Joan Allen

Infobox actor


caption = Allen (left) at the Senet Entertainment display at the Gibson Gift Lounge during the Sundance Film Festival, January 23, 2005
birthdate = birth date and age|1956|8|20
birthplace = Rochelle, Illinois
yearsactive = 1985—present
occupation = actress
spouse = Peter Friedman (1990-2002)
tonyawards = Best Leading Actress in a Play
1988 "Burn This"
awards = Alan J. Pakula Award
2000 "The Contender"
BSFC Award for Best Supporting Actress
1995 "Nixon"
1998 "Pleasantville"
CFCA Award for Best Supporting Actress
1995 "Nixon"
CFCA Award for Best Actress
2005 "The Upside of Anger"
Critics Choice Award for Best Supporting Actress
1996 "The Crucible"
1998 "Pleasantville"
Empire Award for Best Actress
1997 "The Crucible"
KCFCC Award for Best Supporting Actress
1995 "Nixon"
LAFCA Award for Best Supporting Actress
1995 "Nixon"
1998 "Pleasantville"
NSFC Award for Best Supporting Actress
1995 "Nixon"
OFCS Award for Best Supporting Actress
1998 "Pleasantville"
Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress
1998 "Pleasantville" '
SDFCS Award for Best Actress
2005 "The Upside of Anger"
Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress - Motion Picture
1998 "Pleasantville"
SEFCA Award for Best Supporting Actress
1996 "The Crucible"
1998 "Pleasantville"

Joan Allen (born August 20, 1956) is an American multiple Academy Award-nominated and Tony Award-winning 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, the daughter of Dorothea Marie (née Wirth), a homemaker, and James Jefferson Allen, a gas station owner.cite news | last=Kolson |first=Ann | title=Two Bright Lights On Broadway Pauline Collins And Joan Allen Took Roundabout Routes To The N.Y. Stage. Their Reviews Have Made The Journeys Worthwhile | work=The Philadelphia Inquirer | date=1989-03-19 | url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=PI&s_site=philly&p_multi=PI&p_theme=realcities&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB95F1C7612BC46&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM|accessdate=2007-12-10] cite news | last=Weinraub | first=Bernard | title=Finding Warmth In a Shy First Lady | work=The New York Times | date=1995-12-27 | url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E05E7DF1239F934A15751C1A963958260|accessdate=2007-12-10] She has an older brother, David, and two older sisters, Mary and Lynn.cite news | title=Joan Allen | work=Yahoo! Movies | date=2007 | url=http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/contributor/1800015438/bio | accessdate=2007-08-10] 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 for 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 Elizabeth Proctor, a woman 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 Douglas Urbanski), in which she played a politician who becomes the object of scandal.

Allen is respected by peers for her professionalism and the intense preparation she brings to each role. For example, to play a blind woman in the Michael Mann film "Manhunter" (1986), she went to a school for the blind and wore a blindfold for several days. Brian Cox, her co-star in "Manhunter" (as Dr. Hannibal Lecter) and later in "The Bourne Supremacy", called Allen the finest actress he had ever worked with and one of the best in the business.

She had starring roles in the drama "The Ice Storm" directed by Ang Lee and the action thriller "Face/Off" directed by John Woo, both released in 1997, as well as in the comedy "Pleasantville" (1998).

In 2001, Allen starred in the mini-series "The Mists of Avalon" on TNT. In 2005, she received many positive notices for her leading role in the comedy/drama "The Upside of Anger", in which she played an alcoholic housewife.

Allen appeared in a remake of the film "Death Race", playing a prison warden; filming began in 2007 for an August 2008 release date.cite news | last=Rickey | first=Joe | title=Joan Allen in 'Death Race' | work=World of KJ | date=2007-08-10 | url=http://worldofkj.com/news/news.php?tid=30674 | accessdate=2007-08-10]

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.cite news|last=Hegberg|first=Carol|coauthors=|title=With three new movies Rochelle native Joan Allen is making her mark | work=The Daily Chronicle | date=2005-04-11 | url=http://www.daily-chronicle.com/articles/2005/04/13/neighbors/lifestyles/lifestyles01.txt | accessdate=2007-08-10] She has a Boston Terrier named Pippie.

Filmography

* "Compromising Positions" (1985)
* "Manhunter" (1986)
* "Zeisters" (1986)
* "Peggy Sue Got Married" (1986)
* "All My Sons" (1986)
* "" (1988)
* "In Country" (1989)
* "Ethan Frome" (1993)
* "Searching for Bobby Fischer" (1993)
* "Josh and S.A.M." (1993)
* "Mad Love" (1995)
* "Nixon" (1995)
* "The Crucible" (1996)
* "The Ice Storm" (1997)
* "Face/Off" (1997)
* "Pleasantville" (1998)
* "It's the Rage" (1999)
* "When the Sky Falls" (2000)
* "The Contender" (2000)
* "The Mists of Avalon (2001)
* "Off the Map" (2003)
* "The Notebook" (2004)
* "The Bourne Supremacy" (2004)
* "Yes" (2004)
* "The Upside of Anger" (2005)
* "Bonneville" (2006)
* "The Bourne Ultimatum" (2007)
* "Death Race" (2008)
* "Good Sharma" (2008)
* "" (2008)

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")

References

External links

*imdb|0000260
*ibdb|29666
*amg name|2:1026