Sian Barbara Allen
Encyclopedia
Sian Barbara Allen is a former American
film and television actress.
She studied at the Pasadena Playhouse
(1964-65). She appeared in You'll Like My Mother
(1972), starring Patty Duke
, Rosemary Murphy
and Richard Thomas
. For this role, Allen was nominated for the 1973 Golden Globe Award as "Most Promising New Actress".
She later garnered fame on two episodes of The Waltons
(1973) as "Jenny Pendleton", an early love interest of John-Boy Walton (reuniting her with Thomas, who played John-Boy and with whom she had appeared in You'll Like My Mother
the previous year). Allen and Thomas were themselves described as "together these days", and Thomas wanted Allen to play the Pendleton role.
Allen appeared on television programs such as Ironside
, The Rockford Files
, Bonanza
, Gunsmoke
, Love, American Style
, Columbo
, Cagney & Lacey
, and L.A. Law
. In 1974 she was the lead actress in the western Billy Two Hats
, alongside Gregory Peck
and Jack Warden
. In 1976, she portrayed Anne Morrow Lindbergh
in the television movie The Lindbergh Kidnapping Case, based on the real-life Lindbergh baby kidnapping/murder.
Allen's last role was in an episode of L.A. Law
in 1990, after which she retired from acting.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
film and television actress.
She studied at the Pasadena Playhouse
Pasadena Playhouse
The Pasadena Playhouse is a historic performing arts venue located 39 S El Molino Avenue in Pasadena, California. The 686-seat auditorium produces a variety of cultural and artistic events, professional shows, and community engagements each year.-History:...
(1964-65). She appeared in You'll Like My Mother
You'll Like My Mother
You'll Like My Mother is a 1972 film based on the Naomi A. Hintze novel and directed by Lamont Johnson. It stars Patty Duke, Rosemary Murphy and Richard Thomas, and was filmed in Duluth, Minnesota at the Glensheen Historic Estate...
(1972), starring Patty Duke
Patty Duke
Anna Marie "Patty" Duke is an American actress of stage, film, and television. First becoming famous as a child star, winning an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress at age 16, and later starring in her eponymous sitcom for three years, she progressed to more mature roles upon playing Neely...
, Rosemary Murphy
Rosemary Murphy
Rosemary Murphy is an American actress of stage, film, and television.Murphy was born in Munich, Germany, the daughter of American parents Mildred and Robert D. Murphy, a diplomat...
and Richard Thomas
Richard Thomas (actor)
Richard Earl Thomas is an American actor, best known for his role as budding author John-Boy Walton in the CBS drama The Waltons.- Early life :Thomas was born Richard Earl Thomas in New York,...
. For this role, Allen was nominated for the 1973 Golden Globe Award as "Most Promising New Actress".
She later garnered fame on two episodes of The Waltons
The Waltons
The Waltons is an American television series created by Earl Hamner, Jr., based on his book Spencer's Mountain, and a 1963 film of the same name. The show centered on a family growing up in a rural Virginia community during the Great Depression and World War II. The series pilot was a television...
(1973) as "Jenny Pendleton", an early love interest of John-Boy Walton (reuniting her with Thomas, who played John-Boy and with whom she had appeared in You'll Like My Mother
You'll Like My Mother
You'll Like My Mother is a 1972 film based on the Naomi A. Hintze novel and directed by Lamont Johnson. It stars Patty Duke, Rosemary Murphy and Richard Thomas, and was filmed in Duluth, Minnesota at the Glensheen Historic Estate...
the previous year). Allen and Thomas were themselves described as "together these days", and Thomas wanted Allen to play the Pendleton role.
Allen appeared on television programs such as Ironside
Ironside
-Entertainment and literature:*Ironside , an American television series starring Raymond Burr*Ironside: A Modern Faery's Tale, an urban fantasy novel by Holly Black-People:...
, The Rockford Files
The Rockford Files
The Rockford Files is an American television drama series which aired on the NBC network between September 13, 1974 and January 10, 1980. It has remained in regular syndication to the present day. The show stars James Garner as Los Angeles-based private investigator Jim Rockford and features Noah...
, Bonanza
Bonanza
Bonanza is an American western television series that both ran on and was a production of NBC from September 12, 1959 to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 430 episodes, it ranks as the second longest running western series and still continues to air in syndication. It centers on the...
, Gunsmoke
Gunsmoke
Gunsmoke is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman MacDonnell and writer John Meston. The stories take place in and around Dodge City, Kansas, during the settlement of the American West....
, Love, American Style
Love, American Style
Love, American Style is an hour-long TV anthology produced by Paramount Television and originally aired between September 1969 and January 1974...
, Columbo
Columbo
Columbo is an American crime fiction television film series, which starred Peter Falk as Lieutenant Columbo, a homicide detective with the Los Angeles Police Department. It was created by William Link and Richard Levinson. The show popularized the inverted detective story format...
, Cagney & Lacey
Cagney & Lacey
Cagney & Lacey is an American television series that originally aired on the CBS television network for seven seasons from October 8, 1981 to May 16, 1988...
, and L.A. Law
L.A. Law
L.A. Law is a US television legal drama that ran on NBC from September 15, 1986 to May 19, 1994. L.A. Law reflected the social and cultural ideologies of the 1980s and early 1990s and many of the cases featured on the show dealt with hot topic issues such as abortion, racism, gay rights,...
. In 1974 she was the lead actress in the western Billy Two Hats
Billy Two Hats
Billy Two Hats is a 1974 Western film directed by Ted Kotcheff. It stars Gregory Peck, Jack Warden and Desi Arnaz, Jr.Filmed on an Israel location, Billy Two Hats is from a script by Scottish writer Alan Sharp, the screenwriter of Rob Roy and Ulzana's Raid.-Plot:During a bank robbery in the...
, alongside Gregory Peck
Gregory Peck
Eldred Gregory Peck was an American actor.One of 20th Century Fox's most popular film stars from the 1940s to the 1960s, Peck continued to play important roles well into the 1980s. His notable performances include that of Atticus Finch in the 1962 film To Kill a Mockingbird, for which he won an...
and Jack Warden
Jack Warden
Jack Warden was an American character actor.-Early life:Warden was born John Warden Lebzelter in Newark, New Jersey, the son of Laura M. and John Warden Lebzelter, who was an engineer and technician. He was of Irish and Pennsylvania Dutch ancestry...
. In 1976, she portrayed Anne Morrow Lindbergh
Anne Morrow Lindbergh
Anne Morrow Lindbergh was an American author, aviator, and the spouse of fellow aviator Charles Lindbergh.She was an acclaimed author whose books and articles spanned the genres of poetry to non-fiction, touching upon topics as diverse as youth and age; love and marriage; peace, solitude and...
in the television movie The Lindbergh Kidnapping Case, based on the real-life Lindbergh baby kidnapping/murder.
Allen's last role was in an episode of L.A. Law
L.A. Law
L.A. Law is a US television legal drama that ran on NBC from September 15, 1986 to May 19, 1994. L.A. Law reflected the social and cultural ideologies of the 1980s and early 1990s and many of the cases featured on the show dealt with hot topic issues such as abortion, racism, gay rights,...
in 1990, after which she retired from acting.