It's been almost 45 years since Loretta Devine broke through in the Broadway smash hit Dreamgirls , and in the decades since she has gone on to become an Emmy winner for her work in Grey's Anatomy, starred alongside Angela Bassett in the critically acclaimed Waiting to Exhale, and perhaps most importantly, become the ultimate cheerleader for the next generation of black actresses.

At 76, Loretta still finds joy in acting, telling HELLO! that her strong work ethic began back in the early 1980s when she was working alongside Sheryl Lee Ralph and Jennifer Holliday on Dreamgirls . "It's an honor to get a chance to do what you're doing," she says. "I love acting, and even at my age, I'm still so surprised when I get a chance to work because it's a hard thing; Michael Benn

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