Loretta Devine stars as Jerrod's loud, proud and Christian mother, Cynthia, on NBC's comedy "The Carmichael Show."

An Emmy Award-winning actress, Devine first captured national attention in the role of Lorrell in Michael Bennett's Broadway musical "Dreamgirls." She followed that performance with a fiery portrayal of Lillian in Bob Fosse's critically acclaimed stage production "Big Deal." Subsequent work in George C. Wolfe's "The Colored Museum" and "Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill" cemented Devine's status as a talented and versatile stage actress.

Film roles soon followed, including a poignant turn in "Waiting to Exhale," which earned Devine her first NAACP Image Award. Her second NAACP Image Award came for her work in Penny Marshall's "The Preacher's Wife." Devine received an Independent Spirit Award nomination for her work in "Women Thou Art Loosed" and was also featured in the films "Dreamgirls" and the Academy Award-winning "Crash."

Other film credits include "This Christmas," "First Sunday," "Beverly Hills Chihuahua," "Death at a Funeral," "Lottery Ticket," "For Colored Girls," "Jumping the Broom" and Tyler Perry's "Madea's Big Happy Family." Indies on Devine's resume include Robert Townsend's "In The Hive," which earned Devine an NAACP Image Award nomination; "You're Not You"; and "The Sound and the Fury." She'll also be seen in the upcoming Kristen Wiig dramedy "Welcome to Me."

For her work as Adele on "Grey's Anatomy," Devine earned both an Emmy Award and nomination, a Gracie Award, a Critics' Choice Television Award nomination, and an NAACP Image Award and nomination.

In total, Devine has won eight NAACP Image Awards and has received 18 nominations. She received Lifetime Achievement Awards from both the Pan African Film Festival and the NAACP Theatre Awards.

Besides "Grey's Anatomy," Devine's TV credits include "A Different World," "The PJs," "Boston Public," "Eli Stone," "The Client List" and "Doc McStuffins."

Devine graduated from the University of Houston and later received a Master of Fine Arts from Brandeis University. She also received a Doctorate of Humane Letters as well as a Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Houston.

She currently resides in Los Angeles.