Chad Allen

Chad Allen (born Chad Allen Lazzari on June 5, 1974) is an American actor. Image File history File links Chad_Allen_head_shot. ... June 5 is the 156th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (157th in leap years), with 209 days remaining. ... 1974 (MCMLXXIV) is a common year starting on Tuesday (click on link for calendar). ...

Chad grew up in Long Beach, California. He is the youngest of four boys and his parents were hoping for a girl. They got one, in the shape of Chad's twin sister, Charity. Chad was the "extra change", as he puts it. Long Beach is the name of several places: Long Beach, British Columbia, Canada Long Beach, California, United States of America Long Beach, Mississippi, United States of America Long Beach, New York, United States of America Long Beach, Washington, United States of America Long Beach Township, New Jersey, United States of... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 3rd 410,000 km² 402. ...

Chad got his start in show business when his mother started entering him and his twin sister Charity in "twin contests" at fairs; they won quite a few times. People kept telling his mother how cute the twins looked together, and that she should try to get the them into acting.

While Charity did not like show business at all, Chad was bitten by the "acting bug". It was soon decided that Chad Lazzari sounded like a name for a dark-haired Italian, not a blond, blue-eyed boy. Chad dropped his last name and started his acting career simply as "Chad Allen" instead. His first job was in a McDonalds television commercial at age four. His first dramatic work came at age six, in a pilot for a television series that never went into production, Cutter to Houston. McDonalds Corporation (NYSE: MCD) is the worlds largest chain of fast-food restaurants [1]. Although McDonalds did not invent the hamburger or fast food, its name has become nearly synonymous with both. ... A television commercial (often called an advert in the United Kingdom) is a form of advertising in which goods, services, organizations, ideas, etc. ... A television pilot is the first episode of an intended television series. ... A television program is the content of television broadcasting. ...

Chad's first big break in a television series happened when he was eight and joined the cast of St. Elsewhere as Tommy Westphall, an autistic boy. He played that character literally until the very end, when he was the last actor on-screen in the final scene of the final episode of St. Elsewhere in 1988. During that period, he worked continuously (and sometimes simultaneously) on a succession of other successful TV shows: Webster (1985-1986), Our House (1986-1988) and My Two Dads (1989-1990). St. ... Autism is classified as a neurodevelopmental disorder that manifests itself in markedly abnormal social interaction, communication ability, patterns of interests, and patterns of behavior. ... Webster or Webber - a weaver (originally a female weaver); operator of looms in medieval/early modern England Webster is the name of some places in the United States of America: Webster, Florida Webster, Iowa Webster, Maine Webster, Massachusetts Webster, Minnesota Webster, New Hampshire Webster (village), New York (a municipality) Webster... Our House was a family-oriented drama which ran early on Sunday evening on NBC from 1986 to 1988. ... My Two Dads was a sitcom that starred Staci Keanan, Paul Reiser (Mad About You), and Greg Evigan. ...

Chad filled his "spare time" by guest-starring in several other television shows, such as Airwolf, Hunter, The Wonder Years, Star Trek The Next Generation, In the Heat of the Night, Highway to Heaven, Simon and Simon, and appeared in ten television movies. He also appeared in several stage productions, as a guest on TV game shows and in a series of public service anti-drug programs. A guest star, relating to a television series, is an actor who appears on one or several episodes (playing a character or themselves). ... The cast of The Wonder Years in an early promo shot. ... The title as it appeared in most episodes opening credits. ... In the Heat of the Night is a 1967 film, based on the John Ball novel published in 1965 of the same name, which tells the story of a Northern U.S. African-American police detective who becomes involved in a murder investigation in a racist small town in the... Highway to Heaven was a television drama which ran on NBC from 1984 to 1989. ... Simon & Simon was the name of a detective series starring Gerald McRaney and Jameson Parker. ... A television movie (also known as a TV movie, TV-movie, feature-length drama, made-for-TV movie, movie of the week (MOTW or MOW), single drama, telemovie, telefilm, or two-hour-long drama) is a film that is produced for and originally distributed by a television network. ... A play is a common form of literature, usually consisting chiefly of dialog between characters, and usually intended for performance rather than reading. ... A game show is a radio or television program, involving members of the public or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, playing a game, perhaps involving answering quiz questions, for points or prizes. ...

During these years, he became a relatively popular teen idol, thanks to, as he later said, "a mega publicist, who put out an image of me that seemed ideal." He couldn't go anywhere in public without being pursued by his numerous fans. As Chad later put it, "It was difficult going to the malls, or trying to do the things I wanted to do. I felt bad in that the teen magazines portrayed me as a perfect teenager." Elsewhere he commented, "I was in teen magazines all the time and in reality, what was I? A 13-year-old who's as fucked up as every other 13-year-old across the country." A teen idol is a famous person who generates attention from large numbers of teenagers. ... A publicist is a person whose job is to generate and manage publicity for a public figure, especially a celebrity, or for a work such as a book or movie. ...

By the time My Two Dads ended in 1990, Chad was unsure about continuing to pursue acting. He was 16 years old, and even though he had gone to a normal primary school, he hadn't been to a regular school since age 12, instead being taught by private tutors on the set. He felt he was missing out on a normal life. "I left the business, went back to high school, joined the swim team, became vice-president of my class, did everything. I tried to be a normal teenager." He now describes it as "probably one of the best decisions I ever made", even though his fame initially made life difficult for him in school. "In high school I was sneered at a lot. I was the teen magazine guy, half the kids followed me around like disciples and the other half were going to kick my ass". My Two Dads was a sitcom that starred Staci Keanan, Paul Reiser (Mad About You), and Greg Evigan. ... Primary or elementary education is the first years of formal, structured education that occurs during childhood. ... A television set may be: An electronic device for receiving, decoding, and displaying television images. ... High school is the name used for the last segment of compulsory education in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Ireland, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Mauritius, New Zealand (in New Zealand college is more commonly used as a generic term for secondary school) Philippines, Scotland, South Africa, some established schools in Singapore...

After high school, Chad was accepted to New York University, however he decided to put off college when he was offered the part of Matthew Cooper on Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman. With this new role he became one of the few former child stars to successfully continue his acting career as an adult. New York University (NYU) is a major research university in New York City. ... The term college (Latin collegium) is most often used today to denote an educational institution. ... Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman was an American multi-Emmy Award winning dramatic television series created by Beth Sullivan, that ran on CBS for six seasons (1993-1998). ...

When Dr. Quinn was canceled after its sixth season, Chad said, "When we shut down I wasn't so sure that we were going to come back, I wasn't so sure I was wanting to come back. In six years, we had done ten months out of every year -- which is a lot of work -- in a remote location with a lot of dirt. But over the course of our hiatus everybody had been planning on it. They'd been writing scripts and stuff. So it was just a surprise. I'll miss the people. It was a fun part for me. I had a great damn time. We put so much into it for so long, and to not have the opportunity, as actors, to say good-bye to each other has been really gut wrenching. And to not be able to say good-bye to the fans has been hard, too."

Despite being busy on Dr. Quinn, Chad helped co-found The Creative Outlet theater company in 1995, and has appeared in several theater productions there during summer breaks. He considers theater to be "my first love, without a doubt". Chad has continued focusing his career on the theater since the end of Dr. Quinn, appearing in theatrical productions of *Change at Babylon in Los Angeles, Temporary Help in Seattle and Westport, Connecticut, and Sons of Lincoln also in Los Angeles. This article is about the largest city in California. ... City nickname Emerald City City bird Great Blue Heron City flower Dahlia City mottos The City of Flowers The City of Goodwill City song Seattle, the Peerless City Mayor Greg Nickels County King County Area   - Total   - Land   - Water   - % water 369. ... The Seal of the Town of Wesport, Connecticut Westport is a town located in Fairfield County, Connecticut. ...

In the October 9, 2001 issue of The Advocate, Chad announced he was gay[1]. He also acknowledged past problems with drugs and alcohol. Chad has also spoken to a number of groups and at events about gay rights issues including taking part in a forum on Larry King Live concerning gay marriage. He has also lent his support to a large number of charities over the years, including The American Diabetes Association, The March of Dimes, Project Angel Food, the Autistic Children's Foundation, the American Cancer Society, the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund, AIDS Project Arizona, and AIDS Project Los Angeles. October 9 is the 282nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (283rd in Leap years). ... 2001: A Space Odyssey. ... The Advocate is a national LGBT biweekly news magazine. ... In modern society, gay is a word which can be used as either a noun or adjective. ... The gay rights movement is a collection of loosely aligned civil rights groups, human rights groups, support groups and political activists seeking acceptance, tolerance and equality for non-heterosexual, (homosexual, bisexual), and transgender people - despite the fact that it is typically referred to as the gay rights movement, members also... Larry King Live is a nightly CNN interview program hosted by Larry King. ... Same-sex marriage is marriage between individuals who are of the same legal or biological sex. ... The March of Dimes is a voluntary health charity founded in 1938 by United States President Franklin Delano Roosevelt as the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis to defeat polio, a disease which crippled him. ... The American Cancer Society is a charitable organization dedicated to eliminating cancer. ... The Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund is an American political action committee, dedicating to increasing the number of openly LGBT public officials in US political life. ...

In 2001, the same year as he came out in The Advocate, Chad proved wrong all the critics who said he would have a hard time finding work as actor. Three movies followed that year - A Mother’s Testimony (co-starring with Kate Jackson), the horror movie Do You Wanna Know a Secret, and the critically acclaimed independent movie What Matters Most. The latter one earned Chad several nominations in the best actor category. In addition to the movies he made that year, he also stepped back on stage in two theatre productions; Mike Ambrose's play Dearboy’s War – which addressed the treatment of gay soldiers and the meaning of freedom and the controversial Corpus Christi in which he starred and produced for it’s Los Angeles premiere. Chad also landed the starring role of missionary Steve Saint in the 2006 docudrama "End of the Spear," despite his sexual preferences. However, the movie was not as well-recieved by the Christian community (to whom the flick was primarily marketed) because of his stance on homosexuality. Coming out of the closet (very often shortened to coming out in winking reference to the public introduction of debutantes) describes the voluntary public announcement of ones sexual orientation, sexual attractions, gender identity, or (less commonly) paraphilia. ... Catherine Elise Kate Jackson (born on October 29, 1948 in Birmingham, Alabama) is an American actress best known for her role as Sabrina Duncan in the 1970s television series Charlies Angels. ... An Independent film (or indie film) is a film initially produced without financing or distribution from a major movie studio. ... Corpus Christi is a passion play by Terrence McNally dramatizing the story of Christ and the Apostles. ... This article is about the largest city in California. ... Tagline: Dare to make contact! The End of the Spear is a docudrama film which tells the story of five American missionaries to the Waodani Indians of the Ecuadorian jungles. ... Human sexuality is the expression of sexual feelings. ... As a noun, Christian is an appellation and moniker deriving from the appellation Christ, which many people associate exclusively with Jesus of Nazareth. ...

Bio courtesy of Chad Allen's official Fan site. Posted with permission.

External links

• Chad Allen at the Internet Movie Database
• Chad Allen Online: The Official Fan site
• Mythgarden: Production company