Peter Allen
Known for

Acting

Credits

14

Gender

Man

Birthday

10 Feb 1944

Day of death

18 June 1992 (48)

Place of birth

Tenterfield, New South Wales, Australia

Also known as
Peter Richard Woolnough

Peter Allen

Biography

Peter Allen (born Peter Richard Woolnough; 10 February 1944 – 18 June 1992) was an Australian singer-songwriter, musician and entertainer, known for his flamboyant stage persona, boundless energy, and lavish costumes. His songs were made popular by many recording artists, including Elkie Brooks, Melissa Manchester and Olivia Newton-John, including Newton-John's first chart topping hit "I Honestly Love You", and the chart topping and Academy Award winning "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)" by Christopher Cross. In addition to recording many albums, he enjoyed a cabaret and concert career, including appearances at the Radio City Music Hall riding a camel. His patriotic song "I Still Call Australia Home", has been used extensively in advertising campaigns, and was added to the National Film and Sound Archive's Sounds of Australia registry in 2013. Allen was the first husband of Liza Minnelli. They married on 3 March 1967, separated on 9 April 1970, and were divorced on 24 July 1974. He had a long-term partner, model Gregory Connell (1949–1984). They were together from 1974 until Connell's death in 1984. Allen and Connell died from AIDS-related illnesses eight years apart, with Allen becoming one of the first well-known Australians to die from AIDS. Allen remained ambiguous about his sexuality in that he did not pretend to be straight after divorcing Minnelli, but never publicly came out as gay either. He explained, "I was as out as a not-out celebrity could be then." Despite Allen's outgoing persona, he was an intensely private man who shared little about his personal life even with those close to him. Few people knew he had HIV/AIDS, partly in fear of alienating his conservative, heterosexual fans and thinking audiences would not want to see a performer they knew was sick. Description above from the Wikipedia article Peter Allen, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Known for
Acting roles
YearMovie / TV show / OtherRole
1995Peter Allen: The Boy From OzSelf (archive footage)
1985Night of 100 Stars IISelf
1984Miami ViceMan in Gallery
1983Return of the JediGeezum - Member of Jabba's Gang (uncredited)
1982The Pirates Of PenzancePirate King
1982Night of 100 StarsSelf
1978Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club BandOur Guests at Heartland
1975Les Rendez-vous du dimancheSelf
1968The Dick Cavett ShowSelf - Guest
1961The Mike Douglas ShowSelf
1958Kraft Music HallSelf
1952Joy of Living: The Art of Renoir
Credits
YearMovie / TV show / OtherRole
2004A Very Cool ChristmasOriginal Music Composer
1995KlashWriter