Loretta Devine

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Loretta Devine

Loretta Devine (born August 21, 1949 in Houston, Texas) is an American actress. Devine graduated from the University of Houston in 1971 with a BA in Speech and Drama and Brandeis University in 1976 with a MFA in Theater. She is best known for her role of teacher Marla Hendricks on the FOX drama Boston Public. Currently, she has a recurring role as Adele Webber on the ABC medical drama Grey's Anatomy.

Devine first captured attention in Dreamgirls, a Broadway musical loosely based on the history of the Supremes. 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 and Iris.

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.

In 1995, she landed a high-profile role as Gloria Peaches 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 Fox's 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 plays Rochelle's mother, Maxine, whose always picking on her, on the hit sitcom, Everbody Hates Chris.