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.
Personal Details
Also Known As
Movies (37)
Louis Armstrong's Black & Blues
as Self (voice) (archive sound)
2022
Boulevard! A Hollywood Story
as Self (archive footage)
2021
Eat That Question: Frank Zappa in His Own Words
as Self (archive footage)
2016
Erroll Garner: No One Can Hear You Read
as Self (archive footage)
2013
2Everything2Terrible2: Tokyo Drift
as Self (archive footage)
2010
Elvis: #1 Hit Performances
as Self (archive footage)
2007
Elvis: The King of Rock 'n' Roll
as Self (archive footage)
2007
Tasmanian Devil: The Fast and Furious Life of Errol Flynn
as Self (archive footage)
2007
The Adventures of Errol Flynn
as Self (archive footage)
2005
Elvis: Rare Moments with the King
as Self (archive footage)
2003
The Definitive Elvis: The Television Years
as Self (archive footage)
2002
Nobody's Perfect: The Making of Some Like It Hot
as Self (archive footage)
2001
On and Off the Res' with Charlie Hill
as Himself
2000
Let Me In, I Hear Laughter: A Salute to the Friars Club
as Self
1999
Lenny Bruce: Swear to Tell the Truth
as Self
1998
No More to Say & Nothing to Weep For: An Elegy for Allen Ginsberg
as Self (archive footage)
1997
On the Road to Desolation
as Self
1997
Rodney Dangerfield's 75th Birthday Toast
as Self
1997
Nichols and May: Take Two
as Self
1996
Abbott & Costello Meet Biography
as Self
1996
Casino
as Steve Allen
1995
James Dean: A Portrait
as Self
1995
James Dean and Me
as Self (uncredited)
1995
The Player
as Steve Allen
1992
Laurel and Hardy: A Tribute to the Boys
as Self
1992
Rodney Dangerfield's The Really Big Show
as Self
1991
WWE WrestleMania VI
as Self
1990
Great Balls of Fire!
as Steve Allen
1989
Richard Lewis: I'm Exhausted
as Self
1988
Happy Birthday, Bob: 50 Stars Salute Your 50 Years with NBC
as Self
1988
Amazon Women on the Moon
as Steve Allen (segment "Roast Your Loved One")
1987
TV's Funniest Comedians - 14 Stars Do Classic Routines
as Self
1986
Classic Comedy Teams
as Host
1986
The Ratings Game
as Steve Allen
1984
Computability: How to Make the Most of Your Home Computer
1984
The Making of the Stooges
as Self - Host
1984
Don't Ask Me, Ask God
as Self
1984
TV Shows (13)
Behind the Music
as Self
1997
Sabrina, the Teenage Witch
as Fear
1996
Pinky and the Brain
1995
Space Ghost Coast to Coast
1994
The Critic
as Steve Allen (voice)
1994
Diagnosis: Murder
as Ray Masters
1993
Late Night with Conan O'Brien
as Self - Guest
1993
Homicide: Life on the Street
as Mr. Cochran
1993
The Simpsons
as Bart's Altered Voice (voice)
1989
The Wil Shriner Show
as Self
1987
WWF Wrestling Challenge
as Self
1986
American Masters
as Self
1986
Alice in Wonderland
as Gentleman in Paper Suit
1985