--- name: "Nancy Allen" canonical: "https://film.one/person/nancy-allen" fi1m_id: "nancy-allen" imdb_id: "nm0000262" tmdb_id: 44038 wikidata_id: "Q283328" roles: ["Actor"] born: "24 June 1950" reviewed_on_fi1m: 4 average_fi1m_score: 88 average_as: "actor" average_over: 4 updated: "2026-09-17T14:34:33.226676+00:00" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Nancy Allen ## Identity Nancy Allen - **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/nancy-allen - **Type:** Person - **Fi1m ID:** nancy-allen - **IMDb ID:** nm0000262 - **TMDB ID:** 44038 - **Wikidata ID:** Q283328 - **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nancy_Allen_(actress), https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q283328, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000262/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/44038 Actor. Born 24 June 1950 in New York City, New York, USA. ## Details - **Work:** Actor - **Born:** 24 June 1950, New York City, New York, USA - **Active:** 1976–1998 - **Also known as:** Nancy Anne Allen, The Scream Queen, نانسی آلن - **Frequently works with:** [Brian De Palma](https://film.one/person/brian-de-palma.md), [John Travolta](https://film.one/person/john-travolta.md) - **Average Fi1m score:** 88, as actor, over 4 titles - **Fi1m score by decade:** 1970s 86 (1), 1980s 90 (2), 1990s 86 (1) - **Fi1m against the critics:** 88 to 84 across 4 titles - **Score spread:** 4 at 80+, 0 at 60–79, 0 under 60 - **Lead roles:** 2 of 4 acting credits billed first or second - **Genres:** Thriller 3, Crime 2, Action 1, Comedy 1, Horror 1, Mystery 1 - **Screen time:** 7 hours of reviewed films - **Box office:** $177m across 4 films with figures - **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nancy_Allen_(actress), https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q283328, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000262/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/44038 ## Streaming the US now - **Amazon Prime Video:** [*RoboCop*](https://film.one/film/robocop.md) (91), [*Blow Out*](https://film.one/film/blow-out.md) (88) - **HBO Max:** [*Carrie*](https://film.one/film/carrie.md) (86) For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country. ## Fi1m on Nancy Allen > Nancy Allen brings humour and toughness to genre films, and we value her plain-speaking presence in *RoboCop*. She makes Officer Anne Lewis worth knowing, even when the script seems content to leave her at work. In *RoboCop* (1987), Nancy Allen's Officer Anne Lewis has a directness that makes us wish the film would spend longer with her. She gives the policewoman enough life to stand out amid Paul Verhoeven's savage action without making the performance fussy. We were frustrated by how little we got to know her, because Allen made us care about someone the screenplay only partly develops. The film is exceptional; the attention it gives its supporting actors is less consistent. Before Lewis, the recurring collaborator was Brian De Palma, who gave Allen her first major role as Chris Hargensen in *Carrie* (1976). Their four films together ended with *Blow Out* (1981), in which she played Sally Badina. As Liz Blake in *Dressed to Kill* (1980), she added humour during rehearsals to a part De Palma had written to be played straight and aggressively. She understood that an aggressive character could be funny, and was willing to alter what was on the page. The move to *RoboCop* brought wider recognition and a role she would play in two sequels. She prepared for *RoboCop 2* (1990) with martial arts and police training, then spoke of wanting Lewis to become more confident and feminine in *RoboCop 3* (1993). That is a useful indication of how seriously she took a part the original screenplay had not developed enough. Neumeier and Miner give Lewis fewer complications than Murphy and tend to write supporting characters around their function in the satire. Allen makes us want more of the woman doing the job. The later supporting work includes Midge in Steven Soderbergh's *Out of Sight* (1998), a relaxed, funny film we recommend warmly. It belongs on the viewing list, though *RoboCop* gives us the clearest reason to put Allen there. Begin with Lewis, provided the evening can accommodate some savage violence. ## Biography Nancy Allen is an American actress. Born on 24 June 1950 in the Bronx, New York City, she trained at the High School of Performing Arts and began her career in television commercials before making her film debut in *The Last Detail* (1973). She rose to prominence in the 1970s and 1980s with roles in several films directed by Brian De Palma, including *Carrie* (1976) as Chris Hargensen, *Dressed to Kill* (1980) as Liz Blake and *Blow Out* (1981) as Sally Badina. Allen married De Palma in 1979; they divorced in 1984. She gained wider recognition as Officer Anne Lewis in *RoboCop* (1987), reprising the role in *RoboCop 2* (1990) and *RoboCop 3* (1993). Other credits include *1941* (1979), *Poltergeist III* (1988) and *Out of Sight* (1998) as Midge. Allen received a Golden Globe nomination and three Saturn Award nominations. She largely retired from acting after 2008 and has worked in cancer patient advocacy. *Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com.* ## On Fi1m (4) - *Out of Sight* (1998), Fi1m 86, as Midge — [page](https://film.one/film/out-of-sight.md) - *RoboCop* (1987), Fi1m 91, as Officer Anne Lewis — [page](https://film.one/film/robocop.md) - *Blow Out* (1981), Fi1m 88, as Sally Badina — [page](https://film.one/film/blow-out.md) - *Carrie* (1976), Fi1m 86, as Chris Hargenson — [page](https://film.one/film/carrie.md) ## Complete filmography (43) Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page. - *Bound by Flesh* (2012), as Voiceover - *My Apocalypse* (2008), as Linda Savage - *The Curse of Poltergeist* (2002), Actor - *Circuit* (2001), as Louise - *The Division* (2001), series, as Christine Ogden - *Kiss Toledo Goodbye* (1999), as Madge - *Children of the Corn 666: Isaac's Return* (1999), as Rachel Colby - *Law & Order: Special Victims Unit* (1999), series, as Carin Healy - *Secret of the Andes* (1999), as Brenda Willings - *Out of Sight* (1998), as Midge — Fi1m 86, [page](https://film.one/film/out-of-sight.md) - *The Pass* (1998), as Shirley Duprey - *Against the Law* (1997), as Maggie Hewitt - *Dusting Cliff 7* (1997), as Anna Bishop - *E! True Hollywood Story* (1996), series, Actor - *Valerie 23* (1995), as Rachel Rose - *The Outer Limits* (1995), series, as Rachel Rose - *Touched by an Angel* (1994), series, as Megan - *The Patriots* (1994), as Catherine Pelman - *The Man Who Wouldn't Die* (1994), as Jessie Gallardo - *Acting on Impulse* (1993), as Cathy Thomas - *RoboCop 3* (1993), as Anne Lewis - *The Commish* (1991), series, Actor - *Memories of Murder* (1990), as Alice - *RoboCop 2* (1990), as Officer Anne Lewis - *Limit Up* (1989), as Casey Falls - *Poltergeist III* (1988), as Patricia Wilson-Gardner - *RoboCop* (1987), as Officer Anne Lewis — Fi1m 91, [page](https://film.one/film/robocop.md) - *Sweet Revenge* (1987), as Jillian Grey - *The Gladiator* (1986), as Susan Neville - *Not for Publication* (1984), as Lois - *The Philadelphia Experiment* (1984), as Allison Hayes - *The Buddy System* (1984), as Carrie - *The Princess and the Pea* (1984), as Princess Elizabeth - *Strange Invaders* (1983), as Betty Walker - *Faerie Tale Theatre* (1982), series, as Princess Elizabeth - *Blow Out* (1981), as Sally Badina — Fi1m 88, [page](https://film.one/film/blow-out.md) - *Dressed to Kill* (1980), as Liz Blake - *Home Movies* (1980), as Kristina - *1941* (1979), as Donna Stratton - *I Wanna Hold Your Hand* (1978), as Pam Mitchell - *Carrie* (1976), as Chris Hargenson — Fi1m 86, [page](https://film.one/film/carrie.md) - *Forced Entry* (1975), as Hitch Hiker - *The Last Detail* (1973), as Nancy ## Gallery - ![Nancy Allen](https://film.one/media/person/9881/gallery-643963834143.jpg) Nancy Allen — Todoslosdias, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/23/NancyAllenactress.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled) - ![Press photo of John Travolta, Brian De Palma, and Nancy Allen (1981) in Los Angeles promoting Blow Out.](https://film.one/media/person/9881/gallery-6c84a6a49d99.jpg) Press photo of John Travolta, Brian De Palma, and Nancy Allen (1981) in Los Angeles promoting Blow Out. — United Press International, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/08/John_Travolta%2C_Brian_De_Palma%2C_and_Nancy_Allen_%281981%29.jpg/1280px-John_Travolta%2C_Brian_De_Palma%2C_and_Nancy_Allen_%281981%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail) - ![Nancy Allen](https://film.one/media/person/9881/gallery-00677eb0e4f6.jpg) Nancy Allen — Image via TMDB - ![Nancy Allen](https://film.one/media/person/9881/gallery-bd5d5977e4e7.jpg) Nancy Allen — Image via TMDB - ![Nancy Allen](https://film.one/media/person/9881/gallery-1b78dc1dc50e.jpg) Nancy Allen — Image via TMDB - ![Nancy Allen](https://film.one/media/person/9881/gallery-f15ede1c5dfc.jpg) Nancy Allen — Image via TMDB - ![Nancy Allen](https://film.one/media/person/9881/gallery-23f54d2a512e.jpg) Nancy Allen — Image via TMDB - ![Nancy Allen](https://film.one/media/person/9881/gallery-0ca93eb997de.jpg) Nancy Allen — Image via TMDB ## Awards ### Other awards — 0 won, 1 nominated - Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actress 1981: Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actress (nominated), for *Dressed to Kill* *From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.* --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/nancy-allen