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Billie Allen (January 13, 1925 – December 29, 2015) was an American actress, theater director, dancer and entertainer. Allen was one of the first black actors and performers to appear on television and stage in the United States, at a time when those venues were largely closed to African Americans. During the 1950s, Allen became one of the first black entertainers to have a recurring role on network television when she was cast as a WAC on staff on the CBS army base comedy '' The Phil Silvers Show'', from 1955 to 1959. She was one of the first African Americans to appear on television commercials in the U.S. She was also one of the earliest African-American actors on daytime soap operas as she appeared in the mid-1950s as the character Ada Chandler on the popular daytime soap opera ''
The Edge of Night ''The Edge of Night'' is an American mystery crime drama soap opera, created by Irving Vendig and produced by Procter & Gamble Productions. It debuted on CBS on April 2, 1956, and ran as a live broadcast on that network for most of its ...
''. Allen was also known for her work on Broadway and
off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...
.


Life and career

Allen was born Wilhelmina Louise Allen on January 13, 1925, in
Richmond, Virginia Richmond ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. Incorporated in 1742, Richmond has been an independent city (United States), independent city since 1871. ...
. Her father, William R. Allen, was an
actuary An actuary is a professional with advanced mathematical skills who deals with the measurement and management of risk and uncertainty. These risks can affect both sides of the balance sheet and require investment management, asset management, ...
, while her mother, the former Mamie Wimbush, was a teacher. Her interest in the performing arts, especially ballet and opera, began early in life. A fan of singer
Marian Anderson Marian Anderson (February 27, 1897April 8, 1993) was an American contralto. She performed a wide range of music, from opera to spirituals. Anderson performed with renowned orchestras in major concert and recital venues throughout the United S ...
, Allen attended her 1939 concert at the Lincoln Memorial after the
Daughters of the American Revolution The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (often abbreviated as DAR or NSDAR) is a lineage-based membership service organization for women who are directly descended from a patriot of the American Revolutionary War. A non-p ...
barred Anderson from performing at the DAR Constitution Hall. Allen attended the Hampton Institute, now known as present-day
Hampton University Hampton University is a private, historically black, research university in Hampton, Virginia, United States. Founded in 1868 as Hampton Agricultural and Industrial School, it was established by Black and White leaders of the American Missiona ...
. She then moved to New York City during the mid-1940s to pursue acting and dance. She was cast as a dancer in several Broadway productions early in her career, including the 1947 musical review '' Caribbean Carnival''; a Broadway revival of '' Four Saints in Three Acts'' in 1952; and '' My Darlin' Aida'', an adaptation of a
Giuseppe Verdi Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi ( ; ; 9 or 10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer best known for List of compositions by Giuseppe Verdi, his operas. He was born near Busseto, a small town in the province of Parma ...
opera, which also opened in 1952. She also appeared with one of her mentors, the legendary
Ethel Waters Ethel Waters (October 31, 1896 – September 1, 1977) was an American singer and actress. Waters frequently performed jazz, swing, and pop music on the Broadway stage and in concerts. She began her career in the 1920s singing blues. Her no ...
, in the revival of the off-Broadway production of '' Mamba's Daughters''. Allen was accepted into the
Actors Studio The Actors Studio is a membership organization for professional actors, theatre directors and playwrights located on West 44th Street in Hell's Kitchen in New York City. The studio is best known for its work refining and teaching method actin ...
, where she studied under the renowned acting teacher and actor
Lee Strasberg Lee Strasberg (born Israel Strassberg; November 17, 1901 – February 17, 1982) was an American acting coach and actor. He co-founded, with theatre directors Harold Clurman and Cheryl Crawford, the Group Theatre in 1931, which was hailed ...
. She made her film debut with the 1949
race film The race film or race movie was a genre of film produced in the United States between about 1915 and the early 1950s, consisting of films produced for African American, black audiences, and featuring black casts. Approximately five hundred race ...
'' Souls of Sin''. She was later cast as understudy in the part of "Beneatha Younger" in the 1959 Broadway premier production of playwright
Lorraine Hansberry Lorraine Vivian Hansberry (May 19, 1930 – January 12, 1965) was an American playwright and writer. She was the first African-American female author to have a play performed on Broadway theatre, Broadway. Her best-known work, the play ''A Raisin ...
's ''
A Raisin in the Sun ''A Raisin in the Sun'' is a play by Lorraine Hansberry that debuted on Broadway in 1959. The title comes from the poem "Harlem" (also known as "A Dream Deferred") by Langston Hughes. The story tells of a black family's experiences in south Ch ...
''. She later assumed the full-time role of "Beneatha Younger" when actress and friend Diana Sands exited the role. Allen befriended several members of the cast, notably actress
Ruby Dee Ruby Dee (born Ruby Ann Wallace; October 27, 1922 – June 11, 2014) was an American actress. She was married to Ossie Davis, with whom she frequently performed until his death in 2005. She received numerous accolades, including an Emmy Award, ...
, with whom she shared a friendship that lasted over 55 years. She later directed her lifelong friend Ruby Dee in the 2001 off-Broadway dramatic play ''Saint Lucy's Eyes'', which premiered at the Cherry Lane Theatre in New York and was later staged and directed by Allen in the early 2000s at Atlanta, Georgia's Alliance Theatre. In 1960, Billie Allen portrayed a maid in the Broadway debut of
Ira Levin Ira Marvin Levin (August 27, 1929 – November 12, 2007) was an American novelist, playwright, and songwriter. His works include the novels '' A Kiss Before Dying'' (1953), '' Rosemary's Baby'' (1967), '' The Stepford Wives'' (1972), '' This Perf ...
's '' Critic's Choice''. Her character "Essie" was the housekeeper of the play's main protagonist, theater critic "Parker Ballantine," played by
Henry Fonda Henry Jaynes Fonda (May 16, 1905 – August 12, 1982) was an American actor whose career spanned five decades on Broadway theatre, Broadway and in Hollywood. On screen and stage, he often portrayed characters who embodied an everyman image. Bo ...
, and his wife, portrayed by Georgann Johnson. She also appeared in James Baldwin's '' Blues for Mr. Charlie'', a 1964 dramatic play loosely based on the killing of
Emmett Till Emmett Louis Till (July 25, 1941 – August 28, 1955) was an African American youth, who was 14 years old when he was abducted and Lynching in the United States, lynched in Mississippi in 1955 after being accused of offending a white woman, ...
. Her last Broadway production as an actress was in '' A Teaspoon Every Four Hours'' in 1969. '' A Teaspoon Every Four Hours'' ran for a record 97 preview performances before closing the day after its official opening night. Aside from her breakthrough recurring role in '' The Phil Silvers Show'' on CBS during the 1950s, her other television roles included ''
Car 54, Where Are You? ''Car 54, Where Are You?'' is an American sitcom that aired on NBC from September 1961 to April 1963. Filmed in black and white, the series starred Joe E. Ross as Gunther Toody and Fred Gwynne as Francis Muldoon, two mismatched New York City Po ...
'' on
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
in the early 1960s and ''
Law & Order ''Law & Order'' is an American police procedural and legal drama television series created by Dick Wolf and produced by Wolf Entertainment and Universal Television, launching the ''Law & Order'' franchise. ''Law & Order'' aired its entire ...
'' during the 1990s. Allen's film credits included '' Black Like Me'' in 1964, ''
The Wiz ''The Wiz: The Super Soul Musical "Wonderful Wizard of Oz"'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Charlie Smalls (and others) and book by William F. Brown. It is a retelling of L. Frank Baum's children's novel '' The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' ...
'' in 1978, and '' Losing Ground'' in 1982. In 1973, Allen joined with actor and founder Garland Lee Thompson, Jr., actor
Morgan Freeman Morgan Freeman (born June 1, 1937) is an American actor, producer, and narrator. In a career spanning six decades, he has received numerous accolades, including an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award, as well as a nomination for a Tony ...
and journalist Clayton Riley to establish the Frank Silvera Writers Workshop, located in Harlem, as a tribute to its namesake, Frank Silvera, a
character actor A character actor is an actor known for playing unusual, eccentric, or interesting character (arts), characters in supporting roles, rather than leading ones.28 April 2013, The New York Acting SchoolTen Best Character Actors of All Time Retrie ...
, theater director and acting teacher. Notable students of the Frank Silvera Writers Workshop have included award-winning playwrights Charles Fuller, Ntozake Shange and Samm-Art Williams. By the early 1980s, Allen was established as an impeccable director, directing such edgy and provocative productions as Kathleen Collins's play '' The Brothers'' in 1982,
Anna Deavere Smith Anna Deavere Smith (born September 18, 1950) is an American actress, playwright, and professor. She is known for her roles as National Security Advisor Dr. Nancy McNally in ''The West Wing'' (2000–06), hospital administrator Gloria Akalitus i ...
's '' Aye, Aye, Aye, I'm Integrated'' in 1984, and the musical '' Miss Ethel Waters.'' On the small side, Allen appeared in the opening sketch for '' Eddie Murphy Raw'' (1987). Allen received a
Lucille Lortel Awards The Lucille Lortel Awards recognize excellence in New York Off-Broadway theatre. The Awards are named for Lucille Lortel, an actress and theater producer, and have been awarded since 1986. They are produced by the League of Off-Broadway Theatres ...
nomination in 2006 for directing '' Funnyhouse of a Negro'', a ground-breaking one-act play by Adrienne Kennedy, in 2006. Allen had originated the role of the lead character "Sarah" during the play's debut in 1964. She was also awarded in 2006, The Rose McClendon Trailblazer Award from the Classical Theatre of Harlem.


Personal life and death

Billie Allen was married twice. Her first marriage to
aerospace engineer Aerospace engineering is the primary field of engineering concerned with the development of aircraft and spacecraft. It has two major and overlapping branches: aeronautical engineering and astronautical engineering. Avionics engineering is s ...
Duane H. Grant, Sr. ended in divorce. Her second husband was Luther Henderson, a pianist, and prolific Broadway composer and arranger, with whom she had co-created the musical ''Little Ham'', which was based on the play of the same name written by poet and playwright Langston Hughes. Allen and Henderson, who were both AUDELCO Award Winners, remained married until his death in 2003. Billie Allen died peacefully at her home in
Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...
, New York City, on December 29, 2015, at the age of 90, just 15 days shy of her 91st birthday. She was survived by her son and daughter, Duane H. Grant, Jr. and Carolyn J. Grant; one granddaughter; several stepchildren; a brother, Dr. Edward B. Allen, and a host of relatives and artists that she directed and mentored throughout her long career. The writer Candace Allen is her niece.


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Allen, Billie 1925 births 2015 deaths 20th-century African-American actresses 20th-century American actresses 21st-century African-American actresses 21st-century American actresses Actors Studio alumni Actresses from Manhattan Actresses from Richmond, Virginia American film actresses American stage actresses American television actresses American theatre directors American women theatre directors