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IMDbPro

Nancy Allen(I)

  • Actress
IMDbProStarmeterTop 5,000228
Nancy Allen
Watch OFFICIAL TRAILER
Play trailer1:54
Close Encounters with Vilmos Zsigmond (2016)
16 Videos
81 Photos
Nancy Anne Allen was born and raised in the Bronx borough of New York City, the youngest of three children. Her father, Eugene Allen, was a New York police lieutenant. At a young age, she trained for a dancing career at the High School of Performing Arts, and then attended Jose Quintano's School for Young Professionals. In dozens of television commercials from the age of 15, Nancy made her first film appearance in The Last Detail (1973) with Jack Nicholson. Three years later, she furnished the standard for all future bitch-goddess teenagers as Chris Hargensen in Stephen King's Carrie (1976), taken to the big screen by director Brian De Palma. Nancy then married De Palma in 1979. She next appeared in Steven Spielberg's I Wanna Hold Your Hand (1978); for the next few years, she appeared only in De Palma's films: Home Movies (1979), Dressed to Kill (1980), and she starred with John Travolta in Blow Out (1981).

After her divorce from De Palma in 1984, Nancy's film opportunities were supposedly narrowed, but then she surprised the whole world when she performed as Officer Anne Lewis in the sci-fi cult film RoboCop (1987), along with Peter Weller. Here, she furnished another standard as a tough but at the same time feminine policewoman, whose sex would not interfere with her actions. After the success of Robocop (1987), she performed as Patricia Gardner in the second sequel Poltergeist III (1988). She came back in RoboCop 2 (1990) and in order to get more involved with her character, Nancy learned martial arts and police training for real. She returned again in RoboCop 3 (1993), though her co-star Peter Weller did not this time. In 1993, Nancy joined several other veteran stars in Acting on Impulse (1993), and married co-star Craig Shoemaker, in the same year. A few years later, she divorced Craig and some time after she married again.

She later appeared in some diverse films: Dusting Cliff 7 (1997), Secret of the Andes (1998), Circuit (2001), and she had a guest appearance in Steven Soderbergh's Out of Sight (1998). Her last performance was for the television series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999), in the episode "Escape" aired on December 2, 2003. Allen has appeared in a number of documentaries about her most famous films, including Dressed to Kill (1980), Carrie (1976), Blow Out (1981), Poltergeist III (1988), and the RoboCop trilogy. She also hosted Andrew J. Kuehn's horror film documentary Terror in the Aisles (1984), along with Donald Pleasence.

Interested in projecting the image of a strong but at the same time feminine woman, she managed to get away from the victim roles she was always offered, she also was able to get away from the stereotype of the beautiful but dumb woman in most action films. She is an environmentalist that traded her Volvo car for an Hybrid car in order to furnish the example. She is also an activist against breast cancer along with her friend actress Wendie Jo Sperber, who created the foundation WeSpark. Her last appearance on television was on the Inside E! story of her co-star John Travolta and the A&E Biography of Travolta - both appearances in 2004. Nowadays, Allen lives a quiet life along with her family and friends somewhere in the United States.
BornJune 24, 1950
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BornJune 24, 1950
IMDbProStarmeterTop 5,000228
  • Unlock contact info on IMDbPro
  • Awards
    • 6 nominations

Before They Were Famous: Actors' Early Roles

Before They Were Famous: Actors' Early Roles

See photos of celebrities like Michelle Williams and Jenna Ortega before they hit the big-time, and revisit some of their earliest onscreen roles.
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Photos

Photos81

Jack Nicholson and Nancy Allen in The Last Detail (1973)
John Travolta and Nancy Allen in Blow Out (1981)
John Travolta and Nancy Allen in Blow Out (1981)
Nancy Allen in Dressed to Kill (1980)
Nancy Allen and Gerrit Graham in Home Movies (1979)
Nancy Allen and Keith Loneker in Out of Sight (1998)
Nancy Allen
Nancy Allen and John Lithgow in Blow Out (1981)
Nancy Allen in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999)
John Travolta and Nancy Allen in Carrie (1976)
Nancy Allen in Dressed to Kill (1980)
Nancy Allen and Peter Weller in RoboCop (1987)

Known for

Nancy Allen, Peter Weller, Miguel Ferrer, and Kurtwood Smith in RoboCop (1987)
RoboCop
7.6
  • Anne Lewis
  • 1987
Nancy Allen, Michael Caine, and Angie Dickinson in Dressed to Kill (1980)
Dressed to Kill
7.1
  • Liz Blake
  • 1980
RoboCop 3 (1993)
RoboCop 3
4.1
  • Officer Anne Lewis
  • 1993
RoboCop 2 (1990)
RoboCop 2
5.8
  • Anne Lewis
  • 1990

Credits

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IMDbPro

Actress

  • Nancy Allen, Meredith Salenger, Corin Nemec, John de Lancie, and Bruce Weitz in My Apocalypse (2008)
    My Apocalypse
    • Linda Savage
    • 2008
  • Mariska Hargitay in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999)
    Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
    • Carin Healy
    • TV Series
    • 2003
  • The Division (2001)
    The Division
    • Christine Ogden
    • TV Series
    • 2002
  • Circuit (2001)
    Circuit
    • Louise
    • 2001
  • Nancy Allen, Christopher Walken, Robert Forster, Michael Rapaport, Paul Schulze, and Christine Taylor in Kiss Toledo Goodbye (1999)
    Kiss Toledo Goodbye
    • Madge
    • 1999
  • Children of the Corn 666: Isaac's Return (1999)
    Children of the Corn 666: Isaac's Return
    • Rachel
    • Video
    • 1999
  • Nancy Allen, David Keith, Jerry Stiller, and John Rhys-Davies in Secret of the Andes (1998)
    Secret of the Andes
    • Brenda Willings
    • 1998
  • George Clooney and Jennifer Lopez in Out of Sight (1998)
    Out of Sight
    • Midge
    • 1998
  • William Forsythe, James Le Gros, and Elizabeth Peña in The Pass (1998)
    The Pass
    • Shirley Duprey
    • 1998
  • Nancy Allen, Richard Grieco, Jaime Pressly, and Nick Mancuso in Against the Law (1997)
    Against the Law
    • Maggie Hewitt
    • 1997
  • Nancy Allen and Lance Henriksen in Dusting Cliff 7 (1997)
    Dusting Cliff 7
    • Anna Bishop
    • 1997
  • Michael Chiklis in The Commish (1991)
    The Commish
    • Gina Raposo
    • TV Series
    • 1995
  • The Outer Limits (1995)
    The Outer Limits
    • Rachel Rose
    • TV Series
    • 1995
  • Valerie Bertinelli, Roma Downey, John Dye, and Della Reese in Touched by an Angel (1994)
    Touched by an Angel
    • Megan
    • TV Series
    • 1994
  • The Patriots (1994)
    The Patriots
    • Catherine Pelman
    • 1994

Videos16

Official Trailer
Trailer 1:00
Official Trailer
Trailer
Trailer 1:22
Trailer
Trailer
Trailer 1:28
Trailer
Trailer
Trailer 1:15
Trailer
Official Trailer
Trailer 2:06
Official Trailer
RoboCop 3
Trailer 2:05
RoboCop 3
RoboCop 2
Trailer 1:57
RoboCop 2
Poltergeist III
Trailer 1:06
Poltergeist III
Blow Out: The Criterion Collection
Trailer 1:17
Blow Out: The Criterion Collection
Children of the Corn 666: Isaac's Return
Trailer 0:50
Children of the Corn 666: Isaac's Return
Blow Out
Trailer 2:06
Blow Out
Robocop (1987)
Trailer 0:31
Robocop (1987)

Personal details

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  • Official sites
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
  • Height
    • 5′ 6″ (1.68 m)
  • Born
    • June 24, 1950
    • New York City, New York, USA
  • Spouses
      Randy BaileyJune 1998 - May 17, 2007 (divorced)
  • Parents
      Eugene Allen
  • Other works
    TV Commercial: Dr. Pepper
  • Publicity listings
    • 7 Interviews
    • 2 Articles
    • 5 Pictorials
    • 4 Magazine Cover Photos

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    Began dance lessons at age 5 and commercials at age 15 doing over 100 of them.
  • Quotes
    [on her co-star John Travolta's performance in Blow Out (1981)] He brought heart and soul to it and a warmth that didn't exist on page.
  • Trademark
      Often cast by her ex-husband Brian De Palma
  • Nickname
    • The Scream Queen
  • Salary
    • Carrie
      (1976)
      $600 a week

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