Debbie Allen shares three 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥ren with her husband, former NBA player Norm Nixon

“I always encouraged my kids to read, to study the classics. It connects you to other people, to the world,” Allen said in a 2021 interview with L.A. Parent.

DeVaughn Nixon, 40Norm Nixon, Jr., Debbie Allen and DeVaughn Nixon attend Sophisticated Elegant Blacks in Art at Karen Lynne Gallery on July 14, 2005.

Around a year before Norm married Allen, he welcomed his first son, DeVaughn Nixon, on July 8, 1983. Although he grew up with an athlete for a father, DeVaughn decided to follow in his stepmother’s footsteps instead. In 1992, he acted in The Bodyguard with Whitney Houston and went on to have roles in many popular TV series like Lizzie McGuire, Drake & Josh and Sonny with a Chance.

In 2022, he depicted his father in the series, Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty, which served as a huge accomplishment for the actor. “It’s truly a dream come true,” DeVaughn told PEOPLE at the time. “It’s the biggest layup I’ve ever gotten in my entire life.”

Vivian Nichole Nixon, 39Debbie Allen and Vivian Nixon attend the Los Angeles Premiere of MGM’s “Respect” on August 08, 2021.

Vivian, who was named after Allen’s mother, Vivian Ayers Allen, was 𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧 premature and weighed less than 4 lbs. “I was so afraid when she was 𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧,” Allen told Ebony in 1991. “She was so tiny but when I saw her pull off the oxygen mask, I knew she was okay. I knew she was strong just like her mother.”

As a 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥, Vivian began acting with small roles in TV shows. “I was with my mom everywhere,” she told Dance Spirit. “I grew up on set, in the theater, watching her. So, I was drawn to the arts.”

Eventually, she followed in her mom’s footsteps as a dancer, getting into the Kirov Ballet School in Washington, D.C. However, in the Netflix documentary, Dance Dreams: Hot Chocolate Nutcracker, Vivian explained that when she experienced racism from a teacher in her third year, Norm and Allen pulled her from the school. That’s also when her mom created the Debbie Allen Dance Academy, or DADA, where Vivian is now the executive director.

Debbie Allen and daughter Vivian Nixon during Judge Marilyn Milian of The Peoples Court visits “Hot Feet” on Broadway.

The mother-daughter duo has also worked together on-screen in 18 episodes of Grey’s Anatomy in which Vivian played Dr. Hannah Brody and Allen acted in her recurring role of Dr. Catherine Fox. Vivian has also had roles onstage in Hot Feet and West Side Story, and acted in other series like Station 19 and Power.

Speaking to Essence in 2020, Allen gushed about her family. “One of the most important things that I do that maintains my peace is the time that I spend with my granddaughter, honestly,” she said. “My husband and I are so in love with her and she’s so in love with us and we get to keep her every weekend.”

Norman Nixon Jr., 36Debbie Allen and her son Norman Nixon Jr. attend The Paley Center For Media’s 34th Annual PaleyFest Los Angeles – “Grey’s Anatomy” screening and panel on March 19, 2017.

In an interview with NPR in 2014 Allen said, “Dance is as athletic as basketball. The energy, the power, the flexibility and the creativity that it takes to play basketball is not unlike dance.” Unfortunately, her husband and former NBA star did not initially agree.

Debbie Allen and son Norman Nixon Jr.

Like his older sister, Norman Jr. has also acted alongside his mom on 12 episodes of Grey’s Anatomy. “He’s running through the sets and doing his own,” Allen told E! News in 2022 about working with her son. “He’s so wonderful, so I love him so much.”

Norman Jr. also auditioned to play the role of his father in the HBO series Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty, but ultimately lost to his older brother, DeVaughn. Despite the initial awkwardness, DeVaughn told Variety, “I wouldn’t want anybody else playing my dad except for one of us.”