Allison Argo (born December 23, 1953) is an American film producer, director, writer, editor, and narrator. She is best known for her documentaries that focus on endangered wildlife and conservation. Her films have received awards including six National

Emmy Awards The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...

. and the duPont-Columbia Award for journalism. In her early career as an actress, Argo performed on Broadway, in television, and in film. Her theatre roles included work as an original cast member in two Broadway theatre productions, and her work in television and film included roles in television movies and a major role in a TV series, along with recurring roles in two soap operas. In 1989, while on location in the state of

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

, Argo happened upon a gorilla caged as an exhibit in a shopping mall. This experience led Argo to produce and direct her first film, '' The Urban Gorilla'' (

National Geographic ''National Geographic'' (formerly ''The National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as ''Nat Geo'') is an American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. The magazine was founded in 1888 as a scholarly journal, nine ...

1992), about the lives of captive gorillas. Argo received the duPont-Columbia award for the documentary. Since that time, Argo has dedicated her work towards advocating for the welfare and understanding of wild animals through documentary films and public speaking engagements. With her production company, ArgoFilms, LTD, Argo has produced eighteen films. Among others, notable award-winning films have included ''Keepers of the Wild'' (

and

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

1992), ''The Last Frog'' (

1996), ''The Secret Life of Cats'' (

1999), ''The Urban Elephant'' (

and

NATURE 2000), ''Chimpanzees: An Unnatural History'' (

NATURE 2006), ''Crash: a Tale of Two Species'' (

NATURE 2008), and ''Parrot Confidential'' (

NATURE 2013), ''The Last Pig'' (2017).

Early life

Argo was raised on

Cape Cod Cape Cod is a peninsula extending into the Atlantic Ocean from the southeastern corner of Massachusetts, in the northeastern United States. Its historic, maritime character and ample beaches attract heavy tourism during the summer months. The ...

as one of two daughters of Gordon Harold Argo (06/22/1924–07/10/2003) and Elizabeth "Betsy" Argo (née Brunk; 1922–2016), both actors. The Argos owned and operated the Orleans Arena Theater, America's first summer stock theater-in-the-round, in the town of

Orleans, Massachusetts Orleans ( ) is a New England town, town in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States, situated along Cape Cod. The population was 6,307 at the 2020 census. For geographic and demographic information on the census-designated place Orleans, ...

. From childhood, she was immersed in theater and the world of drama, which prepared her for a career as a professional actress in New York and Los Angeles.

Career as an actress

On Broadway, Argo played major roles as an original cast member in the revivals of Ibsen's ''

The Lady from the Sea ''The Lady from the Sea'' () is a Play (theatre), play written in 1888 by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen inspired by the ballad ''Agnete og Havmanden''. The drama introduces the character of Hilde Wangel who is again portrayed in Ibsen's late ...

'' (1976), and Tennessee Williams’ ''

The Night of the Iguana ''The Night of the Iguana'' is a stage play written by American author Tennessee Williams. It is based on his 1948 short story. In 1959, Williams staged it as a one-act play, and over the next two years he developed it into a full-length play, p ...

'' (1976–1977), and she appeared in the musical '' Grease''. She played a leading role on the CBS television series '' Ladies Man'' and was featured on ''

WKRP in Cincinnati ''WKRP in Cincinnati'' is an American sitcom television series about the misadventures of the staff of a struggling fictional AM radio station in Cincinnati, Ohio. The show was created by Hugh Wilson. It was based upon his experiences obs ...

'', as well as on ten television movies and pilots. Argo played recurring roles on the soap operas ''

Search for Tomorrow ''Search for Tomorrow'' is an American television soap opera. It began its run on CBS on September 3, 1951, and concluded on NBC, 35 years later, on December 26, 1986. Set in the fictional town of Henderson in an unspecified state, the show f ...

'' and ''

The Bold and the Beautiful ''The Bold and the Beautiful'' (often referred to as ''B&B'') is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. It premiered on March 23, 1987, as a sister show to the Bells' other soap opera ''Th ...

''. She also voiced cartoon characters, including the character Andrea in the '' Cathy'' animated television specials.

ArgoFilms

Argo's experience seeing the gorilla, Ivan, isolated and on display in an enclosure comprising two concrete rooms in a shopping mall was the catalyst for her forming ArgoFilms, LTD. Concerned about gorillas in similar situations as Ivan's, Argo made them the subject of her first film '' The Urban Gorilla'', which in addition to the duPont-Columbia award was the recipient of two Emmy nominations. Since '' The Urban Gorilla'', ArgoFilms has gone on to advocate for, among others, frogs, snakes, cats, elephants, chimpanzees, and birds. One film has documented the effects of the

September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into ...

upon people. ''The Story of Dao'', about a street elephant named Pang Dao, has been in pre-production since 2011. A scout (research expedition) was completed in

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

in 2012. ArgoFilms has produced eighteen documentaries for National Geographic, PBS, and the NATURE series. Allison Argo has either produced, directed, or written all films.

Glenn Close Glenda Veronica Close (born March 19, 1947) is an American actress. In a career spanning over five decades on Glenn Close on screen and stage, screen and stage, she has received List of awards and nominations received by Glenn Close, numerous ac ...

narrated the first two films; and Argo has narrated since. The films have garnered twelve Emmy nominations, with six Emmys having been won in various categories including two for directing. Additionally, ArgoFilms has been awarded four Genesis Awards, most recently in 2014 for the film ''Parrot Confidential'' ( PBS NATURE 2013), and has also been recognized by the

Missoula Missoula ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Missoula County, Montana, Missoula County, Montana, United States. It is located along the Clark Fork River near its confluence with the Bitterroot River, Bitterroot and Blackfoot River (Montana), ...

Jackson Hole Jackson Hole (originally called Jackson's Hole by mountain men) is a valley between the Gros Ventre Range, Gros Ventre and Teton Range, Teton mountain ranges in the U.S. state of Wyoming, near the border with Idaho, in Teton County, Wyoming, T ...

, and Japan Wildlife Film Festivals. In ''Parrot Confidential'', the circumstances of parrots in captivity who often outlive their owners and suffer as a result are explored. The subject had received little documentation until the film was produced. In an April 2014 article in a Cape Cod periodical, Argo has said that the most satisfying aspect of her work is when it makes a difference. Her goal is to open eyes; and if people are given the facts, they will do what they can to improve life. The work of ArgoFilms is meant to "foster compassion for animals and to champion wildlife through film, providing a voice for those who have none."

Stage acting credits (Broadway)

Television acting credits

Filmography, awards, and nominations

As producer, director, writer, or editor

References

External links

ArgoFilms website
* (entry "I", missing "Writer/Producer/Director" details) * (entry "II", missing "Actor" details) {{DEFAULTSORT:Argo, Allison 1953 births 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American women writers American documentary filmmakers American stage actresses American television actresses People from Orleans, Massachusetts Living people Writers from Richmond, Virginia American women documentary filmmakers Film directors from Virginia Film directors from Massachusetts