I loved living and breathing theatre so much that I decided I had to find a way to bring my desire to act and my ability to support myself together. I'd run through the possibilities in Washington, so that meant moving to New York.

She also teaches yoga. "I grew up moving almost every year and so I was always the new kid in school and always in a way was deprived of ever really having any lasting friendships" Allen said in 1987. Early life
Allen was born in Carrollton in rural western Illinois the daughter of Patricia Allen (née Howell) a teacher and Carroll Thompson Allen an FBI agent.

Allen has also had roles in films including National Lampoon's Animal House (1978) The Wanderers (1979) Cruising (1980) Starman (1984) Scrooged (1988) The Sandlot (1993) and Poster Boy (2004).