Nancy Allen (actress)

Last updated

Nancy Allen
Nancy Allen (1981).jpg
Allen in 1981
Born (1950-06-24) June 24, 1950 (age 74)
The Bronx, New York, U.S.
OccupationActress
Years active
  • 1962–2008
  • 2012–present
Works Filmography
Spouses
​
​
(m. 1979;div. 1984)​
​
​
(m. 1992;div. 1993)​
Randy Bailey
​
​
(m. 1998;div. 2007)​
Partner Michael Paré (1984–1985)

Nancy Allen (born June 24, 1950) is a retired American actress. She came to prominence for her performances in several films directed by Brian De Palma in the 1970s and early 1980s. Her accolades include a Golden Globe Award nomination and three Saturn Award nominations.

Contents

Her first major role was as Chris Hargensen in Brian De Palma's film Carrie (1976). Allen was subsequently cast as the co-lead in the Robert Zemeckis-directed comedy I Wanna Hold Your Hand (1978), followed by a supporting part in Steven Spielberg's 1941 (1979). Allen married De Palma in 1979, and her subsequent portrayal of a prostitute who witnesses a murder in his feature Dressed to Kill (1980) earned her a Golden Globe nomination for New Star of the Year. She then appeared in De Palma's neo-noir film Blow Out (1981), playing a woman implicated in an assassination. Allen and De Palma divorced in 1984.

She appeared in the science fiction films Strange Invaders (1983) and The Philadelphia Experiment (1984), and Abel Ferrara's television film The Gladiator (1986). Allen garnered mainstream fame playing Anne Lewis in Paul Verhoeven's RoboCop (1987), a role she reprised for the two sequels. Other credits include Poltergeist III (1988), Limit Up (1990), Les patriotes (1994), and Steven Soderbergh’s Out of Sight (1998).

Allen stepped back from acting in 2008, and became involved in cancer support; in 2010, she was named executive director of the weSPARK Cancer Support Center in Los Angeles.

Life and career

1950–1972: Early life

Allen was born on June 24, 1950 [1] in the Bronx borough of New York City, the youngest of three children of Eugene and Florence Allen. Her father was a police lieutenant. [2] Allen was raised on 196th Street in the Pelham Bay section of the Bronx. [3]

Allen was a very shy child, so her mother enrolled her in dance classes when she was four. She attended the Academy of Mount St. Ursula in the Bronx, before the family relocated to Yonkers. [4] Interested in modern dance, she attended the High School of Performing Arts for one year, where she trained for a dancing career. [5] She stated that her experience studying dance "ruined it" for her as it "became all about grades...  I discovered that, while I loved to dance, it wasn't my life." [6] She subsequently enrolled at Jose Quintano's School for Young Professionals.[ citation needed ]

1973–1986: Career beginnings

Allen promoting Strange Invaders in 1983 NancyAllenactress.jpg
Allen promoting Strange Invaders in 1983

Allen's first major film role was as Nancy, Jack Nicholson's nervous date, in The Last Detail (1973), directed by Hal Ashby. [7] This inspired her to move to Los Angeles to continue her acting career. [8] Initially, Allen struggled to find acting jobs and was told by an agent that, being 25 years old, it "was over for her." [9] However, in November 1975, she auditioned for the role of the spoiled and popular mean girl Christine Hargensen in director Brian De Palma's horror film Carrie (1976), as the title character's chief nemesis. After a protracted casting process (in which Allen was nearly re-cast at the instruction of the producers), she was officially given the role. [10]

Allen next appeared in the role of Pam Mitchell in Steven Spielberg's production of I Wanna Hold Your Hand (1978), which was director Robert Zemeckis's first feature film. [11] She then played Donna Stratton in the Spielberg-directed comedy 1941 (1979). [12]

She married Carrie director Brian De Palma on January 12, 1979, and over the next several years appeared in three more of his films: as Kristina in Home Movies (1980) with Kirk Douglas, [13] followed by her portrayal of prostitute Liz Blake in the thriller Dressed to Kill (1980). [14] For her performance, she was nominated for a Golden Globe for New Star of the Year. She next starred in her last collaboration with De Palma, the neo-noir Blow Out (1981), playing a woman involved in an assassination that is audibly captured by a sound engineer. [15] In filming Blow Out, she had to overcome a lifelong fear of being trapped in a submerging car filling with water. [16]

In 1983, Allen starred as supermarket tabloid reporter Betty Walker in Strange Invaders , written by Bill Condon and co-starring Paul LeMat, Michael Lerner and Oscar winner Louise Fletcher.

She and De Palma divorced in 1984. That same year, two of Allen's films were released, The Buddy System opposite Richard Dreyfuss and Susan Sarandon and The Philadelphia Experiment opposite Michael Paré. For her role in the latter, Allen was nominated for a Saturn Award for Best Actress. Allen began dating Paré after the production. [17] She also hosted the documentary Terror in the Aisles (1984), which presents clips from various horror features, including Dressed to Kill and Carrie. Paul Bartel's Not for Publication and Sweet Revenge, an action caper about white slavery with Gina Gershon and Martin Landau, followed thereafter.

1987–1993: RoboCop and other projects

Allen played police officer Anne Lewis in the science fiction/action classic RoboCop (1987). [18] The film, which was the Hollywood debut of Dutch director Paul Verhoeven, did extremely well at the box office. Allen was nominated for another Saturn Award for Best Actress.

After the success of RoboCop, Allen starred in Abel Ferrara's The Gladiator (1987) and as Patricia Wilson-Gardner in Poltergeist III (1988). Allen reprised her role as Officer Lewis in RoboCop 2 (1990). To make her character tougher and more involved in the physical action, she studied martial arts and participated in police training. She recalled the filming of RoboCop 2 as unpleasant, however, and later referred to director Irvin Kershner as a "miserable human being". [19] That same year, Allen top-lined Richard Martini's Limit Up . As commodities trader Casey Falls, Allen showcased her comedic abilities. The lighthearted romp also featured Danitra Vance and blues icon Ray Charles. In 1990, Allen also had the distinction of starring in the first-ever original film made for the Lifetime television network, the highly-rated Memories of Murder . [20]

She married comedian Craig Shoemaker on September 6, 1992. Allen played Officer Lewis a third time in RoboCop 3 (1993) and was nominated for a Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress. For her third performance as the feisty cop, she worked to soften the usually tough-as-nails demeanor of the character: "You do your job and you become more confident with yourself. Therefore, you don't have to prove yourself to anyone and basically deny your womanhood. (It's) not a dirty word. It's actually an asset. And that's what I wanted to show – to loosen her up in that way." [21] The same year, Allen also appeared with Linda Fiorentino in Acting on Impulse . She and Shoemaker divorced in 1994.[ citation needed ]

1994–present: Later career; activism

Allen has appeared in a number of documentaries about her most famous films, including Dressed to Kill, Carrie, Blow Out, the RoboCop trilogy, and Poltergeist III.

In 1994, she re-teamed with Strange Invaders writer Bill Condon to star as psychic Jessie Gallardo opposite Roger Moore in the movie of the week The Man Who Wouldn't Die . She also had a supporting part in the French drama film Les patriotes (1994). [22] In 1995, she starred in a Broadway production of the play Dial M For Murder by Frederick Knott, which had been the basis for Alfred Hitchcock's film of the same name. It starred John James as Tony Wendice, Nancy Allen as Margot and Roddy McDowall as Inspector Hubbard. It ran from September 26, 1995, to March 10, 1996, and was directed by Edward Hastings. She starred as Linda Savage in Quality Time in 1997, but the film was not released until 2008 due, in part, to post-production and renamed My Apocalypse. She married builder/contractor Randy Bailey in June 1998.

Allen had a small but notable role as Midge in the crime thriller Out of Sight (1998) starring George Clooney and Jennifer Lopez, which was directed by Steven Soderbergh. She also played Rachel Colby in the horror film Children of the Corn 666: Isaac's Return and Madge in the comedy-thriller Kiss Toledo Goodbye with Christopher Walken (both released in 1999). Secret of the Andes , an adventure film starring David Keith and Jerry Stiller, was released in 2000. [23]

Her television guest appearances include roles on Touched by an Angel , The Outer Limits , The Commish , and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit .

Allen and Bailey separated in 2005 and divorced in 2007. In 2008, she decided to shift her focus to cancer support for cancer patients and their families. [24] [25] She was inspired to focus her time on the subject after her friend and former co-star Wendie Jo Sperber died of breast cancer in 2005. [26] In December 2010, Allen was named executive director of the weSPARK Cancer Support Center, which was founded by Sperber. Of her work at weSpark, Allen said: "That is what I do. That is what my life is dedicated to. I'm there, I run it. I've created the whole program format and I fundraise. It is my life's work." [27]

Filmography

Accolades

YearAwardCategoryNominated workResultRef.
1980 Stinkers Bad Movie Awards Worst Actress Dressed to Kill Nominated
1981 Golden Globe Award New Star of the Year in a Motion Picture - Female Nominated [28]
Golden Raspberry Award Worst Actress Nominated
1985 Saturn Award Best Actress The Philadelphia Experiment Nominated
1988 Saturn Award Best Actress RoboCop Nominated [29]
1994 Saturn Award Best Supporting Actress RoboCop 3 Nominated

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brian De Palma</span> American film director (born 1940)

Brian Russell De Palma is an American film director and screenwriter. With a career spanning over 50 years, he is best known for work in the suspense, crime and psychological thriller genres. De Palma was a leading member of the New Hollywood generation of film directors.

Poltergeist is an American horror film franchise distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer during the 1980s. The original trilogy revolves around the members of the Freeling family, who are stalked and terrorized by a group of ghosts, led by a demon known as the Beast, that are attracted to the youngest daughter, Carol Anne. The original film was co-written and produced by Steven Spielberg. The Poltergeist films collected a total of approximately $132 million at the United States box office.

<i>RoboCop</i> 1987 American science-fiction action film by Paul Verhoeven

RoboCop is a 1987 American science fiction action film directed by Paul Verhoeven and written by Edward Neumeier and Michael Miner. The film stars Peter Weller, Nancy Allen, Daniel O'Herlihy, Ronny Cox, Kurtwood Smith, and Miguel Ferrer. Set in a crime-ridden Detroit in the near future, RoboCop centers on police officer Alex Murphy (Weller) who is murdered by a gang of criminals and revived by the megacorporation Omni Consumer Products as the cyborg law enforcer RoboCop. Unaware of his former life, RoboCop executes a campaign against crime while coming to terms with the lingering fragments of his humanity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dominique Dunne</span> American actress (1959–1982)

Dominique Ellen Dunne was an American actress. Born and raised in Santa Monica, California, she made her on-screen debut with the television film Diary of a Teenage Hitchhiker (1979) and played recurring roles in the drama series Family (1980) and the comedy series Breaking Away (1980–1981). Her breakthrough role was Dana Freeling in the blockbuster horror film Poltergeist (1982). Afterwards, she headlined the Western film The Shadow Riders and the crime series CHiPs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karen Allen</span> American actress (born 1951)

Karen Jane Allen is an American film and stage actress. She made her film debut in the comedy film Animal House (1978), which was soon followed by a small role in Woody Allen's romantic comedy-drama Manhattan (1979) and a co-lead role in Philip Kaufman's coming-of-age film The Wanderers (1979), before co-starring opposite Al Pacino in William Friedkin's crime thriller Cruising (1980).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amy Irving</span> American actress and singer

Amy Irving is a retired American actress and singer, who worked in film, stage, and television. Her accolades include an Obie Award, and nominations for two Golden Globe Awards and an Academy Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heather O'Rourke</span> American child actress (1975–1988)

Heather Michele O'Rourke was an American child actress. She had her breakthrough starring as Carol Anne Freeling in the supernatural horror film Poltergeist (1982), which received critical acclaim and established her as an influential figure in the genre. She went on to reprise the role in Poltergeist II: The Other Side (1986) and Poltergeist III (1988), the last of which was released posthumously.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Irvin Kershner</span> American film director (1923–2010)

Irvin Kershner was an American director for film and television.

<i>Blow Out</i> 1981 film by Brian De Palma

Blow Out is a 1981 American neo-noir mystery thriller film written and directed by Brian De Palma. The film stars John Travolta as Jack Terry, a movie sound effects technician from Philadelphia who, while recording sounds for a low-budget slasher film, unintentionally captures audio evidence of an assassination involving a presidential hopeful. Nancy Allen stars as Sally Bedina, a young woman involved in the crime. The supporting cast includes John Lithgow and Dennis Franz. The film's tagline in advertisements was, "Murder has a sound all of its own".

<i>RoboCop 2</i> 1990 film by Irvin Kershner

RoboCop 2 is a 1990 American science fiction superhero action film directed by Irvin Kershner and written by Frank Miller and Walon Green. It stars Peter Weller, Nancy Allen, Dan O'Herlihy, Belinda Bauer, Tom Noonan and Gabriel Damon. It is the sequel to the 1987 film RoboCop, the second entry in the RoboCop franchise and the last to feature Weller as RoboCop until he returned in Mortal Kombat 11, RoboCop: Rogue City and other media; it is also the last film Kershner directed before his death in 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Weller</span> American actor (born 1947)

Peter Francis Weller is an American actor and television director.

<i>Poltergeist III</i> 1988 film by Gary Sherman

Poltergeist III is a 1988 American supernatural horror film co-written and directed by Gary Sherman, and starring Tom Skerritt, Nancy Allen, Heather O'Rourke and Zelda Rubinstein with the latter two reprising their roles from the previous films. The third and final entry in the original Poltergeist film series, it follows young Carol Anne Freeling, who is terrorized by malicious spirits while staying in her aunt and uncle's apartment at Chicago's John Hancock Center.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">P. J. Soles</span> American film and television actress

Pamela Jayne Soles is a retired American actress. She made her film debut in 1976 as Norma Watson in Brian De Palma's Carrie (1976) before portraying Lynda van der Klok in John Carpenter's Halloween (1978) and Riff Randell in Allan Arkush's Rock 'n' Roll High School (1979).

<i>Carrie</i> (1976 film) Film by Brian De Palma

Carrie is a 1976 American supernatural horror film directed by Brian De Palma from a screenplay written by Lawrence D. Cohen, adapted from Stephen King's 1974 epistolary novel of the same name. The film stars Sissy Spacek as Carrie White, a shy teenage girl who is constantly mocked and bullied at her school. She later develops the power of telekinesis and uses it to wreak vengeance on her tormentors. The film also features Piper Laurie, Amy Irving, Nancy Allen, William Katt, P. J. Soles, Betty Buckley, and John Travolta in supporting roles. It is the first film in the Carrie franchise.

<i>Poltergeist</i> (1982 film) 1982 American supernatural horror film directed by Tobe Hooper

Poltergeist is a 1982 American supernatural horror film directed by Tobe Hooper and written by Steven Spielberg, Michael Grais, and Mark Victor from a story by Spielberg. It stars JoBeth Williams, Craig T. Nelson, and Beatrice Straight, and was produced by Spielberg and Frank Marshall. The film focuses on a suburban family whose home is invaded by malevolent ghosts that abduct their youngest daughter.

<i>Poltergeist II: The Other Side</i> 1986 film by Brian Gibson

Poltergeist II: The Other Side is a 1986 American supernatural horror film directed by Brian Gibson. JoBeth Williams, Craig T. Nelson, Oliver Robins, Heather O'Rourke and Zelda Rubinstein reprised their roles from the first film. New cast members include Will Sampson, Julian Beck and Geraldine Fitzgerald. The second entry in the Poltergeist film series and a direct sequel to Poltergeist (1982), it follows the Freeling family who again finds themselves under attack from the supernatural forces led by "the Beast", revealed to be the spirit of an insane preacher who led an apocalyptic cult during the 19th century, attempting to claim their daughter. In their efforts to save their daughter, the family finds help in a Native American shaman.

<i>Carrie</i> (2002 film) 2002 film by David Carson

Carrie is a 2002 supernatural horror television film, based on the 1974 novel of the same name by Stephen King. It is the second film adaptation and a re-imagining of the novel, and the third film in the Carrie franchise. The film was written by Bryan Fuller, directed by David Carson, and stars Angela Bettis in the leading role. In the story, Carrie White, a shy girl who is harassed by her schoolmates, disappears and a series of flashbacks reveal what has happened to her.

RoboCop is an American cyberpunk action media franchise featuring the futuristic adventures of Alex Murphy, a Detroit, Michigan police officer, who is fatally wounded in the line of duty and transformed into a powerful cyborg, brand-named RoboCop, at the behest of a powerful mega-corporation, Omni Consumer Products. Thus equipped, Murphy battles both violent crime in a severely decayed city and the blatantly corrupt machinations within OCP.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laurent Bouzereau</span> French director and filmmaker

Laurent Bouzereau is a French-American documentary filmmaker, producer, and author.

References

  1. ↑ "Allen, Nancy, 1950 June 24–". Library of Congress . Washington, D.C. Archived from the original on October 13, 2016.
  2. ↑ "A More Physical Cop". Los Angeles Times . June 2, 1990. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
  3. ↑ Abelson 2017, 30:44.
  4. ↑ Abelson 2017, 31:00.
  5. ↑ Abelson 2017, 29:15.
  6. ↑ Abelson 2017, 29:30.
  7. ↑ Kirshner 2012, p. 228.
  8. ↑ "At the Movies --- Nancy Allen, making good at being bad". The New York Times . September 5, 1980. p. C6.
  9. ↑ Abelson 2017, 55:01.
  10. ↑ Abelson 2017, 58:00–59:25.
  11. ↑ Jackson 2007, p. 29.
  12. ↑ Jackson 2007, p. 30.
  13. ↑ Bouzereau 1988, p. 83.
  14. ↑ Bouzereau 1988, p. 136.
  15. ↑ Bouzereau 1988, p. 149.
  16. ↑ "No Wonder Nancy Allen has Nightmares". L.A. Times-Washington Post News Service. July 16, 1981.
  17. ↑ Wolf, William (December 1, 1984). "Nancy Allen working on her own film project". The Salinas Californian . Salinas, California. p. 37 – via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  18. ↑ Young 2000, p. 529.
  19. ↑ Abelson 2017, 1:14:25.
  20. ↑ "NANCY ALLEN STARS IN LIFETIME FIRST". Orlando Sentinel. Orlando, Florida. July 31, 1990. Archived from the original on September 2, 2012. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
  21. ↑ "Nancy Allen shows her softer side in RoboCop 3". Lakeland Ledger. November 7, 1993.
  22. ↑ Quinlan 1997, p. 13.
  23. ↑ Quigley 2007, p. 45.
  24. ↑ Abelson 2017, 1:27:00.
  25. ↑ Abelson 2017, 1:27:00–1:30:00.
  26. ↑ Zavala, Val (April 10, 2013). "A Warm and Comfortable Place to Help Cope with Cancer". KCET . Archived from the original on July 8, 2019.
  27. ↑ Smith, Mike (February 9, 2011). "Interview with Nancy Allen". Media Mike's. Archived from the original on August 10, 2017.
  28. ↑ "Nancy Allen". Golden Globes . Archived from the original on July 8, 2019. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
  29. ↑ "'Robocop' Leads In Nominations For Saturn Awards". Associated Press News . April 7, 1988. Retrieved July 1, 2019.

Sources

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.