Joan Allen Biography
Summary
"Joan Allen" (born August 20, 1956) is an Academy Award-nominated American actress, perhaps best known for her roles in the films "Nixon", "The Contender", "The Bourne Supremacy"/"Ultimatum" and "The Upside of Anger".
Biography
Early life
Allen, the youngest of four children, was born in Rochelle, Illinois to James Jefferson Allen, a gas-station owner, and Dorothea Marie (née Wirth), a homemaker. She has an older brother, David, and two older sisters, Mary and Lynn. Allen attended Rochelle Township High School, and was voted most likely to succeed. She transferred to Northern Illinois University in 1976, where she graduated. Allen began her performing career as a stage actress and on television before making her film debut in the movie, "Compromising Positions" (1985).
Career
In 1989, Allen returned to the stage and won a Tony Award in her Broadway debut performance in "Burn This". She also starred in the Pulitzer Prize-winning play "The Heidi Chronicles". She received Academy Award nominations for Best Supporting Actress for her roles as Pat Nixon in "Nixon" (1995) and as a woman whose husband is accused of witchcraft in "The Crucible" (1996). She was also nominated for Best Actress for her role in "The Contender" (a film produced by co-star Gary Oldman and producer Douglas Urbanski), in which she played a politician who becomes the object of scandal. Allen is respected by her peers both for her professionalism and the intense preparation she brings to each of her roles. For example, to play a blind woman in the cult classic "Manhunter" (1986), she went to a school for the blind and wore a blindfold for several days. Brian Cox, her co-star in "Manhunter" and "The Bourne Supremacy", called Allen the finest actress he had ever worked with and one of the best in the business.
In 2001, Allen starred in the miniseries "The Mists of Avalon", which aired on TNT. In 2005, she received many positive notices for her lead role in the comedy/drama "The Upside of Anger", in which she played an alcoholic housewife.
Allen has signed on to appear in a remake of the film "Death Race", playing a prison warden; filming is scheduled to begin in 2007 for a fall 2008 release date.
Personal life
In 1990, Allen married actor Peter Friedman. The couple separated in 2002, but live close to each other to share time with their daughter, Sadie, born in 1994. She has a Boston Terrier named Pippy.
Awards and nominations
;Academy awards
2001: Best Actress in a Leading Role for "The Contender" ("nominated")
1997: Best Actress in a Supporting Role for "The Crucible" ("nominated")
1996: Best Actress in a Supporting Role for "Nixon" ("nominated")
Credit
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article about Joan Allen.
