The son of vaudeville comedians Carroll Allen and Belle Montrose, Allen spent much of his childhood in Chicago after his father's early death. He attended public schools there and briefly studied at Arizona State Teachers College before leaving to work in radio. By the 1940s he was a disc jockey and comedy writer in Phoenix and Los Angeles, developing the quick, improvisational style that would define his television work.
In 1953 he began hosting a local late-night television show in New York, and NBC moved him to the network's new late-night program, which became The Tonight Show, in 1954. As its first host, Allen established the format of opening monologue, comic sketches, celebrity interviews, and music, with Skitch Henderson as bandleader. He left in 1957 and moved to prime time with The Steve Allen Show, a Sunday-night variety series featuring absurdist sketches and such regulars as Don Knotts, Tom Poston, and Louis Nye. The show is remembered for presenting Elvis Presley in a tuxedo, singing 'Hound Dog' to a basset hound.
Allen's interests ranged beyond comedy. An accomplished pianist, he wrote thousands of songs, including 'This Could Be the Start of Something Big,' and supplied lyrics for 'The Gravy Waltz.' He also wrote more than 50 books on subjects from humor to speechmaking and social criticism, and hosted the game show I've Got a Secret from 1964 to 1967. In 1977 he created and hosted the PBS series Meeting of Minds, in which actors portrayed historical figures in moderated conversations.
His first marriage, to Dorothy Goodman, ended in divorce; in 1954 he married actress Jayne Meadows, with whom he had a son, Bill, and the couple remained together until his death in 2000. Allen remained active as a writer and performer in his later years, and he died after a heart attack in 2000.
Steve Allen was born on December 26, 1921 in New York City, New York, United States. In Cardology (Destiny Cards), December 26, 1921 corresponds to the Five of Hearts, making the Five of Hearts his Birth Card.
In numerology, the name adds another layer to the birth-date profile. The letters of a person’s name are used to explore inner motivation, personality, expression, and the qualities they bring into relationships and everyday life. Explore how his original name Stephen Valentine Patrick William Allen influences his life and personality.
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