Matinee Classics - Gracie Allen Biography & Filmography

Gracie Allen ACTOR

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GRACIE ALLEN BIOGRAPHY & FILMOGRAPHY:

Gracie Allen was born on July 26th, 1895 in San Francisco, California with the birth name Grace Ethel Cecile Rosalie Allen, born to parents George Allen and Molly Darragh. At the age of five, her father abandoned Gracie, her three sisters and her brother and they have never spoken since. From a young age she became involved in entertaining and would perform Irish Folk dancing with her sisters and they were called, "The Four Colleens". Along with still receiving an education she joined her sister in 1909 in a vaudeville act.

After graduating from Star of the Sea School for Girls in 1914, she was enrolled at secretarial school when her roommate asked if she was interested in working with a comedy act that was spitting up and she could choose between working with George Burns or Billy Loraine, for which she chose Burns.

This is how her acting career began and she became most well known for her comedy act with her one and only husband, George Burns called the Burns and Allen team in 1922. The couple married in 1926 and later adopted two children. They remained performing and married until she passed away on August 27th, 1964 in Hollywood, California after suffering from a heart attack.

Their show soon graduated from a stage act to radio in which the subject had to do with a married couple who worked in show business and had to deal with everyday issues. By 1948, the show had progressed to television at NBC and later they made the move to CBS.

Along with their work on radio and television together, the couple also made a number of films early on in their career such as, "International House" (1933) and "Six of a Kind" (1934).

Allen also added numerous film and television appearances to her resume in addition to the work she did along side her husband. Some of her film credits include, "The Gracie Allen Murder Case" (1939), "Mr. and Mrs. North" (1942), "Two Girls and a Sailor" (1944) and such television credits as, "The Bob Cummings Show" (1957) and "The Jack Benny Program" (1964).

After she retired from the industry, her husband tried to continue working without her by his side, but it was never the same and he was not able to reach the level of popularity that they had earned as a team.

Her remains are interred with her husband George Burns at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Glendale, California. In 1994, "The Burns and Allen Show" was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame and she was also honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for her contribution to the Television industry.