Steve Allen
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Born Name:
Stephen Valentine Allen
Born Date: December 26, 1921
Born Place: New York City
Died Date: October 30, 2000
Died Place: Los Angeles, California
Occupations: Comedian, television, personality, radio personality, actor, musician, composer, writer
Brief Biography: A prolific polymath, he is credited with inventing the late-night talk show format, including standard elements like the opening monologue, audience participation, and celebrity interviews. His father died when he was an infant. Allen was raised on the South Side of Chicago largely by his mother's Irish Catholic family. Allen ran away from home at 16 and described in interviews the ease with which he took to begging. Allen's first radio job was on station KOY, in Phoenix, Arizona, after he left Arizona State Teachers College (now Arizona State University), in Tempe, while a sophomore. He enlisted in the United States Army during World War II in 1943.
Early Life and Career:
Background: Born Stephen Valentine Allen in New York City to a vaudeville comedy team, he was raised primarily in Chicago.
Radio Beginnings: He started his career in radio in Phoenix, Arizona, and later Los Angeles, where his ad-libbing with audiences became a signature part of his performance.
National Fame: He gained widespread attention as a panelist on What's My Line?, where he famously popularized the phrase, "Is it bigger than a breadbox?".
Television Innovation:
The Tonight Show: Allen hosted the program from 1954 to 1957, establishing a spontaneous, informal comic style that influenced generations of future hosts like David Letterman.
The Steve Allen Show: His Sunday night variety show (1956–1960) famously competed with Ed Sullivan and featured early TV appearances by rock-and-roll pioneers like Elvis Presley and Jerry Lee Lewis.
Meeting of Minds: From 1977 to 1981, he wrote and hosted this award-winning PBS series, which featured simulated talk-show debates between historical figures.
Music and Writing:
Prolific Composer: According to his own estimate, Allen wrote more than 8,500 songs, including the standard "This Could Be the Start of Something (Big)" and the Grammy-winning "Gravy Waltz".
Author: He wrote over 50 books spanning multiple genres, including mystery novels, children's books, and social critiques.
Acting: He starred in the 1956 biopic The Benny Goodman Story, playing the legendary jazz clarinetist. ô§Ñ.§é=
Born Date: December 26, 1921
Born Place: New York City
Died Date: October 30, 2000
Died Place: Los Angeles, California
Occupations: Comedian, television, personality, radio personality, actor, musician, composer, writer
Brief Biography: A prolific polymath, he is credited with inventing the late-night talk show format, including standard elements like the opening monologue, audience participation, and celebrity interviews. His father died when he was an infant. Allen was raised on the South Side of Chicago largely by his mother's Irish Catholic family. Allen ran away from home at 16 and described in interviews the ease with which he took to begging. Allen's first radio job was on station KOY, in Phoenix, Arizona, after he left Arizona State Teachers College (now Arizona State University), in Tempe, while a sophomore. He enlisted in the United States Army during World War II in 1943.
Early Life and Career:
Background: Born Stephen Valentine Allen in New York City to a vaudeville comedy team, he was raised primarily in Chicago.
Radio Beginnings: He started his career in radio in Phoenix, Arizona, and later Los Angeles, where his ad-libbing with audiences became a signature part of his performance.
National Fame: He gained widespread attention as a panelist on What's My Line?, where he famously popularized the phrase, "Is it bigger than a breadbox?".
Television Innovation:
The Tonight Show: Allen hosted the program from 1954 to 1957, establishing a spontaneous, informal comic style that influenced generations of future hosts like David Letterman.
The Steve Allen Show: His Sunday night variety show (1956–1960) famously competed with Ed Sullivan and featured early TV appearances by rock-and-roll pioneers like Elvis Presley and Jerry Lee Lewis.
Meeting of Minds: From 1977 to 1981, he wrote and hosted this award-winning PBS series, which featured simulated talk-show debates between historical figures.
Music and Writing:
Prolific Composer: According to his own estimate, Allen wrote more than 8,500 songs, including the standard "This Could Be the Start of Something (Big)" and the Grammy-winning "Gravy Waltz".
Author: He wrote over 50 books spanning multiple genres, including mystery novels, children's books, and social critiques.
Acting: He starred in the 1956 biopic The Benny Goodman Story, playing the legendary jazz clarinetist. ô§Ñ.§é=
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