Nancy Allen (actress) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Nancy Allen
Allen in 1981
Born	(1950-06-24) June 24, 1950 (age 75) 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 several movies directed by Brian De Palma in the 1970s and early 1980s. She has received many honors, including a nomination for a Golden Globe Award. She also earned three nominations for the Saturn Award.

Her first big role was as Chris Hargensen in Brian De Palma's movie Carrie (1976). Allen later married De Palma in 1979. She then starred in the comedy I Wanna Hold Your Hand (1978). This was followed by a role in Steven Spielberg's 1941 (1979).

Her role in De Palma's movie Dressed to Kill (1980) earned her a Golden Globe nomination. She then appeared in De Palma's film Blow Out (1981). Allen and De Palma later divorced in 1984.

She also appeared in the science fiction movies Strange Invaders (1983) and The Philadelphia Experiment (1984). Allen became very famous for playing Anne Lewis in Paul Verhoeven's RoboCop (1987). She played this role again in the two sequels. Other movies she was in include Poltergeist III (1988) and Out of Sight (1998).

Allen took a break from acting in 2008. She started helping people with cancer. In 2010, she became the executive director of the weSPARK Cancer Support Center in Los Angeles.

Nancy Allen's Early Life and Career

Growing Up in New York City

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.

Nancy was a very quiet child. Her mother enrolled her in dance classes when she was four years old. She went to the Academy of Mount St. Ursula in the Bronx. Later, her family moved to Yonkers. She was interested in modern dance. She attended the High School of Performing Arts for one year to train as a dancer. She later realized that while she loved to dance, it wasn't her main passion. She then went to Jose Quintano's School for Young Professionals.

Starting Her Acting Journey

Nancy Allen promoting Strange Invaders in 1983

Nancy Allen's first notable movie role was in The Last Detail (1973). This experience encouraged her to move to Los Angeles to continue acting. At first, it was hard for her to find acting jobs. However, in November 1975, she tried out for the role of Christine Hargensen in the horror movie Carrie (1976). Christine was the main rival of the title character. After a long casting process, Nancy was officially given the role.

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

She married Carrie director Brian De Palma on January 12, 1979. Over the next few years, she appeared in three more of his movies. These included Home Movies (1980) and the thriller Dressed to Kill (1980). For her performance in Dressed to Kill, she was nominated for a Golden Globe for New Star of the Year. Her next film with De Palma was Blow Out (1981). In this movie, she played a woman involved in an assassination. During filming, she had to overcome her fear of being trapped in a car filling with water.

In 1983, Allen starred as Betty Walker, a reporter, in Strange Invaders. This movie also featured Paul LeMat and Louise Fletcher.

She and De Palma divorced in 1984. That same year, two of Allen's movies were released: The Buddy System with Richard Dreyfuss and Susan Sarandon, and The Philadelphia Experiment with Michael Paré. For her role in The Philadelphia Experiment, Allen was nominated for a Saturn Award for Best Actress. She also hosted the documentary Terror in the Aisles (1984), which showed clips from various horror movies. Other films from this period included Not for Publication and Sweet Revenge.

Becoming a Sci-Fi Star in RoboCop

Allen played police officer Anne Lewis in the science fiction action movie RoboCop (1987). This film was directed by Paul Verhoeven from the Netherlands and was very successful. Allen was nominated for another Saturn Award for Best Actress for this role.

After RoboCop became popular, Allen starred in The Gladiator (1987) and Poltergeist III (1988). Allen played Officer Lewis again in RoboCop 2 (1990). To make her character stronger, she studied martial arts and trained with police. That same year, Allen starred in Limit Up, where she showed her comedic skills. In 1990, Allen also starred in Memories of Murder, which was the first original movie made for the Lifetime television network.

She married comedian Craig Shoemaker on September 6, 1992. Allen played Officer Lewis a third time in RoboCop 3 (1993). She was nominated for a Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress for this role. For her third time playing the tough cop, she worked to make the character a bit softer. She wanted to show that being a woman is an advantage. In the same year, Allen also appeared in Acting on Impulse. She and Shoemaker divorced in 1994.

Later Career and Helping Others

Nancy Allen has appeared in many documentaries about her famous movies. 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 Jessie Gallardo, a psychic, alongside Roger Moore 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 play called Dial M For Murder on Broadway. She married builder Randy Bailey in June 1998.

Allen had a small but memorable role 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 and Madge in Kiss Toledo Goodbye (both released in 1999). Secret of the Andes, an adventure film, was released in 2000.

She also made guest appearances on TV shows like Touched by an Angel, The Outer Limits, and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.

Allen and Bailey separated in 2005 and divorced in 2007. In 2008, she 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, Nancy 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.

Filmography

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Nancy Allen para niños