Deborah Pratt
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 is the daughter of Geraldine Marian, 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 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 with The Golddiggers. 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, 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 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 for NBC Universal and Peacock.
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 of the Quantum Leap reboot.
Pratt is a published novelist, having written The Vision Quest 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 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.