loosely based on the history of The Supremes, in which she originated the role of Lorrell Robinson (a fictional character based on Mary Wilson). It premiered on December 20, 1981 and ran for over 1500 performances; it eventually won six Tony awards. Minor roles for Devine followed in films such as Little Nikita and Stanley & Iris. She has a cameo performance in the film version of Dreamgirls.

She was a repertory character in the play The Colored Museum with Vickilyn Reynolds. They both went on to play sisters in the short-lived TV series Sugar and Spice. During the period between the play and the series, Devine appeared in the first season of the TV series A Different World as Stevie Rallen, dormitory director at fictional Hillman College.

In 1995, she landed a high-profile role as Gloria Matthews in Waiting to Exhale, joined in the cast by Whitney Houston, Gregory Hines, and Angela Bassett, among others. The role earned her an NAACP Image Award for Best Supporting Actress, as did her next movie, The Preacher's Wife, her second movie with Houston and Hines.

In 2000, Devine took on the role of impassioned high school teacher Marla Hendricks on the Fox TV drama Boston Public. Devine won three more Image Awards for her work in the series. She also continued to work in film, playing prominent roles in Urban Legend, Urban Legends: Final Cut, and I Am Sam. Devine earned yet another Image Award nomination and an Independent Spirit Award nomination for her work in the 2004 film Woman Thou Art Loosed. She also appeared in the 2005 Academy Awards Best Picture winning film Crash. She also played Rochelle's mother, Maxine, who's always picking on her, on the sitcom, Everybody Hates Chris.

In 2007, she appeared in This Christmas, a Screen Gems production co-starring Delroy Lindo, Mekhi Phifer, and Regina King. Devine starred in the main cast of the Patti Dellacroix of the ABC television series Legal Comedy-drama Eli Stone, which began airing in 2008 and despite being critically acclaimed the series was cancelled after two seasons and ended on July 2009.

In 2009, Devine played the character of Jeanette in the rejected pilot for the David E. Kelly television series that was supposed to air on NBC, Legally Mad. Devine later that year made guest appearance on Cold Case.

She was part of the ensemble casts of two Tyler Perry directed films For Colored Girls and Madea's Big Happy Family.

Devine also appeared in the ABC medical drama Grey's Anatomy as Dr. Richard Webber's wife, Adele, and in 2011 she won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for her performance. She was nominated for a second time for her performance in 2012.

In 2011, She had played the role of Aunt Honey on ABC Family's original comedy State of Georgia alongside Raven-Symoné and Majandra Delfino. The series was short-lived and was cancelled after one season.

In 2012, she plays Hallie, a nurse, on Playhouse Disney's own Doc McStuffins. Later that year she joined Lifetime Television series The Client List where she plays the role of Georgia Cummings, the owner of the massage parlor where the lead character Riley Parks works.

Devine won Outstanding Female Actor in a Feature Role for Grey's Anatomy at the 2012 Gracie Allen Award.