Nancy Allen (actress) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Nancy Allen
Allen in 1981
Born	(1950-06-24) June 24, 1950 (age 74) The Bronx, New York, U.S.
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1962–2008 2012–present
Works	Filmography
Spouse(s)	Brian De Palma ​ ​ (m. 1979; div. 1984)​ Craig Shoemaker ​ ​ (m. 1992; div. 1993)​ Randy Bailey ​ ​ (m. 1998; div. 2007)​
Partner(s)	Michael Paré (1984–1985)

Nancy Allen (born June 24, 1950) is an American actress. She became well-known for her roles in movies directed by Brian De Palma in the 1970s and early 1980s. She was nominated for a Golden Globe Award and three Saturn Awards for her acting.

Nancy Allen's first big role was as Chris Hargensen in Brian De Palma's horror film Carrie (1976). She also starred in the comedy I Wanna Hold Your Hand (1978) and had a supporting part in Steven Spielberg's 1941 (1979). Later, she appeared in De Palma's movie Blow Out (1981).

She also acted in science fiction films like Strange Invaders (1983) and The Philadelphia Experiment (1984). Nancy Allen gained a lot of fame playing Officer Anne Lewis in Paul Verhoeven's action movie RoboCop (1987). She played this role again in the two sequels. Her other movies include Poltergeist III (1988) and Out of Sight (1998).

After 2008, Nancy Allen stepped back from acting to help people with cancer. In 2010, she became the executive director of the weSPARK Cancer Support Center in Los Angeles.

Nancy Allen's Life and Career

Early Life and Training

Nancy Allen was born on June 24, 1950, in the Bronx, New York City. She was the youngest of three children. Her father was a police lieutenant. Nancy grew up in the Pelham Bay area of the Bronx.

As a child, Nancy was very shy. Her mother enrolled her in dance classes when she was four years old to help her open up. She went to the Academy of Mount St. Ursula in the Bronx. Later, her family moved to Yonkers.

Nancy was interested in modern dance. She attended the High School of Performing Arts for one year to train as a dancer. However, she found that studying dance for grades "ruined it" for her. She realized that while she loved to dance, it wasn't what she wanted to do with her life. After that, she enrolled at Jose Quintano's School for Young Professionals.

Becoming an Actress

Nancy Allen promoting Strange Invaders in 1983

Nancy Allen's first important film role was in The Last Detail (1973). She played Nancy, who was Jack Nicholson's nervous date in the movie. This role inspired her to move to Los Angeles to continue her acting career.

At first, it was hard for Nancy to find acting jobs. An agent even told her that at 25, her career was "over." But in November 1975, she auditioned for the role of Christine Hargensen in director Brian De Palma's horror film Carrie (1976). Christine was the main mean girl who was against Sissy Spacek's character, Carrie White. Nancy got the role after a long casting process.

After Carrie, Nancy Allen appeared as Pam Mitchell in Steven Spielberg's production of I Wanna Hold Your Hand (1978). This was director Robert Zemeckis's first movie. She then played Donna Stratton in the Spielberg-directed comedy 1941 (1979).

Nancy Allen starred in another Brian De Palma film, Dressed to Kill (1980). For her performance, she was nominated for a Golden Globe for New Star of the Year. Her next movie with De Palma was Blow Out (1981). In this film, she played a woman involved in a crime that a sound engineer accidentally records. During filming, she had to overcome her fear of being trapped in a car underwater.

In 1983, Allen starred as Betty Walker, a reporter, in Strange Invaders. She also appeared in The Buddy System (1984) and The Philadelphia Experiment (1984). For her role in The Philadelphia Experiment, she was nominated for a Saturn Award for Best Actress. She also hosted the documentary Terror in the Aisles (1984), which showed clips from horror movies.

Starring in RoboCop

Nancy Allen played police officer Anne Lewis in the science fiction action movie RoboCop (1987). She starred alongside Peter Weller, who played RoboCop. This film was the first Hollywood movie for Dutch director Paul Verhoeven. RoboCop was very successful at the box office. Nancy Allen was nominated for another Saturn Award for Best Actress for her role.

After RoboCop became popular, Allen starred in The Gladiator (1987). She also played Patricia Wilson-Gardner in Poltergeist III (1988).

Nancy Allen played Officer Lewis again in RoboCop 2 (1990). To make her character tougher, she studied martial arts and trained with police officers. In the same year, Allen starred in Limit Up, where she showed her comedic skills as a commodities trader. In 1990, she also starred in Memories of Murder, which was the first original movie made for the Lifetime television network.

She played Officer Lewis for a third time in RoboCop 3 (1993). For this role, she was nominated for a Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress. Nancy wanted to make her character softer and show that being a woman was an asset, not something to hide. In the same year, Allen also appeared in Acting on Impulse.

Later Roles and Helping Others

Nancy Allen has appeared in many documentaries about her famous films. These include Dressed to Kill, Carrie, Blow Out, the RoboCop movies, and Poltergeist III.

In 1994, she worked again with Bill Condon, who wrote Strange Invaders. She starred as a psychic named Jessie Gallardo in the TV movie The Man Who Wouldn't Die. She also had a supporting role in the French movie Les patriotes (1994).

In 1995, she performed in a Broadway play called Dial M For Murder. She played Margot in the play, which was based on Alfred Hitchcock's famous film. The play ran from September 1995 to March 1996.

Nancy Allen had a small but memorable role as Midge in the crime thriller Out of Sight (1998). This movie starred George Clooney and Jennifer Lopez. She also played Rachel Colby in the horror film Children of the Corn 666: Isaac's Return (1999).

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

In 2008, Nancy Allen decided to focus on helping people with cancer and their families. She was inspired to do this after her friend and former co-star, Wendie Jo Sperber, passed away from breast cancer in 2005. In December 2010, Allen became the executive director of the weSPARK Cancer Support Center. This center was founded by Sperber. Nancy has said that running weSPARK is her life's work. She helps create programs and raises money for the center.

Filmography

Accolades

See also

In Spanish: Nancy Allen para niños