After a career as magazine editor, Hollywood newspaper columnist and literary agent, entered films as a producer in 1951. Allen won an Oscar for the documentary "The Sea Around Us" (1953), and subsequently specialized in big-budget adventure, sci-fi and disaster films ("The Big Circus" 1959, "The Lost World" 1960, "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea" 1961), earning the nickname "Master of Disaster." Standouts include the silly but commercially successful and surprisingly engrossing "The Poseidon Adventure" (1972) and "The Towering Inferno" (1974). As a television producer he was responsible for the popular sci-fi fantasy series "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea" (1964-67), "Lost in Space" (1965-67), "Land of the Giants" (1968-69) and "The Swiss Family Robinson" (1975).
- Born:
June 12, 1916 in New York City, New York, USA
- Died:
November 2, 1991.
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Job Titles:
Director, Producer, Screenwriter, Radio news commentator, TV quiz show host, Advertising executive, Magazine editor, Syndicated newspaper columnist
Significant Others
Education
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Columbia University, New York, New York, journalism and advertising
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City College of New York, New York, New York
Milestones
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1938 Went to Hollywood as editor of Key magazine
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1939 Produced and directed daily Hollywood radio program for 11 years
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1951 First film as co-producer, Double Dynamite
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1952 Directorial debut, The Sea Around Us (also producer and writer)
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1952 First film as solo producer, A Girl in Every Port
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Formed own literary agency
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Set up Windsor Productions
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Wrote a syndicated Hollywood newspaper column