American comedian, actor, and musician (1921–2000)
For other people named Steve Allen, see Steve Allen (disambiguation).
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Steve Allen
Allen in 1977
Born
Stephen Valentine Patrick William Allen
(1921-12-26)December 26, 1921
New York City, U.S.
Died
October 30, 2000(2000-10-30) (aged 78)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Resting place
Forest Lawn Memorial Park
Alma mater
Arizona State Teachers College
Occupations
Comedian
television personality
actor
musician
composer
writer
Years active
1940–2000
Known for
Co-creator and first host of The Tonight Show
Political party
Democratic
Spouses
Dorothy Goodman
(m. 1943; div. 1952)
Jayne Meadows
(m. 1954)
Children
4
Website
steveallen.com
Stephen Valentine Patrick William Allen (December 26, 1921 – October 30, 2000) was an American television and radio personality, comedian, musician, composer, writer, and actor. 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.[1]
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,[2] he 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[3] and a prolific composer. By his own estimate, he wrote more than 8,500 songs,[4] some of which were recorded by numerous leading singers. Allen won the 1964 Grammy Award for Best Original Jazz Composition for "Gravy Waltz,"[5] for which he wrote the lyrics. 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 (2001).
In 1996, Allen was presented with the Martin Gardner Lifetime Achievement Award from the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (CSICOP).[6] He has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and a Hollywood theater named in his honor.[7]
^JP (December 26, 2021). "A film that didn't make beautiful music". Donna. Retrieved September 3, 2023.
^"Steve Allen". Television Academy. Retrieved September 3, 2023.
^Life, February 13, 1956. p. 56.
^""Steve Allen and His Music" — Welcome to Steve Allen Online! (Official website)". Celebrity Solutions. Retrieved July 26, 2016.
^"1964 GRAMMY WINNERS, 7th Annual GRAMMY Awards". www.grammy.com. Retrieved September 3, 2023.
^"CSICOP Award Winners". Skeptical Inquirer. 20 (5): 7. 1996.
^Anthony Dalessandro (February 1, 2006). "The God and Satan Show". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 5, 2012.
game and variety shows, including his own The SteveAllen Show, I've Got a Secret, and The New SteveAllen Show. He was a regular panel member on CBS's...
The SteveAllen Show is an American variety show hosted by SteveAllen from June 1956 to June 1960 on NBC, from September 1961 to December 1961 on ABC...
Tonight Starring SteveAllen is an American talk show hosted by SteveAllen. It was the first version of what eventually became known as The Tonight Show...
television personality, musician, composer, actor, comedian, and writer SteveAllen. Down Memory Lane (1949) The Benny Goodman Story (1956) The Big Circus...
memoirist Audrey Meadows as well as the wife of original Tonight Show host SteveAllen. Meadows was born Jane Cotter in 1919, in Wuchang, Wuhan, Hubei Province...
the 1980 film The Blues Brothers. Steve and Eydie first appeared together as regulars on Tonight Starring SteveAllen in 1954 and continued performing...
broadcast on NBC since 1954. The program has been hosted by six comedians: SteveAllen (1954–1957), Jack Paar (1957–1962), Johnny Carson (1962–1992), Jay Leno...
the "men in the street" on The SteveAllen Show. His catchphrase was "Why not, Bubbe?" (pronounced "whooooyyy not!") Allen was born in New York City, the...
and Elvis, Binder also worked on numerous TV shows and specials with SteveAllen, Soupy Sales, Chevy Chase, Patti LaBelle, Barry Manilow, Wayne Newton...
Wikimedia Commons has media related to SteveAllen Theater. The SteveAllen Theater at the Center for Inquiry in Hollywood, California, was a 99-seat theater...
Eydie Gormé. They originally began working together on Tonight Starring SteveAllen in 1954 and performed together until Gormé retired in 2009. They also...
noticeably subdued tone. SteveAllen (no relation) took Fred's chair on the panel. During the final ninety seconds of the program SteveAllen, Arlene Francis and...
approach pioneered by Arthur Godfrey and previous Tonight Show hosts SteveAllen and Jack Paar but enhanced by Carson's lightning-quick wit. Former late-night...
performed "Playin' with Micucci" on the third Monday of the month at The SteveAllen Theater in Hollywood, California. In the act, she presented "songs and...
replacement. SteveAllen also utilized guest hosts, including Carson and Ernie Kovacs, particularly after he began hosting The SteveAllen Show in prime...
Meeting of Minds is a television series, created by SteveAllen, which aired on PBS from 1977 to 1981. The show featured actors playing historical figures...
guitarist, pianist, and songwriter Rance Allen (b. Monroe, Michigan) with his brothers Tom (drums) and Steve (bass guitar); another brother, Esau (percussionist)...
His long career began on television with work on shows with SteveAllen in The New SteveAllen Show (1961). He co-created Get Smart (1965–1970) with Mel...
accompanied SteveAllen, Eddie Fisher, Dinah Shore, and Kate Smith, and was a member of the original band for Tonight Starring SteveAllen, and was the...
SteveAllen's essentially identical "Answer Man" segment, which Allen performed during his tenure as host of The Tonight Show in the 1950s. As Allen acknowledged...
The SteveAllen Playhouse was a vaudeville and film theater in Hollywood, California. Located at 1228 North Vine Street, on the corner of La Mirada, it...
announcer, and later Tonight Show host, SteveAllen (no relation), before moving into film production. Allen became involved in film production at a time...
well-known sidekick of pianist, composer, comedian, and television host SteveAllen. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, Bivona began leading his own band...
part of the repertory company on SteveAllen's variety show, where he played the "extremely nervous man" in Allen's mock "Man in the Street" interviews...
Romero said Elvis Presley's 1956 performance of "Hound Dog" on The SteveAllen Show was a turning point in his life. He hitchhiked to East Los Angeles...
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