Billie Allen

Billie Allen (January 13, 1925 – 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 as a WAC on staff on the CBS army base comedy The Phil Silvers Show, from 1955 to 1959.

Life and career Allen was born Wilhelmina Louise Allen on January 13, 1925, in Richmond, Virginia. By the early 1980s, Allen was established as an impeccable director, directing such edgy and provocative productions as Kathleen Collins's play The Brothers in 1982, Anna Deavere Smith's Aye, Aye, Aye, I'm Integrated in 1984, and the musical Miss Ethel Waters. On the small side, Allen appeared in the opening sketch for Eddie Murphy Raw (1987).

Allen received a Lucille Lortel Awards nomination in 2006 for directing Funnyhouse of a Negro, a ground-breaking one-act play by Adrienne Kennedy, in 2006. She was also awarded in 2006, The Rose McClendon Trailblazer Award from the Classical Theatre of Harlem.

Personal life and death Billie Allen was married twice. Her first marriage to aerospace engineer Duane H. Grant, Sr. ended in divorce. Her second husband was Luther Henderson, a pianist, and prolific Broadway composer and arranger, with whom she had co-created the musical Little Ham, which was based on the play of the same name written by poet and playwright Langston Hughes. Allen and Henderson, who were both AUDELCO Award Winners, remained married until his death in 2003.

Billie Allen died peacefully at her home in Manhattan, New York City, on December 29, 2015, at the age of 90, just 15 days shy of her 91st birthday. She was survived by her son and daughter, Duane H. Grant, Jr. and Carolyn J. Grant; one granddaughter; several stepchildren; a brother, Dr. Edward B. Allen, and a host of relatives and artists that she directed and mentored throughout her long career. The writer Candace Allen is her niece.