Deborah Pratt | |
|---|---|
 Pratt at the 2023 WonderCon | |
| Born | |
| Other names | Deborah Pratt-Bellisario, Deborah M. Pratt |
| Alma mater | Webster University |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1975–present |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2, including Troian Bellisario |
Deborah M. Pratt is an American director, writer, television producer and actress.
Pratt was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, to an African American family. [1] 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. [2] Pratt has four sisters. [3]
Pratt earned a degree in Psychology from Webster University and studied Theatre at The Conservatory of Theatre Arts. [3]
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 with The Golddiggers . [4] She sang and danced with Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor, and toured with Debbie Reynolds. Pratt acted in various television series, including Magnum, P.I. , Happy Days , The New Odd Couple , Benson, and Airwolf . 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 , and the cult classic, Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone .
Pratt became showrunner—co-creator, executive producer, and head writer—for the Quantum Leap TV series, [5] which was created by her then-husband, Donald Bellisario. [6] 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 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's The American Collection . In 2009, she reprised her role as Ziggy for the Quantum Leap fan film, 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. [7]
Pratt has directed shorts, a TV movie, and a Grey's Anatomy 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. [8]
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, [9] 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 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 and is on multiple committees at the Directors Guild of America. She is a member of the Producers Guild of America and SAG/AFTRA.[ citation needed ]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Elephant Parts | Player | |
| 1983 | Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone | Reagan | |
| 1988 | Last Rites | Robin Dwyer | |
| 1994 | Exit to Eden | Dr. Allison | |
| 2006 | Unspoken | Madison | |
| 2008 | Chinaman's Chance: America's Other Slaves | Rachel | |
| 2010 | Peep World | Cassandra Williamson | |
| 2022 | Doula | Deb's Mother |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | The Dean Martin Show | Golddigger | Episode: "Celebrity Roast: Monty Hall" |
| 1975 | Police Woman | Kate | Episode: "Pattern for Evil" |
| 1978 | CHiPs | Carol | Episode: "Crash Diet" |
| Love Is Not Enough | Susan | Television Film | |
| 1979 | Happy Days | Kat Mandu | Episode: "Fonzie Meets Kat" |
| 1980 | Phyl & Mikhy | Connie | Episode: "Phyl's Wedding" |
| Katmandu | Kat Mandu | Television Film | |
| 1981 | Grambling's White Tiger | Jennifer | Television Film |
| 1982 | Strike Force | Loretta | Episode: "Humiliation" |
| She's with Me | Bonnie Madison | Television Film | |
| The New Odd Couple | Sandra | Episode: "The Odd Triangle" | |
| 1983 | Prime Times | Various | Television Film |
| Benson | Jill Fletcher | Episode: "Who's Arnold?" | |
| Gimme a Break! | Vanessa | Episode: "The Way to a Man's Heart" | |
| 1984 | Days of Our Lives | Lacey Parker | 6 Episodes |
| 1984 | Magnum, P.I. (1980) | Gloria | 4 Episodes |
| 1984 | Airwolf | Writer | 1 Episode |
| 1984–1985 | Airwolf | Marella | 14 Episodes |
| 1984-1985 | Magnum, P.I. (1980) | Writer | 2 Episodes |
| 1987 | Three on a Match | Sissy | Television Film |
| Hunter | Sandra Browning | Episode: "Flashpoint" | |
| 1989 | Magnum, P.I. (1980) | Writer | 2 Episodes |
| 1989–1993 | Quantum Leap (1989) | Writer | 20 Episodes |
| Quantum Leap (1989) | Co-Executive Producer/ Supervising Producer | 97 Episodes | |
| Quantum Leap (1989) | Narrator / Ziggy / Troian Claridge | 65 Episodes | |
| 1992 | Tequila and Bonetti | Nicole | Episode: "A Perfect Match" |
| Co-Executive Producer/Producer | 2 Episodes | ||
| 1997 | Girlfriends | Director/Writer/Producer | Short |
| 1998–1999 | The Net (TV Series) | Developed/Writer/Creator/Executive Producer/Director | 8 Episodes |
| 1999 | Our Friend, Martin | Producer/Screenplay | Animated TV Film |
| 2000 | Cora Unshamed | BBC Masterpiece Theatre The America Collection | Director | Television Film |
| 2016 | Game of Chance(TV Series) | Executive Producer | 4 Episodes |
| Game of Chance(Video) | Writer/Executive Producer/Director | Video Short | |
| 2020 | Grey's Anatomy | Director | Episode: "Put On a Happy Face" (Ep. 1621) |
| 2022–2024 | Quantum Leap (2022) | Executive Producer | 18 Episodes |
| Ziggy | 2 Episodes | ||
| 2023 | Director | Episode: "Family Style" (Ep. 113) |
| Year | Title | Publisher |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Age of Eve: Return of the Nephilim | BroadLit |
| 2015 | The Atlantian: The Vision Quest, Book 1 | VGM Publishing |
| 2017 | The Academy: The Vision Quest, Book 2 | VGM Publishing |
| 2017 | The Odyssey: The Vision Quest, Book 3 | VGM Publishing |
| TBD | Mirrors: The Dragon Mirror | VGM Publishing |
| Year | Title | Project |
|---|---|---|
| 1988 | "All My Life" | Last Rites (Movie) |
| 1991 | "The Alphabet Rap" | Quantum Leap (TV Series) |
| Year | Nom. /Win | Award | Project | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Women In Film (Win) | Lillian Gish | Quantum Leap | Episode:"The Color of Truth" [10] |
| 1991 | Writing (Win) | The Golden Block Award | Quantum Leap | Episode:"Private Dancer" |
| The Angel Award | ||||
| 1990-1993 | Best Dramatic TV Series (5 Nominees) | Emmy | Quantum Leap | [10] |
| Producing (5 Nominees) | B.E.N. Awards (Black Emmy Nominee) | Quantum Leap | [10] | |
| 1999 | Writing (5 Nominees) | Emmy | Animated TV Film | Our Friend, Martin |
| Writing (5 Nominees) | B.E.N. Awards (Black Emmy Nominee) | Animated TV Film | Our Friend, Martin [10] |
Quantum Leap is an American science fiction television series, created by Donald P. Bellisario, that aired on NBC for five seasons, from March 26, 1989, to May 5, 1993. The series stars Scott Bakula as Dr. Sam Beckett, a physicist who, believing he has invented a way to travel through time, voluntarily subjects himself to an experiment that he believes will prove the validity of his controversial theories. Sam “leaps” into the fluid of spacetime and apparently disappears forever. However, it is soon revealed that Beckett's consciousness is alive and able to transfer to and inhabit the bodies of other people existing on his timeline. The artificially intelligent computer he created operates with the assumption that in order to return home, Sam must change events in the past in order to "correct" the future course of events, which have somehow been changed in an undesirable way by an unknown agent.
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 theme. It was created by Donald P. Bellisario and was produced over four seasons, running from January 22, 1984, until August 7, 1987.
Tales of the Gold Monkey was an American adventure drama television series broadcast in prime time on Wednesday nights by ABC from September 22, 1982, until June 1, 1983. Debuting the year following the release of Raiders of the Lost Ark, the series featured early aviation, indigenous locals, and cliff-hanging action. Creator Don Bellisario said it was based on the 1939 Howard Hawks film Only Angels Have Wings.
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Debora Cahn is an American writer and producer of television and film. She was a writer and executive producer on the Showtime series Homeland for its final two seasons (2018–2020), and executive producer and showrunner on the Netflix political thriller series The Diplomat. Cahn has won two Writers Guild of America Awards and has received multiple nominations.
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"Good Night, Dear Heart" is a 1990 episode of the American science fiction television series Quantum Leap. Lead character Sam Beckett "leaps" to 1957, into the body of a mortician investigating the death of a young West German immigrant woman. What at first appears to be a suicide by drowning turns out to be foul play. The episode, the 17th of season 2, was written by Paul Brown and directed by Christopher T. Welch. It aired originally on March 7, 1990.
Alan J. Levi is an American film, television director, television producer and writer.
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Raymond Lee is an American actor known for his roles as Arlen Lee in the Prime Video series Mozart in the Jungle and Duc Bayer-Boatwright in the HBO series Here and Now. In 2021, Lee was a series regular on the AMC series Kevin Can F**k Himself. From 2022 to 2024, Lee starred in the sequel/revival of the NBC science fiction drama Quantum Leap.
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Chas. Floyd Johnson is an African-American television producer, actor and activist, known for The Rockford Files (1975–1980), Magnum, P.I. (1982–1988), and Red Tails (2012). A three-time Emmy Award winner, Johnson currently serves as Executive Producer of the CBS Television Studios' television series, NCIS (2003–2019), following his tenure as an executive producer of the long-running CBS television series, JAG (1997–2005).
The Lenkov-verse is a media franchise that consists of a group of three interconnected television reboots that share a fictional universe, and their related media. All three of the television series, Hawaii Five-0, MacGyver, and Magnum P.I., were developed by Peter M. Lenkov who also served as the showrunner on the series. They are each American crime dramas that aired on CBS. Hawaii Five-0 revolves around a task force, led by Steve McGarrett, that investigates crimes in Hawaii. MacGyver centers around Angus MacGyver who uses nonviolent methods to keep the world safe, with the help of a team of undercover government agents. Magnum P.I. follows private investigator Thomas Magnum, who solves crimes in Hawaii with the help of his friends. The universe is also connected to the so-called Bellisario-verse, which consists of the entire NCIS franchise and JAG, via two direct crossovers between Hawaii Five-0 and NCIS: Los Angeles.
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