Deborah M. Pratt is an American director, writer, television producer and actress.

Early life

Pratt was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, to an African American family. She's the daughter of Geraldine Marian (''née'' Bryant), a teacher, and Col. Bertram Roberson Pratt, a vice president of Pullman Heritage Bank. Colonel Pratt commanded the segregated 827th Tank Destroyer Battalion in Europe during the Second World War and later served in the Illinois National Guard. Pratt has four sisters. Pratt earned a degree in Psychology from

Webster University Webster University is a private university with its main campus in Webster Groves, Missouri, United States. It has multiple branch locations across the United States and countries across Europe, Asia, and Africa. The university has an alumni net ...

and studied Theatre at The Conservatory of Theatre Arts.

Career

Pratt started performing on stage in Chicago theatre. Deborah's talent was discovered through a nationwide search that brought her to Los Angeles under contract to NBC, singing and dancing, on

The Dean Martin Show ''The Dean Martin Show'' is a TV Variety show, variety-Television comedy, comedy series that ran from 1965 to 1974 for 264 episodes. It was broadcast by NBC and hosted by Dean Martin. The theme song to the series was his 1964 hit "Everybody Loves ...

with '' The Golddiggers''. She sang and danced with

Gene Kelly Eugene Curran Kelly (August 23, 1912 – February 2, 1996) was an American dancer, actor, singer, director and choreographer. He was known for his energetic and athletic dancing style and sought to create a new form of American dance accessibl ...

Donald O'Connor Donald David Dixon Ronald O'Connor (August 28, 1925 – September 27, 2003) was an American dancer, singer and actor. He came to fame in a series of films in which he co-starred, in succession, with Gloria Jean, Peggy Ryan, and Francis the Talki ...

, and toured with

Debbie Reynolds Mary Frances "Debbie" Reynolds (April 1, 1932 – December 28, 2016) was an American actress, singer and entrepreneur. Her acting career spanned almost 70 years. Reynolds performed on stage and television and in films into her 80s. She was nom ...

. Pratt acted in various television series, including '' Magnum, P.I.'', ''

Happy Days ''Happy Days'' is an American television sitcom that aired first-run on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC network from January 15, 1974, to July 19, 1984, with a total of 255 half-hour episodes spanning 11 seasons. Created by Garry Marsha ...

'', '' The New Odd Couple'', ''Benson'', and ''

Airwolf ''Airwolf'' is an American action military drama television series. It centers on a high-technology attack helicopter, code-named '' Airwolf'', and its crew. They undertake various exotic missions, many involving espionage, with a Cold War the ...

''. She started her writing career creating multiple episodes for ''Magnum P.I.'' and ''Airwolf'', and starred in three pilots, ''Katmandu, She's With Me, and Phyl & Mikhy''. Pratt also acted in feature films, some of which include '' Exit to Eden'', ''

Last Rites The last rites, also known as the Commendation of the Dying, are the last prayers and ministrations given to an individual of Christian faith, when possible, shortly before death. The Commendation of the Dying is practiced in liturgical Chri ...

'', and the cult classic, '' Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone''. Pratt became showrunner—co-creator, executive producer, and head writer—for the ''

Quantum Leap Quantum leap or ''variation'', may refer to: In general * Quantum leap (physics), also known as quantum jump, a transition between quantum states ** Atomic electron transition, a key example of the physics phenomenon * Paradigm shift, a sudden ch ...

'' TV series, which was created by her then-husband, Donald Bellisario. Pratt also frequently starred in the show as both the narrator and the voice of Ziggy. In 1992, Pratt served as executive producer and co-showrunner for ''

Tequila and Bonetti ''Tequila and Bonetti'' is an American crime comedy-drama television series starring Jack Scalia. The series originally aired on CBS, as a mid-season replacement, from January 17, 1992 to April 17, 1992, with only 10 of the 12 episodes aired. I ...

'' on CBS. In 1998-1999, Pratt developed the series for TV and was showrunner and executive producer of '' The Net'' for CBS. In 2000, she made her directorial debut with '' Cora Unashamed'' for ''

Masterpiece Theatre ''Masterpiece'' (formerly known as ''Masterpiece Theatre'') is a drama anthology television series produced by WGBH Boston. It premiered on PBS on January 10, 1971. The series has presented numerous acclaimed British productions. Many of these ...

s '' The American Collection''. In 2009, she reprised her role as Ziggy for the ''Quantum Leap''

fan film A fan film is a film or video inspired by a film, television program, comic book, book, or video game created by fans rather than by the source's copyright holders or creators. It is a form of fan fiction. Fan filmmakers have traditionally been ...

, ''A Leap to Di For''. And as of 2022, Deborah returned as executive producer on the ''Quantum Leap'' reboot (2022-present) for NBC Universal and Peacock. Pratt has directed shorts, a TV movie, and a ''

Grey's Anatomy ''Grey's Anatomy'' is an American medical drama television series focusing on the personal and professional lives of surgical internship (medicine), interns, residency (medicine), residents, and attending physician, attendings at the fictional ...

'' episode after ''Quantum Leap'', but head writer duties kept her from directing her own show. Pratt directed the "Family Style" episode (air date of February 27, 2023) of the ''Quantum Leap'' reboot. Pratt is a published novelist, having written ''The Vision Quest'' (a three-book science fiction/fantasy series) and ''Age of Eve,'' as well as an inspirational speaker. She has also sold feature scripts to major studios. Pratt is currently working on a play in development for the London stage, ''Joseph Bologne'', as well as a graphic novel, interactive game, and interactive television series all entitled ''Warrior One''. She has received numerous awards for her work, including five

Emmy Awards The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...

nominations, a Golden Block Award, and multiple festival awards for her short films. Pratt is also an advocate for women and minority rights in the industry. She has served on the Board of Directors of the

Writers Guild of America The Writers Guild of America (WGA) is the name of two American labor unions representing writers in film, television, radio, and online media: * The Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) is headquartered in New York City and is affiliated wit ...

and is on multiple committees at the

Directors Guild of America The Directors Guild of America (DGA) is an entertainment guild that represents the interests of Film director, film and Television director, television directors in the United States motion picture industry and abroad. Founded as the Screen Dir ...

. She is a member of the

Producers Guild of America The Producers Guild of America (PGA) is a 501(c)(6) trade association representing the interests Television producer, television producers, Film producer, film producers and emerging media producers in the United States. The PGA's membership inclu ...

and SAG/AFTRA.

Filmography

Film

Television

Bibliography

Discography

Awards

References

External links

* * Deborahmpratt.com
Deborah Pratt biodata
, thevisionquest.com
''ActorsE Chat Show'' appearance
actorsentertainment.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Pratt, Deborah 21st-century American novelists Actresses from Chicago African-American women writers African-American film directors American film actresses Film directors from Illinois American television actresses Television producers from Illinois American women television producers American television writers American voice actresses American women novelists Living people American women film directors American women television writers Writers from Chicago 21st-century American women writers Novelists from Illinois African-American screenwriters Screenwriters from Illinois Bellisario family African-American novelists 20th-century African-American actresses 20th-century American actresses 21st-century African-American actresses 21st-century American actresses Year of birth missing (living people)