Joan Allen (born August 20, 1956) is an American multiple Academy Award-nominated and Tony Award-winning actress, perhaps best known for her roles in the films Nixon, The Contender, The Bourne Supremacy/Ultimatum and The Upside of Anger.

Biography

Early life

Allen, the youngest of four children, was born in Rochelle, Illinois, the daughter of Dorothea Marie (née Wirth), a homemaker, and James Jefferson Allen, a gas station owner. She has an older brother, David, and two older sisters, Mary and Lynn. Allen attended Rochelle Township High School, and was voted most likely to succeed. She transferred to Northern Illinois University in 1976, where she graduated. Allen began her performing career as a stage actress and on television before making her film debut in the movie, Compromising Positions (1985).

Career

In 1989, Allen returned to the stage and won a Tony Award for her Broadway debut performance in Burn This. She also starred in the Pulitzer Prize-winning play The Heidi Chronicles.