Sian Barbara Allen obit

Sian Barbara Allen Dies: Golden Globe-Nominated ‘The Waltons’ Actress Was 78

 

She was not on the list.

Sian Barbara Allen, a Golden Globe-nominated TV actress who appeared in such hits as The Waltons and L.A. Law, died today at the age of 78 in Chapel Hill, N.C. The cause of death was Alzheimer’s Disease.

A prolific television performer of the ’70s and ’80s, Allen was born on July 12, 1946 in Reading, Penn. Raised by her mother and grandmother, upon graduating high school, she received a scholarship to the Pasadena Playhouse, which sparked her career. She studied with the highly regarded acting teacher Peggy Feury as part of the Journeyman program at the storied Mark Taper Forum.

Afterward, she was soon hired as one of the last contract players at Universal Studios, eventually booking roles on such series like Gunsmoke, Cagney & Lacey, The Incredible Hulk, Hawaii Five-0, Columbo, The Rockford Files and others. She was also the first woman to pen a script for an episode of Baretta, in 1978.

On the film side, she starred in You’ll Like My Mother, featuring Patty Duke, Rosemary Murphy and Richard Thomas, which garnered her the Golden Globe nod for most promising new actress in 1973. She followed that up with an appearance in the Bette Davis thriller Scream, Pretty Peggy. Other roles include the Western Billy Two Hats opposite Gregory Peck and Jack Warden and The Lindbergh Kidnapping Case with Anthony Hopkins.

“Sian was most often cast in roles in which her characters showed great vulnerability and uncommon empathy, which won her a legion of fans all over the world,” her obituary reads. “Sian also performed in the theatre. One of her favorite roles was Emily Webb in OUR TOWN at the Williamstown Theatre Festival in 1976. Sian later named her daughter Emily in honor of this beloved character.”

One of Allen’s proudest achievements was receiving the Key to the City of her hometown. After leaving the industry in 1990, Sian maintained an intense focus on politics. Along with then-husband, Peter Gelblum, and daughter, Emily, she volunteered for Jackie Goldberg’s 1993 city council campaign in Los Angeles, was a “staunch supporter of Cesar Chavez and the United Farm Workers and never crossed a picket line in her entire life,” her family said. She was also a “remarkable poet and leaves behind boxes of writing.”

Allen is survived by her daughter, two sisters, nephew, ex-husband, cousins and grandson, Arlo Fonseca, “who made her laugh more than anyone could dream.”

Writer

Robert Blake in Baretta (1975)

Baretta

6.7

TV Series

written by

1978

1 episode

 

Actress

L.A. Law (1986)

L.A. Law

7.1

TV Series

Diane Campbell

1990

1 episode

 

Tyne Daly and Sharon Gless in Cagney & Lacey (1981)

Cagney & Lacey

6.9

TV Series

Rhoda Duggan

1988

1 episode

 

Falcon Crest (1981)

Falcon Crest

6.2

TV Series

Mrs. Perkins - Adoption Agency Clerk (uncredited)

1984

1 episode

 

James Coburn in Darkroom (1981)

Darkroom

7.2

TV Series

Brenda

1981

1 episode

 

Lou Ferrigno and Bill Bixby in The Incredible Hulk (1977)

The Incredible Hulk

7.0

TV Series

Kathy Allen

1979

1 episode

 

Sword of Justice (1978)

Sword of Justice

7.3

TV Series

Emily

1978

1 episode

 

W.E.B.

6.2

TV Series

Angelica Hutton

1978

1 episode

 

Robert Blake in Baretta (1975)

Baretta

6.7

TV Series

Ellen

1978

1 episode

 

Kam Fong, Al Harrington, Jack Lord, and James MacArthur in Hawaii Five-O (1968)

Hawaii Five-O

7.4

TV Series

Kati Parisa

1977

1 episode

 

Raymond Burr in Kingston: Confidential (1976)

Kingston: Confidential

6.0

TV Series

Cynthia Marlowe

1977

1 episode

 

Smash-Up on Interstate 5 (1976)

Smash-Up on Interstate 5

6.0

TV Movie

Barbara Hutton

1976

 

Henry Fonda, Patty Duke, Charles Durning, Richard Jordan, Vic Morrow, and Barbara Parkins in Captains and the Kings (1976)

Captains and the Kings

7.8

TV Mini Series

Cara Leslie

1976

1 episode

 

Robert Forster, David Birney, and Richard E. Kalk in Police Story (1973)

Police Story

7.5

TV Series

Dana Vernon

1976

1 episode

 

The Lindbergh Kidnapping Case (1976)

The Lindbergh Kidnapping Case

6.7

TV Movie

Anne Morrow Lindbergh

1976

 

Eric (1975)

Eric

7.5

TV Movie

Marilyn Porter

1975

 

Kate McShane (1975)

Kate McShane

6.2

TV Series

Barbara Inerson

1975

1 episode

 

Kent McCord and Martin Milner in Adam-12 (1968)

Adam-12

7.7

TV Series

Sparky

1975

1 episode

 

David Hartman in Lucas Tanner (1974)

Lucas Tanner

6.8

TV Series

Donna

1974

1 episode

 

Noah Beery Jr. and James Garner in The Rockford Files (1974)

The Rockford Files

8.2

TV Series

Sandra Turkel

1974

1 episode

 

Raymond Burr and Barbara Sigel in Ironside (1967)

Ironside

6.9

TV Series

Susan Todd

Jane Spencer

1972–1974

3 episodes

 

James Brolin, Robert Young, Barbara Sigel, and Elena Verdugo in Marcus Welby, M.D. (1969)

Marcus Welby, M.D.

7.0

TV Series

Carrie Brandon Lyman

Renee Wilson

Ellie Bryant

1971–1974

3 episodes

 

Telly Savalas in Kojak (1973)

Kojak

7.1

TV Series

Lyndsey Walker

1974

1 episode

 

Billy Two Hats (1974)

Billy Two Hats

6.3

Esther Spencer

1974

 

Scream, Pretty Peggy (1973)

Scream, Pretty Peggy

6.1

TV Movie

Peggy Johns

1973

 

Richard Thomas, Will Geer, Judy Norton, Ellen Corby, Kami Cotler, David W. Harper, Michael Learned, Mary Beth McDonough, Eric Scott, Ralph Waite, and Jon Walmsley in The Waltons (1972)

The Waltons

7.6

TV Series

Jenny Pendleton

1973

2 episodes

 

Peter Falk in Columbo (1971)

Columbo

8.3

TV Series

Shirley Blane

1973

1 episode

 

Love, American Style (1969)

Love, American Style

6.8

TV Series

Jane (segment "Love and the Happy Family")

1973

1 episode

 

Bonanza (1959)

Bonanza

7.3

TV Series

Teresa Burnside

1972

1 episode

 

Patty Duke in You'll Like My Mother (1972)

You'll Like My Mother

6.5

Kathleen

1972

 

The Family Rico (1972)

The Family Rico

5.8

TV Movie

Nora

1972

 

The F.B.I. (1965)

The F.B.I.

7.4

TV Series

Bridy Nolan

1972

1 episode

 

Arthur Hill in Owen Marshall, Counselor at Law (1971)

Owen Marshall, Counselor at Law

6.9

TV Series

Meredith Carson

1972

1 episode

 

The Bold Ones: The Lawyers (1969)

The Bold Ones: The Lawyers

7.0

TV Series

Lauren Hazelwood

1972

1 episode

 

The Scarecrow (1972)

The Scarecrow

6.7

TV Movie

Amelia Reddington

1972

 

James Arness, Amanda Blake, Milburn Stone, and Dennis Weaver in Gunsmoke (1955)

Gunsmoke

8.1

TV Series

Allie Dawson

1971

3 episodes

 

Pete Duel and Ben Murphy in Alias Smith and Jones (1971)

Alias Smith and Jones

7.6

TV Series

Sister Grace

1971

1 episode

 

O'Hara, U.S. Treasury (1971)

O'Hara, U.S. Treasury

7.3

TV Series

Sheridan Lee

1971

1 episode

 

Self

Mike Douglas in The Mike Douglas Show (1961)

The Mike Douglas Show

7.1

TV Series

Self - Actress

1974

1 episode