Billie Allen (January 13, 1925 â€" December 29, 2015) was an American
actress, theater director, dancer and entertainer. Allen was one of
the first black actors and performers to appear on television and
stage in the United States, at a time when those venues were largely
closed to African Americans. During the 1950s, Allen became one of the
first black entertainers to have a recurring role on network
television when she was cast on CBS' The Phil Silvers Show, beginning
in 1955. She was one of the first African Americans to appear on
television commercials in the U.S. She was also one of the earliest
African American actors on daytime soap operas as she appeared in the
mid-1950s as the character Ada Chandler on the popular daytime soap
opera The Edge of Night. Allen assumed the character of Ada Chandler,
after yet another Broadway veteran and groundbreaking actor Micki
Grant left the role as the original character "Ada Chandler." Allen
was also known for her work on and off Broadway.Allen was born
Wilhelmina Louise Allen on January 13, 1925, in Richmond, Virginia.
Her father, William R. Allen, was an actuary, while her mother, the
former Mamie Wimbush, was a teacher. Her interest in the performing
arts, especially ballet and opera, began early in life. A fan of
singer Marian Anderson, Allen attended her 1939 concert at the Lincoln
Memorial after the Daughters of the American Revolution barred
Anderson from performing at the DAR Constitution Hall.Allen attended
the Hampton Institute, now known as present-day Hampton University.
She then moved to New York City during the mid-1940s to pursue acting
and dance. She was cast as a dancer in several Bradway productions
early in her career, including the 1947 musical review Caribbean
Carnival; a Broadway revival of Four Saints in Three Acts in 1952; and
My Darlin' Aida, an adaptation of a Giuseppe Verdi opera, which also
opened in 1952. She also appeared with one of her mentors, the
legendary Ethel Waters in the revival of the off Broadway production
of Mamba's Daughters.Allen was accepted into the Actors Studio, where
she studied under the renowned acting teacher and actor Lee Strasberg.
She was later cast as understudy in the part of "Beneatha Younger" in
the 1959 Broadway premier production of playwright Lorraine
Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun. She later assumed the full-time role
of "Beneatha Younger" when actress and friend Diana Sands exited the
role. Allen befriended several members of the cast, notably actress
Ruby Dee, with whom she shared a friendship that lasted over 55 years.
She later directed her lifelong friend Ruby Dee in the 2001
off-Broadway dramatic play, Saint Lucy's Eyes which premiered at the
Cherry Lane Theatre in New York and was later staged and directed by
Allen in the early 2000s at Atlanta, Georgia's Alliance Theatre.
actress, theater director, dancer and entertainer. Allen was one of
the first black actors and performers to appear on television and
stage in the United States, at a time when those venues were largely
closed to African Americans. During the 1950s, Allen became one of the
first black entertainers to have a recurring role on network
television when she was cast on CBS' The Phil Silvers Show, beginning
in 1955. She was one of the first African Americans to appear on
television commercials in the U.S. She was also one of the earliest
African American actors on daytime soap operas as she appeared in the
mid-1950s as the character Ada Chandler on the popular daytime soap
opera The Edge of Night. Allen assumed the character of Ada Chandler,
after yet another Broadway veteran and groundbreaking actor Micki
Grant left the role as the original character "Ada Chandler." Allen
was also known for her work on and off Broadway.Allen was born
Wilhelmina Louise Allen on January 13, 1925, in Richmond, Virginia.
Her father, William R. Allen, was an actuary, while her mother, the
former Mamie Wimbush, was a teacher. Her interest in the performing
arts, especially ballet and opera, began early in life. A fan of
singer Marian Anderson, Allen attended her 1939 concert at the Lincoln
Memorial after the Daughters of the American Revolution barred
Anderson from performing at the DAR Constitution Hall.Allen attended
the Hampton Institute, now known as present-day Hampton University.
She then moved to New York City during the mid-1940s to pursue acting
and dance. She was cast as a dancer in several Bradway productions
early in her career, including the 1947 musical review Caribbean
Carnival; a Broadway revival of Four Saints in Three Acts in 1952; and
My Darlin' Aida, an adaptation of a Giuseppe Verdi opera, which also
opened in 1952. She also appeared with one of her mentors, the
legendary Ethel Waters in the revival of the off Broadway production
of Mamba's Daughters.Allen was accepted into the Actors Studio, where
she studied under the renowned acting teacher and actor Lee Strasberg.
She was later cast as understudy in the part of "Beneatha Younger" in
the 1959 Broadway premier production of playwright Lorraine
Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun. She later assumed the full-time role
of "Beneatha Younger" when actress and friend Diana Sands exited the
role. Allen befriended several members of the cast, notably actress
Ruby Dee, with whom she shared a friendship that lasted over 55 years.
She later directed her lifelong friend Ruby Dee in the 2001
off-Broadway dramatic play, Saint Lucy's Eyes which premiered at the
Cherry Lane Theatre in New York and was later staged and directed by
Allen in the early 2000s at Atlanta, Georgia's Alliance Theatre.
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