Steve Allen
Biography
Stephen Valentine Patrick William Allen was an American television personality, radio personality, musician, composer, actor, comedian, writer, and advocate of scientific skepticism. In 1954, he achieved national fame as the co-creator and first host of The Tonight Show, which was the first late night television talk show. Though he got his start in radio, Allen is best known for his extensive network television career. He gained national attention as a guest host on Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts. After he hosted The Tonight Show, he went on to host numerous game and variety shows, including his own The Steve Allen Show, I've Got a Secret, and The New Steve Allen Show. He was a regular panel member on CBS's What's My Line?, and from 1977 until 1981 wrote, produced, and hosted the award-winning public broadcasting show Meeting of Minds, a series of historical dramas presented in a talk format. Allen was a pianist and a prolific composer. By his own estimate, he wrote more than 8,500 songs, some of which were recorded by numerous leading singers. Working as a lyricist, Allen won the 1964 Grammy Award for Best Original Jazz Composition. He also wrote more than 50 books, including novels, children's books, and books of opinions, including his final book, Vulgarians at the Gate: Trash TV and Raunch Radio. In 1996 Allen was presented with the Martin Gardner Lifetime Achievement Award from the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (CSICOP). He has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and a Hollywood theater named in his honor.
Known For
Self
Mitzi & 100 Guys
Self (archive footage)
The Movie Orgy
Steve Allen
The Player
Self
Allen in Movieland
Radio Announcer
Where Were You When the Lights Went Out?
Benny Goodman
The Benny Goodman Story
Self
Laurel and Hardy: A Tribute to the Boys
Bookstore Customer with Little Boy (uncredited)
Don't Worry, We'll Think of a Title
Self
Rodney Dangerfield's The Really Big Show
Self / DJ (archive footage)
Lenny Bruce: Without Tears
Steve MacInter
College Confidential
Steve Allen
Warning Shot
Self
Lenny Bruce: Swear to Tell the Truth
Self (archive footage)
The Adventures of Errol Flynn
Self
Happy Birthday, Bob: 50 Stars Salute Your 50 Years with NBC
Self
The Big Circus
Himself
Casino
Self (archive footage)
No More to Say & Nothing to Weep For: An Elegy for Allen Ginsberg
Peter Pepper
I'll Get By
The Power of the Market
Self
The Sunshine Boys
Self (archive footage)
The Definitive Elvis: The Television Years
Steve Allen
Stone
Self
Rodney Dangerfield's 75th Birthday Toast
Self - Host
On Location: Myron Cohen
Self
Let Me In, I Hear Laughter: A Salute to the Friars Club
Self (archive footage)
Elvis: #1 Hit Performances
Self - Host
The Making of the Stooges
Steve Allen
Lucy Calls the President
himself
Great Balls of Fire!
[Self]
Don't Ask Me, Ask God
Self (voice) (archive sound)
Louis Armstrong's Black & Blues
Self
TV's Funniest Comedians - 14 Stars Do Classic Routines
Steve Allen
The Comic
Narrator of Fictional TV Program (uncredited)
The Sunshine Boys
Self
Abbott & Costello Meet Biography
Self (archive footage)
2Everything2Terrible2: Tokyo Drift
Self (archive footage)
Eat That Question: Frank Zappa in His Own Words
Self (archive footage)
Jay Sebring… Cutting to the Truth
The Universal Mind of Bill Evans
Himself
Heart Beat
Self (uncredited)
James Dean and Me
Self
Joys
Steve Allen
The Gossip Columnist
Self (archive footage)
Tasmanian Devil: The Fast and Furious Life of Errol Flynn
Steve Allen
The Ratings Game
Self (archive footage)
Elvis: The King of Rock 'n' Roll
Self
James Dean Remembered
Self
The Funny Farm
Self (archive footage)
Erroll Garner: No One Can Hear You Read
Self (archive footage)
Nobody's Perfect - The Making of Some Like It Hot
Computability: How to Make the Most of Your Home Computer
Herschel Lucas
Now You See It, Now You Don't
Martin Kaplan
Have I Got a Christmas for You
Self
The Muppets Go Hollywood
Self
Richard Lewis: I'm Exhausted
Self
WWE WrestleMania VI
Self (archive footage)
Robin Williams: Come Inside My Mind
Self
Nichols and May: Take Two
Self (archive footage)
Boulevard! A Hollywood Story
Self
Down Memory Lane
Self
Night of 100 Stars
Psychiatrist
Something's Got to Give
Steve Allen (segment "Roast Your Loved One")
Amazon Women on the Moon
Self (archive footage)
Elvis: Rare Moments with the King
Self
On the Road to Desolation
Himself
On and Off the Res' with Charlie Hill
Self
James Dean: A Portrait
Personal Info
Known For
Acting
Known Credits
68
Gender
Male
Birthday
1921-12-26
Place of Birth
New York City, New York, USA
Also Known As
Stephen Valentine Patrick William Allen