Biography

British stage and film actress Elizabeth Allan was born in Skegness, Lincolnshire. She made her stage debut at the age of 17; her movie debut came about four years later with an appearance in the Hercule Poirot mystery Alibi (1931).

At the beginning of her career, Allan mainly appeared in films for Julius Hagen's Twickenham Studios, but later signed a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. 1935 was a good year for the actress, with roles in two Charles Dickens adaptations: - David Copperfield (1935) and A Tale of Two Cities (1935) - and the star-studded horror Mark of the Vampire (1935).

Allan's relationship with MGM became strained after they announced her for a leading part in The Citadel (1938), only to then replace her with Rosalind Russell. Not long following this incident, Allan was again replaced in a successful picture, this time by Greer Garson in Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939). This was the final straw for Allan, and she successfully sued the studio, thus terminating her contract with them.

By the 1950s, Allan was taking on character roles. Notable movies of this period include No Highway in the Sky (1951), The Heart of the Matter (1953), and The Haunted Strangler (1958) (which turned out to be her final film). She also appeared on the UK version of the game show What's My Line (1951) as a panelist, which got her awarded with Great Britain's Top Female TV Personality of 1952.

Allan was married to agent Wilfred O'Bryen from 1932 to his death in 1977. She passed away on July 27, 1990 at the age of 80.
- IMDb mini biography by: Anonymous

Elizabeth Allan's family moved from Lincolnshire to Darlington, South Durham where she attended Polam Hall School. Although basically shy, she was a good student and won a gold medal in elocution and appeared in a school production of 'As You Like It',. However, her parents objected to an acting career, so she worked as a kindergarten teacher until they relented. She attended the Old Vic Training School in London, graduating with honors.

In 1927 and early 1928, she had walk-on roles in the Old Vic's Shakespeare repertory. Her first speaking part was the plum role of Maria in "School for Scandal" in March 1928. The next year, she appeared in "Michael and Mary", a hit play starring Herbert Marshall and Edna Best. Marshall recommended Allan to his agent, Wilfred J. O'Bryen, who took a major interest in her career and in the lady herself. Two years later, on June 6, 1932, they were married.
- IMDb mini biography by: Rms125a@hotmail.com