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Debbi Morgan

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Not to be confused with Debra Morgan.
Debbi Morgan
Morgan in The Jesse Owens Story (1984)
Born
Deborah Ann Morgan

Dunn, North Carolina, U.S.
OccupationActress
Years active1971–present
Spouses
  • ​
    ​
    (m. 1980; div. 1984)​
  • ​
    ​
    (m. 1989; div. 1994)​
  • Donn Thompson
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1997; div. 2000)​
  • Jeffrey Winston
    ​
    (m. 2009)​
Websitedebbimorgan.org

Deborah Ann "Debbi" Morgan[note 1] is an American film and television actress. Morgan has appeared in a number of film and TV productions, and may be best known for the role of Angie Baxter–Hubbard on the ABC soap opera All My Children.

Morgan was the first African American to win the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her performance as Angie in 1989. She is also known for her role as the Seer in the fourth and fifth seasons of Charmed. In film, her performance as Mozelle Batiste-Delacroix in Eve's Bayou (1997) earned critical acclaim and the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female. More recently she played a recurring role as Estelle Green in the starz crime drama series Power and its spinoff Power Book II: Ghost from 2014 to 2021, and also co-starred in the Fox drama series Our Kind of People.

Early life

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Morgan was born in Dunn, North Carolina,[citation needed] the daughter of Lora, a teacher, and George Morgan Jr., a butcher. She has a younger sister, Terry. The family relocated to the Bronx when Morgan was still a child. In a 1997 interview with People, Morgan revealed that her father was an abusive alcoholic. While he never physically harmed his daughters, Morgan recalled her mother running from her father often. Her father died of leukemia in 1975.[5] Morgan graduated from Aquinas High School.[6]

Career

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Morgan's earliest film role was in the movie Monkey Hustle in 1976. She played the role of Vi. Morgan's earliest recurring role was on What's Happening!! from 1976 to 1977 as Diane Harris, and also appeared on Good Times. In 1979, she received critical acclaim for her portrayal of Alex Haley's great-aunt Elizabeth Harvey on the 1979 miniseries Roots: The Next Generations, and her guest-starring role as Curtis Jackson's ex-girlfriend turned prostitute on The White Shadow. Her most notable role was Angie Baxter Hubbard on the soap opera All My Children, a role she originally played from January 1982 to July 1990. Her portrayal of Angie struck a chord with many Black viewers across America. Angie and her love interest, Jesse Hubbard (Darnell Williams), became the first African-American "supercouple" on daytime soap operas. In 1989, Morgan won the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (which she shares with Santa Barbara actress Nancy Lee Grahn). She and Williams also co-hosted a music video show titled New York Hot Tracks in the mid-1980s.[citation needed]

After leaving All My Children, Morgan played the role of Chantal Marshall on the NBC soap opera, Generations (replacing actress Sharon Brown) and remained with the show until it ended. She then reprised her role as Angie Hubbard on ABC's Loving in 1993. In 1995, she brought the same character to The City (a retooled version of Loving), making Morgan one of the few performers to portray the same character on three different soap operas. From 1997 to 1998, she also played Dr. Ellen Burgess on Port Charles. In the 1980s and 1990s, Morgan became a de facto symbol for the possibilities for black women as all of her soap opera roles involved her playing a successful doctor.

Morgan earned acclaim from movie critics for her portrayal of clairvoyant Mozelle Batiste Delacroix in director Kasi Lemmons' drama film Eve's Bayou (1997).[7] For her portrayal, she won a Chicago Film Critics Association Award and an Independent Spirit Award and was nominated for an Image Award. She later left soap operas and began her film career with roles in She's All That (1999), The Hurricane (1999), Love & Basketball (2000), Woman Thou Art Loosed (2004), Coach Carter (2005), Relative Strangers (2006), and Color of the Cross (2006). On television, she had roles in The Practice, Strong Medicine, Boston Public, Providence, and Soul Food.[8]

From 2002 to 2003, Morgan played lead character Lora Gibson, opposite Lea Thompson, on the Lifetime drama series For the People. She also played the role of the Seer in the fourth and fifth seasons of Charmed. Morgan, along with costar Darnell Williams, returned to All My Children in January 2008, 10 years after leaving daytime television.[9] In May 2009 and 2011, she was nominated for the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series.[10] In 2011, ABC cancelled All My Children, and Morgan joined the cast of The Young and the Restless as Yolanda "Harmony" Hamilton[11][12] on October 7, 2011, exactly two weeks after All My Children aired its final television episode on September 23, 2011. In 2013, Morgan appeared in the Web-based reboot of All My Children, reprising her role of Angie Hubbard.[13] The series premiered on April 29, 2013, and was cancelled after a single season.[14][15] In November 2013, after All My Children was cancelled, Morgan was cast in Starz drama series, Power, opposite Omari Hardwick and Naturi Naughton.[16][17] In 2015, she co-starred alongside Richard Lawson and Vivica A. Fox in two TV One holiday movies: Royal Family Thanksgiving and Royal Family Christmas.[18][19] Morgan later played Toni Braxton's mother in the Lifetime biopic Toni Braxton: Unbreak My Heart.[20][21][22]

In 2017, Morgan appeared in the Marvel miniseries The Defenders playing Delores. The following year, she had a recurring role in the BET drama series The Quad. In 2019, she appeared in the Netflix film Sextuplets starring Marlon Wayans. She starred with Kelly Rowland in the Lifetime movie Merry Liddle Christmas and its sequels. In 2021, she was cast in the Lee Daniels prime time soap opera, Our Kind of People opposite Yaya DaCosta.[23] In 2023 she portrayed Keyshia Cole's mother in the Lifetime biopic Keyshia Cole: This is My Story. Jasmine Blu from TVfanatic wrote in her review: "Debbi Morgan, though, has always been a force, a legend who deserves every last bit of her flowers right here and now. To say she stole this film would be the understatement of the century. She was magnificent. She did such a remarkable job playing Frankie; there were moments it literally gave me chills. It's almost eerie how well Morgan embodied the late mother and grandmother."[24] Morgan later was cast in the drama film Divorce in the Black written and directed by Tyler Perry.

Personal life

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Morgan has been married four times and has no children. Her first marriage was to Charles Weldon from 1980 until 1984. In 1989, Morgan married actor Charles S. Dutton, divorcing in 1994. From 1997 until 2000, Morgan was married to photographer Donn Thompson. Morgan has been married to Jeffrey Winston since June 2009.[25]

Morgan is known for her prominent dimples.

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
1971 Cry Uncle Olga Winter
1974 Amazing Grace Morgan State Student
1975 Mandingo Dite
1976 Taxi Driver Girl At Columbus Circle Uncredited
1976 The Monkey Hu$tle Vi
1979 Love's Savage Fury Opal Television film
1981 Thornwell Katherine Television film
1984 The Jesse Owens Story Ruth Solomon Owens Television film
1987 Guilty of Innocence: The Lenell Geter Story Marcia Hickson Television film
1988 Odliver and Company Riltha (voice)
1992 Perry Mason: The Case of the Fatal Framing Maureen Gilman Television film
1997 Eve's Bayou Mozelle Batiste Delacroix Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female
Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress
Nominated — Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture
Nominated — NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture
1999 She's All That Ms. Wilma Rousseau
1999 Spawn 3: Ultimate Battle Granny Blake
1999 The Hurricane Mae Thelma Carter Nominated — NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture
1999 Asunder Lauren Hubbs
2000 Love & Basketball Nona McCall
2000 The Runaway Reba Monroe Television film
2004 Woman Thou Art Loosed Twana
2005 Coach Carter Tonya
2005 Back in the Day Mrs. Norah Packer
2006 Relative Strangers Mrs. Janette Manoire
2006 Color of the Cross Mary
2015 Royal Family Thanksgiving Alfreda Royal Television film
2015 Royal Family Christmas Alfreda Royal Television film
2016 Toni Braxton: Unbreak My Heart Evelyn Jackson Braxton Television film
2018 Rent-an-Elf Catherine
2019 Sextuplets Janet
2019 Merry Liddle Christmas Marchelle Television film
2020 Merry Liddle Christmas Wedding Marchelle Television film
2021 Big Fifty: The DelRhonda Hood Story Tina
2021 Merry Liddle Christmas Baby Marchelle Television film
2021 American Gangster Presents: Big 50 - The Delrhonda Hood Story Tina
2023 Keyshia Cole This Is My Story Franky Television film
2024 Divorce in the Black Gene

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
1976-1977 Good Times Ellen / Samantha Episodes: "The Break Up" and "A Friend in Need"
1976–1977 What's Happening!! Diane Harris Recurring role, 6 episodes
1979 The Love Boat Stephanie Jackson Episode: "Second Chance/Don't Push Me/Like Father, Like Son" S2 E16
1979 Roots: The Next Generations Elizabeth Harvey TV Mini-Series
1979 The White Shadow Delores Raye Episode: "Delores, of Course"
1980 The Incredible Hulk Jody Episode: "Falling Angels"
1981 Sanford Charlene Episode: "Love Is Blind"
1981–1982 Behind the Screen Lynette Porter Series regular, 13 episodes
1980-1982 Trapper John, M.D. Linda / Denise Episodes: "Hot Line" and "Ladies in Waiting"
1982–2013 All My Children Dr. Angela Baxter Hubbard Series regular
Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (1989)
Gracie Award for Outstanding Female Lead – Daytime Drama (2009)
NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama Series (2009, 2010)
Nominated — Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series (2009, 2011–12)
Nominated — Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Younger Actress in a Drama Series (1986)
Nominated — NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama Series (2011)
Nominated — Soap Opera Digest Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Daytime Drama (1990)
Nominated — Soap Opera Digest Awards for Outstanding Younger Lead Actress (1986)
1990–1991 Generations Chantal Marshall Series regular
1991 A Different World Lisa Westin Episode: "To Tell the Truth"
1992 The Cosby Show Tracy Episode: "Eat, Drink and Be Wary"
1992 Herman's Head Melodie Episode: "Brackenhooker"
1992-1993 Roc Linda Episodes: "The Hand That Rocs the Cradle" and "The Love Bug Bites Back"
1993–1995 Loving Dr. Angela 'Angie' Hubbard Series regular: August 2, 1993 – November 10, 1995
1995–1997 The City Dr. Angela 'Angie' Hubbard Series regular
Nominated — NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama Series (1996)
1997–1998 Port Charles Dr. Mary Eleanor 'Ellen' Burgess Series regular
1997-1998 General Hospital Dr. Mary Eleanor 'Ellen' Burgess Special guest star
1999 Spawn Granny Blake 3 episodes, voice role
1999–2000 Any Day Now Unknown Episodes: "Elephants in the Room" and "You Think I Am Lying to You?"
2000 City of Angels Unknown Episode: "Smoochas Gracias"
2001 The Practice Marsha Shinn Episode: "The Day After"
2000-2001 Strong Medicine Chloe Simons Episodes: "Pilot" and "Mortality"
2000–2001 Boston Public Superintendent Marsha Shinn Recurring role, 4 episodes
2001 Providence Marilyn Chase Episode: "Home Sweet Home"
2001–2002 Soul Food Lynette Van Adams Recurring role, 3 episodes
NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (2002)
2002–2003 Charmed The Seer Recurring role, 8 episodes
2002–2003 For the People District Attorney Lora Gibson Series regular, 18 episodes
2004 Touching Evil Aileen Mooney Episode: "Pilot"
2006 Ghost Whisperer Mrs. Belle Riley Episode: "Melinda's First Ghost"
2006 Close to Home Lizette Carter Episode: "Prodigal Son"
2006–2007 The Bold and the Beautiful District Attorney Jennifer Tartaro Recurring role, 14 episodes
2011–2012 The Young and the Restless Harmony Hamilton Series regular, 43 episodes
2014–2020 Power Estelle Recurring role, 11 episodes
2017 The Defenders Delores Episodes: "The H Word" and "Worst Behavior"
2018 The Quad Dr. Helen Chambers Recurring role, 3 episodes
2019 Tales Clarice Episode: "My Life"
2019-2021 Bigger Debbi Roberts Recurring role, 3 episodes
Nominated — Black Reel Awards for Television for Outstanding Guest Actress, Comedy Series (2021)
2020-2023 Power Book II: Ghost Estelle Green Recurring role, 10 episodes
2021 Fantasy Island Eileen Episode: "Quantum Entanglement"
2021-2022 Our Kind of People Patricia Williams Recurring role, 11 episodes
TBA Beauty in Black Olivia Series regular

Music video appearances

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Notes

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  1. ^ Morgan's year of birth is disputed. Many sources claim her full birth date as September 20, 1956.[1][2] Morgan posted birthday posts for herself on September 20th via Instagram in 2020[3] and 2021, but did not give an exact age or birth year.[4] An article from People dated November 24, 1997, stated that Morgan was 46 years old at the time (which would indicate a birth year of 1950 or 1951).[5]

References

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  1. ^ Fearn-Banks, Kathleen; Burford-Johnson, Anne (October 3, 2014). Historical Dictionary of African American Television. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-0-8108-7917-1 – via Google Books.
  2. ^ "Google Search". www.google.com.
  3. ^ Morgan, Debbi (September 20, 2020). ""Happy Birthday" Swipe left". Instagram.com. Retrieved December 26, 2022.
  4. ^ Morgan, Debbi (September 20, 2021). "Wonderful wishes to me!". Instagram.com. Retrieved December 26, 2022.
  5. ^ a b Day, Carol (November 24, 1997). "Morgan Glory". People. 48 (21). Retrieved December 21, 2019. the 46-year old actress
  6. ^ Pietrafesa, Dan (June 2, 2021). "Students, Staff Are Grateful for the Aquinas Experience". Catholic New York. Retrieved November 4, 2021.
  7. ^ "Debbi Morgan". Movies.yahoo.com. Archived from the original on September 27, 2013. Retrieved November 18, 2013.
  8. ^ "Debbi Morgan Credits". Tvguide.com. November 28, 2012. Retrieved November 18, 2013.
  9. ^ "Jesse and Angie return home to Pine Valley". SoapCentral. Retrieved October 11, 2015.
  10. ^ Rice, Lynette (June 19, 2011). "Daytime Emmys 2011". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved October 24, 2019.
  11. ^ Barrett, Annie (September 14, 2011). "All My Children stars heat up CBS Daytime". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved November 18, 2013.
  12. ^ "Daytimeconfidential.zap2it.com". Archived from the original on July 17, 2011.
  13. ^ "Debbi Morgan Officially Joins Resurrected 'All My Children'". Shadow and Act. Archived from the original on January 12, 2013. Retrieved December 28, 2021.
  14. ^ Matt Webb Mitovich (November 11, 2013). "Soaps Dish: All My Children, SOAPnet Scrubbed". TVLine. Retrieved November 18, 2013.
  15. ^ "All My Children Dead (Again), Cast Members Say". TVGuide.com. November 11, 2013. Retrieved December 28, 2021.
  16. ^ "La La Anthony, Debbi Morgan Join Cast Of Starz Omari Hardwick Drama 'Power'". Shadow and Act. Archived from the original on December 30, 2013. Retrieved November 18, 2013.
  17. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (November 14, 2013). "Starz Series 'Power' Adds La La Anthony". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 18, 2013.
  18. ^ Tambay A. Obenson (August 4, 2015). "Vivica A. Fox, Romeo Miller and Debbi Morgan Lead Ensemble Cast in TV One's Original "Royal" Holiday Movies". Shadow and Act. Archived from the original on October 9, 2015. Retrieved October 11, 2015.
  19. ^ "Vivica A. Fox, Romeo Miller to Star in Two Holiday Movies for TV One (Exclusive)". TheWrap. August 3, 2015. Retrieved October 11, 2015.
  20. ^ "Debbi Morgan to Play Toni Braxton's Mom in TV Biopic". BET.com. October 7, 2015. Retrieved October 11, 2015.
  21. ^ "Debbi Morgan Added to Cast of Lifetime's Toni Braxton Biopic". Essence.com. Retrieved October 11, 2015.
  22. ^ "Un-Break My Heart: Lifetime movie casts Lex Scott Davis to play Toni Braxton". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved October 11, 2015.
  23. ^ Petski, Denise (June 29, 2021). "'Our Kind Of People': Debbi Morgan Joins Fox Drama Series As Recurring".
  24. ^ "Keyshia Cole: This Is My Story Touches On Family, Addiction & The Complexities of Mother/Daughter Love". TV Fanatic. June 24, 2023.
  25. ^ "All My Children: Debbi Morgan Married in Washington!". Soaps.com. SheKnows Media. June 28, 2009. Archived from the original on June 10, 2015. Retrieved November 18, 2013.
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