Steve Allen
Acting
- Born:
- 1921-12-26
- Died:
- 2000-10-30
- Place of birth:
- New York City, New York, USA
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
Filmography
Louis Armstrong's Black & Blues
Boulevard! A Hollywood Story
Too Hip for the Room: The Righteous Reign of Lord Buckley
Eat That Question: Frank Zappa in His Own Words
Tab Hunter Confidential
Erroll Garner: No One Can Hear You Read
2Everything2Terrible2: Tokyo Drift
Elvis: #1 Hit Performances
Elvis: The King of Rock 'n' Roll
Tasmanian Devil: The Fast and Furious Life of Errol Flynn
The Adventures of Errol Flynn
Elvis: Rare Moments with the King
The Definitive Elvis: The Television Years
Nobody's Perfect: The Making of Some Like It Hot
50 Years of NBC Late Night
On and Off the Res' with Charlie Hill
Let Me In, I Hear Laughter: A Salute to the Friars Club
Lenny Bruce: Swear to Tell the Truth
No More to Say & Nothing to Weep For: An Elegy for Allen Ginsberg
On the Road to Desolation
Behind the Music
Rodney Dangerfield's 75th Birthday Toast
Sabrina, the Teenage Witch
Nichols and May: Take Two
Abbott & Costello Meet Biography
Casino
James Dean: A Portrait
Pinky and the Brain
James Dean and Me
Space Ghost Coast to Coast
The Critic
Diagnosis: Murder
Late Night with Conan O'Brien
Homicide: Life on the Street
The Player
Laurel and Hardy: A Tribute to the Boys
Rodney Dangerfield's The Really Big Show
WWE WrestleMania VI
The Simpsons
The People Next Door
Great Balls of Fire!
Richard Lewis: I'm Exhausted
Happy Birthday, Bob: 50 Stars Salute Your 50 Years with NBC
Amazon Women on the Moon
The Wil Shriner Show
WWF Wrestling Challenge
American Masters
TV's Funniest Comedians - 14 Stars Do Classic Routines
Classic Comedy Teams
Alice in Wonderland
The Ratings Game
Computability: How to Make the Most of Your Home Computer
The Making of the Stooges
Don't Ask Me, Ask God
Starfest: The Stars Salute Public Television 1983
Life's Most Embarrassing Moments
The Funny Farm
Ernie Kovacs: Television's Original Genius
St. Elsewhere
Hotel