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IMDbPro

Steve Allen(1921-2000)

  • Writer
  • Actor
  • Producer
IMDbProStarmeter
See rank
Steve Allen, c. 1984.
Follow the life and legacy of the master and so-called founding father of jazz, America's first pop star, and cultural ambassador.
Play trailer2:06
Louis Armstrong's Black & Blues (2022)
12 Videos
99+ Photos
Although Allen was thought initially to have died of a heart attack, it was eventually determined by the coroner's office that the official cause of death was hemopericardium, a leaking of blood into the sac surrounding the heart, and that this was secondary to a minor automobile accident Allen was involved in earlier that day. He was driving to his son's Encino home about 7:45 p.m. on October 30, 2000, when his car was struck by a sport utility vehicle backing out of a driveway on the 16000 block of Valley Vista Blvd in Encino. The impact was enough to break four ribs and rupture a blood vessel in Allen's chest, which allowed blood to leak into the pericardium. Further investigation occurred after it was revealed that his attending physician had mentioned the accident on Allen's death certificate, the cause of which was primarily attributed to hemopericardium.

Allen's son, Bill (one of Allen's four sons) told the media his father said nothing about it upon arriving at his home shortly after the collision, but he did complain of not feeling well and decided to rest. Bill later found his father unconscious and had him taken to the Encino-Tarzana Regional Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 9 p.m. that evening. His father had been treated for occlusive coronary arteriosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) and had survived colon cancer in recent years.

Routine toxicology tests found no drugs or alcohol were involved. The coroner delayed releasing the final autopsy report to the public until relatives had first received copies. Allen's family settled with Mercury Insurance, the carrier for the other driver, whose identity remains unknown to the general public. To point out Allen's dry and witty sense of humor, his wife Jayne Meadows, referenced a comment made by the other driver involved in the accident. The driver said that, while he and Allen were exchanging information, the comedian wisecracked, "What some people will do to get my autograph!"
BornDecember 26, 1921
DiedOctober 30, 2000(78)
BornDecember 26, 1921
DiedOctober 30, 2000(78)
IMDbProStarmeter
See rank
  • Nominated for 6 Primetime Emmys

Photos109

Steve Allen and Frank Zappa in Eat That Question: Frank Zappa in His Own Words (2016)
Steve Allen, Lionel Hampton, Gene Krupa, and Teddy Wilson in The Benny Goodman Story (1956)
Donna Reed, Hy Averback, Steve Allen, and Herbert Anderson in The Benny Goodman Story (1956)
Donna Reed and Steve Allen in The Benny Goodman Story (1956)
Steve Allen in The Benny Goodman Story (1956)
Steve Allen and Sammy Davis Sr. in The Benny Goodman Story (1956)
Steve Allen, Gene Krupa, Teddy Wilson, and Dick Winslow in The Benny Goodman Story (1956)
Donna Reed and Steve Allen in The Benny Goodman Story (1956)
Steve Allen, Berta Gersten, and Shepard Menken in The Benny Goodman Story (1956)
Hy Averback and Steve Allen in The Benny Goodman Story (1956)
Donna Reed and Steve Allen in The Benny Goodman Story (1956)
Steve Allen and Ben Welden in The Benny Goodman Story (1956)

Known for

Robert De Niro, Sharon Stone, and Joe Pesci in Casino (1995)
Casino
8.2
  • Steve Allen
  • 1995
Tim Robbins in The Player (1992)
The Player
7.5
  • Steve Allen
  • 1992
Jayne Meadows, Steve Allen, Mamie Van Doren, and Walter Winchell in College Confidential (1960)
College Confidential
4.7
  • Steve 'Mac' Macinter
  • 1960
John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale in Serendipity (2001)
Serendipity
6.8
  • Soundtrack("Cool Yule")
  • 2001

Credits

Edit
IMDbPro

Writer

  • Jayne Meadows and Michael McGuire in Meeting of Minds (1977)
    Meeting of Minds
  • The Steve Allen Comedy Hour
  • The Steve Allen Show (1968)
    The Steve Allen Show
  • Steve Allen, 1968 - Copyright 1968, 2000 MPTV.NET - photo credit: Elmer Holloway
    The Steve Allen Comedy Hour
  • Steve Allen in The New Steve Allen Show (1961)
    The New Steve Allen Show
  • Steve Allen in The Steve Allen Playhouse (1962)
    The Steve Allen Playhouse
  • Steve Allen in The Tonight Show (1953)
    The Tonight Show
    • (creator)
  • "Steve Allen Show, The" Fred Astaire & Steve Allen c. 1960/NBC
    The Steve Allen Plymouth Show
  • Danger (1950)
    Danger
  • Down Memory Lane (1949)
    Down Memory Lane

Actor

  • Dick Van Dyke and Barry Van Dyke in Diagnosis Murder (1993)
    Diagnosis Murder
  • Maurice LaMarche and Rob Paulsen in Pinky and the Brain (1995)
    Pinky and the Brain
    • (voice)
  • Melissa Joan Hart in Sabrina the Teenage Witch (1996)
    Sabrina the Teenage Witch
  • Homicide: Life on the Street (1993)
    Homicide: Life on the Street
  • Don't Quit Your Day Job (1996)
    Don't Quit Your Day Job
    • (as Steven Allen)
  • Robert De Niro, Sharon Stone, and Joe Pesci in Casino (1995)
    Casino
  • Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Dan Castellaneta, and Yeardley Smith in The Simpsons (1989)
    The Simpsons
    • (voice)
  • The St. Tammany Miracle (1994)
    The St. Tammany Miracle
  • The Critic (1994)
    The Critic
    • (voice)
  • For Goodness Sake
  • Heather Tom, Thorsten Kaye, and Katherine Kelly Lang in The Bold and the Beautiful (1987)
    The Bold and the Beautiful
  • Tim Robbins in The Player (1992)
    The Player
  • Sherman Hemsley in Amen (1986)
    Amen
  • Milton Berle in Milton Berle, the Second Time Around: Carnival of Comedy (1989)
    Milton Berle, the Second Time Around: Carnival of Comedy
  • Jeffrey Jones, Jaclyn Bernstein, Mary Gross, Leslie Jordan, Christina Pickles, and Chance Quinn in The People Next Door (1989)
    The People Next Door

Producer

  • Steve Allen's Music Room
  • ABC Late Night (1973)
    ABC Late Night
  • The Steve Allen Show (1968)
    The Steve Allen Show
  • Steve Allen, 1968 - Copyright 1968, 2000 MPTV.NET - photo credit: Elmer Holloway
    The Steve Allen Comedy Hour
  • Jazz Scene USA (1962)
    Jazz Scene USA
  • Steve Allen in The Steve Allen Playhouse (1962)
    The Steve Allen Playhouse

Videos12

Eat That Question: Frank Zappa in His Own Words
Clip 2:35
Eat That Question: Frank Zappa in His Own Words
Eat That Question: Frank Zappa in His Own Words
Clip 1:00
Eat That Question: Frank Zappa in His Own Words
Eat That Question: Frank Zappa in His Own Words
Clip 1:35
Eat That Question: Frank Zappa in His Own Words
Eat That Question: Frank Zappa in His Own Words
Clip 2:35
Eat That Question: Frank Zappa in His Own Words
Official Trailer
Trailer 2:06
Official Trailer
Trailer
Trailer 2:33
Trailer
Official Trailer
Trailer 2:51
Official Trailer
Eat That Question: Frank Zappa in His Own Words
Trailer 2:07
Eat That Question: Frank Zappa in His Own Words
Erroll Garner: No One Can Hear You Read
Trailer 1:59
Erroll Garner: No One Can Hear You Read
Rich Man, Poor Man: Chapter 2
Trailer 1:04
Rich Man, Poor Man: Chapter 2
A Mime's Life with Richmond Shepard (Trailer)
Trailer 1:37
A Mime's Life with Richmond Shepard (Trailer)
Jay Sebring....Cutting to the Truth official trailer
Trailer 2:30
Jay Sebring....Cutting to the Truth official trailer

Personal details

Edit
    • Official Site
    • December 26, 1921
    • New York City, New York, USA
    • October 30, 2000
    • Encino, Los Angeles, California, USA(hemopericardium secondary to automobile accident)
    • Jayne MeadowsJuly 31, 1954 - October 30, 2000 (his death, 1 child)
  • Other works
    Book: "More Funny People"
  • Publicity listings
    • 5 Print Biographies
    • 3 Interviews
    • 3 Articles

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    First coined the question "Is it bigger than a breadbox?" when making an appearance as a panelist on What's My Line? (1950), 18 January 1953.
  • Quotes
    Hosting a talk show is the easiest job anybody ever had.
    • Distinctive voice

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