Alfred Allen (April 8, 1866 – June 18, 1947) was an American

silent film A silent film is a film without synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, w ...

actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

and

author In legal discourse, an author is the creator of an original work that has been published, whether that work exists in written, graphic, visual, or recorded form. The act of creating such a work is referred to as authorship. Therefore, a sculpt ...

Early life

Allen was born in

Alfred, New York Alfred is a Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town in Allegany County, New York, Allegany County, New York (state), New York, United States. The population was 4,896 at the 2020 census. The Town of Alfred has a Administrative divisions ...

. His parents were Jonathan Macomber Allen (1823-1892), president of Alfred University, and Abigail Ann (Maxson) Allen (1824-1894). Alfred's siblings were William (b. 1853), Eva (b. 1856), and May (b. 1860). He attended

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

Johns Hopkins University The Johns Hopkins University (often abbreviated as Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1876 based on the European research institution model, J ...

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

, the

American Academy of Dramatic Arts The American Academy of Dramatic Arts (AADA) is a Private college, private drama school with two locations, one in New York City and one in Los Angeles. The academy offers an associate degree in occupational studies and teaches drama and related ...

and the

New England Conservatory of Music The New England Conservatory of Music (NEC) is a Private college, private music school in Boston, Massachusetts. The conservatory is located on Huntington Avenue along Avenue of the Arts (Boston), the Avenue of the Arts near Boston Symphony Ha ...

and earned his bachelor's and master's degrees at Alfred University.

Film

Allen was signed in 1915 and starred in 106 films before his retirement in 1935. (The reference book ''A Biographical Dictionary of Silent Film Western Actors and Actresses'' says, "He entered pictures at Universal City in 1913" and adds that he "appeared in 69 features from 1916 through 1929.")

Other professional activities

After his retirement from film, Allen became a writer and published several books.

Partial filmography

* '' Heartaches'' (1916) * ''

A Yoke of Gold ''A Yoke of Gold'' is a 1916 American silent film, silent black and white melodrama directed by Lloyd B. Carleton and starring Dorothy Davenport and Emory Johnson. Based on an original story by Rob Wagner, it is a historical drama, period piece ...

'' (1916) * '' The Unattainable'' (1916) * '' The Human Gamble'' (1916) * '' Barriers of Society'' (1916) * '' Hell Morgan's Girl'' (1917) * '' The Flashlight'' (1917) * '' The Reed Case'' (1917) * '' The Gates of Doom'' (1917) * '' The Flame of Youth'' (1917) * '' Fighting Mad'' (1917) * '' The Price of a Good Time'' (1917) * '' The Grand Passion'' (1918) * '' Nobody's Wife'' (1918) * ''

The Kaiser, the Beast of Berlin ''The Kaiser, the Beast of Berlin'' (also known as ''The Beast of Berlin'' and ''The Kaiser'') was a 1918 American silent war propaganda melodrama film produced and directed by, and starring, Rupert Julian. The screenplay was co-written by ...

'' (1918) * '' The Lion's Claws'' (1918) * '' Painted Lips'' (1918) * '' Kiss or Kill'' (1918) * '' The Guilt of Silence'' (1918) * '' The Eagle'' (1918) * '' The Sea Flower'' (1918) * '' Brace Up'' (1918) * '' Winner Takes All'' (1918) * '' Danger, Go Slow'' (1918) * '' The Red Glove'' (1919) * '' Riders of Vengeance'' (1919) * '' The Sleeping Lion'' (1919) * '' The Man in the Moonlight'' (1919) * '' The Other Half'' (1919) * '' Burning Daylight'' (1920) * '' An Old Fashioned Boy'' (1920) * '' The Broken Gate'' (1920) * ''

Blackmail Blackmail is a criminal act of coercion using a threat. As a criminal offense, blackmail is defined in various ways in common law jurisdictions. In the United States, blackmail is generally defined as a crime of information, involving a thr ...

'' (1920) * '' The New Disciple'' (1921) * '' The Sage Hen'' (1921) * '' Shattered Idols'' (1922) * '' The Pride of Palomar'' (1922) * '' Colleen of the Pines'' (1922) * '' The Grub-Stake'' (1923) * '' Dead Game'' (1923) * '' Shootin' for Love'' (1923) * '' A Noise in Newboro'' (1923) * '' Desert Driven'' (1923) * '' A Gentleman of Leisure'' (1923) * '' The Miracle Baby'' (1923) * '' The Ghost City'' (1923) * '' White Tiger'' (1923) * '' The Dramatic Life of Abraham Lincoln'' (1924) * '' Stolen Secrets'' (1924) * '' Dangerous Innocence'' (1925) * '' Perils of the Wild'' (1925) * '' Bustin' Thru'' (1925) * ''

Speed In kinematics, the speed (commonly referred to as ''v'') of an object is the magnitude of the change of its position over time or the magnitude of the change of its position per unit of time; it is thus a non-negative scalar quantity. Intro ...

'' (1925) * '' The Mystery Club'' (1926) * '' Rolling Home'' (1926) * '' Singed'' (1927) * '' The Magic Garden'' (1927) * ''

Underworld The underworld, also known as the netherworld or hell, is the supernatural world of the dead in various religious traditions and myths, located below the world of the living. Chthonic is the technical adjective for things of the underworld. ...

'' (1927) * '' Out All Night'' (1927) * '' Under the Tonto Rim'' (1928) * '' The Fifty-Fifty Girl'' (1928) * '' Hot News'' (1928) * '' Anybody Here Seen Kelly?'' (1928) * ''

The Flying Fleet ''The Flying Fleet'' is a 1929 synchronized sound romantic drama film directed by George Hill (director), George W. Hill and starring Ramon Novarro, Ralph Graves, and Anita Page. While the film has no audible dialog, it was released with a synchr ...

'' (1929) (uncredited) * '' Sunset Pass'' (1929) * ''

New Adventures of Get Rich Quick Wallingford ''New Adventures of Get Rich Quick Wallingford'' is a 1931 American pre-Code crime / romantic comedy film directed by Sam Wood and starring William Haines as a con artist and Jimmy Durante as his pickpocket buddy. The film is based on a serie ...

'' (1931)

References

External links

* 1866 births 1947 deaths American male silent film actors Male actors from New York (state) Male actors from Los Angeles People from Alfred, New York 20th-century American male actors Harvard University alumni Johns Hopkins University alumni Columbia University alumni American Academy of Dramatic Arts alumni New England Conservatory alumni Alfred University alumni 20th-century American male writers {{US-film-actor-1880s-stub