Biography for
Gracie Allen More at IMDbPro »

Date of Birth

26 July 1895, San Francisco, California, USA

Date of Death

27 August 1964, Hollywood, California, USA (heart attack)

Birth Name

Grace Ethel Cecile Rosalie Allen

Nickname

Googie

Height

5' (1.52 m)

Mini Biography

She and her husband-to-be became the comedy team of Burns & Allen in 1922 (she was the daft one). They remained spouses and performing partners until her passing.

IMDb Mini Biography By: Bill Takacs

Spouse

George Burns

(7 January 1926 - 27 August 1964) (her death)

Trade Mark

Her scatter-brained antics to George Burns' straight man and her high pitched voice.

Innocent, high-pitched voice.

Trivia

Attending secretarial school, Gracie was invited by her roommate to Union Hill, NJ, to see if she was interested in working with either member of an act that was splitting up. The act was George Burns and Billy Lorraine, and she chose George.

In 1922 she and George Burns made their first performance at the Hill Street Theatre in Newark, NJ, where they were paid $5 per day. George saw that the audience not only found Gracie's character funny but they fell in love with her, and he did, too. He immediately changed the act to give her all the funny lines and played her straight man. They became a hit.

George Burns called Gracie "Googie", while she called him "Natty".

Interred along with husband George Burns at Forest Lawn (Glendale), Glendale, CA, in the Freedom Mausoleum, Sanctuary of Heritage.

Had one blue eye and one green.

The 1939 film The Gracie Allen Murder Case (1939) was especially written for her by the creator of Philo Vance, writer S.S. Van Dine. It was one of the few times she worked without her husband, George Burns.

Most people did not know when she was born, as her birth certificate was lost during the California earthquake in 1906, and she was usually evasive about her age. Her family was even forced to guess her birth date for her death certificate, settling on 1902. Her true age would not be revealed until 1972, when the 1900 Census became public, and gave her actual birth year as 1895.

Began having mild heart attacks in the late '50s, which continued until her death in 1964.

Has a type of flower named after her.

During her run on "The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show" (1950), she stood only 5 feet tall and weighed a dainty, petite 100 pounds.

The words "Together Again" are engraved on her and George Burns' crypt at the Freedom Mausoleum at Forest Lawn cemetery in Glendale, CA. This inscription replaced the previous one, "Good Night, Gracie,which appeared on the crypt prior to Geoge's death. She is interred to the left of him as you view the crypt, not above him as has been previously reported, along with the explanation that George "wanted her to have top billing".

She and George Burns have two adopted children, Sandra Jean and Ronald John (Ronnie Burns).

Started out in an Irish dancing group called "The Allen Sisters" with her three older sisters, Bessie, Hazel and Pearl.

Her father left the family - her, her mother, her three sisters and one brother when she was 5 years old, and she never spoke of him again.

When she went to work with George Burns, she was engaged to another man. It took four years for George to change her mind, but they went on to become one of the best remembered couples in Hollywood history.

"The Burns & Allen Show" (on CBS and NBC from 1934 to 1950) was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 1994.

Declined only one photo session request in her career, when she was asked to pose outside a mental hospital; husband George Burns compared this to having Mae West pose outside a brothel.

Had a fear of water and drowning; took swimming lessons secretly to be able to teach her children.

Staged a mock Presidential campaign in 1940; the theme of her campaign speech appeared to be "My girdle is killing me."

Suffered occasional migraines, which sometimes lasted for days; the only thing that seemed to help was a tight bandana, and bed rest in absolute quiet.

Accidentally spilled a pot of boiling water on her arm as a child, which left a bad scar she kept concealed for the rest of her life (her one big wish was to wear a strapless evening gown and no gloves, just once).

Their running gags: Gracie's endless relatives, the elaborate search for Gracie's "missing brother" (who actually left town in the wake of the publicity), Gracie's infatuation with matinée idol Charles Boyer, Gracie's enthusiasm for George's singing.

The annual Gracie Allen Awards are presented by American Women in Radio and Television, Inc., to programs by, for and about women.

Graduated from Star of the Sea School for Girls [now co-ed] in San Francisco; graduation ceremony was held in the Columbia Theatre [now American Conservatory Theatre] on 19 June 1914.

In 1949 she missed a radio show when she had a migraine so bad she couldn't get out of bed. She was replaced by Jane Wyman, who had won the Best Actress Oscar earlier that year. It turned out to be the only performance she missed in over 35 years of performing with George Burns.

Her idol and first childhood crush was Charles Chaplin.

In the early 1940s, during the height of their popularity, George Burns had a brief extramarital affair. He apologized to Gracie by giving her a silver candlestick for the dining room table, and nothing more was said about it. However, years later Gracie was shopping with a friend one day and said, "You know, I wish George would cheat again. I need a new silver candlestick".

Had a driver's license, issued under her married name, Grace Burns. Was once pulled over by a policeman, who thought the license was fake because it didn't give her last name as Allen.

Although she was in love with another man when they first met, George Burns carried a ring in his pocket until she finally agreed to marry him.

Pictured with husband George Burns on a 44¢ USA commemorative postage stamp, issued 11 August 2009, in the Early TV Memories issue honoring "The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show" (1950).

Personal Quotes

[explaining her "Gracie Allen" character] Gracie isn't really crazy. She makes sense in an illogical sort of way. She's off-center. Not quite right really, but nearly right.

[explaining her "Gracie Allen" character] Gracie thought she was terribly smart. Gracie's character was different. Gracie thought everybody was out of step but her. She was always helping people. She was always sorry for you. Like if she would say, "My sister got up in the middle of the night, she screamed, she looked down at her feet and they turned black". You would say to her, "What did she do?" She was sorry for you for asking that question. She thought you were pretty dumb not to know what to do if your feet turned black. "She took off her stocking and went to sleep again."

[explaining her "Gracie Allen" character] Gracie's the kind of girl who shortens the cord on the electric iron to save electricity.

[on George Burns] My husband will never chase another woman. He's too fine, too decent, too old.

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