- Born
- Died
- Birth nameRaffaella Julia Theresa Abruzzo
- The actress, singer and stage director Rae Allen was born Raffaella Julia Theresa Abruzzo in Brooklyn, New York, to Joseph and Julia Abruzzo (née Riccio). She attended New York University and later studied drama at the Herbert Berghof Studio in Greenwich Village and at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts from which she graduated in 1947. Rae made her theatrical debut on Broadway the following year as a singer and understudy in Where's Charley?, then co-starred alongside Ethel Merman in Call Me Madam and with Gwen Verdon in the original Broadway production of Damn Yankees (a Tony Award-nominated role she later reprised for the film adaptation). In 1971, she won the Tony as Best Featured Actress for her role as Fleur Stein in the darkly comedic play And Miss Reardon Drinks a Little.
On screen from 1958, Rae made sporadic guest appearances in serial television, including in The Untouchables (1959), Car 54, Where Are You? (1961), Soap (1977), Lou Grant (1977) and Hill Street Blues (1981). Perhaps her most memorable recurring role was that of Quintina Blundetto, mother of one Tony (Steve Buscemi) and aunt to another (James Gandolfini) in The Sopranos (1999). Her infrequent forays to the big screen included Stargate (1994) (as research scientist Barbara Shore) and A League of Their Own (1992) (as the mother of aspiring baseball players, portrayed by Geena Davis and Lori Petty). Dividing her time equally between stage and screen, the energetic performer was also busy as a theatrical director from 1972 to 1979, notably at Stage West in Springfield, Massachusetts. Rae Allen was twice married and divorced. She passed away at the venerable age of 95 on April 6 2022.- IMDb Mini Biography By: I.S.Mowis
- SpousesHerbert Harris (divorced)John M. Allen (divorced)
- Won Broadway's 1971 Tony Award as Best Supporting or Featured Actress (Dramatic) for "And Miss Reardon Drinks a Little." She had received two prior Tony nominations: in 1956, as Best Supporting or Featured Actress (Musical) for "Damn Yankees!," a role she recreated in the film version Damn Yankees (1958), and in 1965, as Best Supporting or Featured Actress (Dramatic) for "Traveller Without Luggage.".
- She studied drama at the HB Studio in Greenwich Village in New York City.
- Alumna of the AADA (American Academy of Dramatic Arts), Class of 1947.
- Appeared in an episode of "Lou Grant", a series which starred Nancy Marchand. Both of these talented women appeared in "The Sopranos" although Marchand had passed away before Allen appeared in that series.
- She graduated from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in 1947.
- Every actor needs a director who believes in him but he also needs a challenging play, something that makes him wrap his gums around the part.
- The different mediums emphasize different training methods but it's all applicable toward an effective performance. You have to tap into it.
- I applied for a graduate fellowship to New York University to study directing. I had never completed an undergraduate degree because I had dropped out to join the cast of Fiddler on the Roof [the Broadway production of 1968] so I had to make up some course credits. I managed to earn both my BFA and MFA over the next three years.
- I ran the Springfield Theatre Company in Massachusetts for three years at the same time I was working with ETC Theatre Company in New York. I'd drive back and forth, spending Sunday and Monday in New York, the rest of the week in Springfield. It wasn't tiring because there was too much excitement in both venues.
- I got a call from Jane Deknatel in Australia who had some money pledged toward the arts by newspaper tycoon Kerry Packer. Jane said, "I can't get actors, directors and producers down here to talk to each other. Will you come down and help me develop a program for better communication?" When I went there, we interviewed 200 people for our class and accepted 30. We developed a radical approach to film acting which led individuals to a camera breakthrough with a maximum of self.
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