Billie Allen

Billie Allen (January 13, 1925 – December 29, 2015) was an American actress, theater director, dancer and entertainer. Allen was one of the first black actors and performers to appear on television and stage in the United States, at a time when those venues were largely closed to African Americans. During the 1950s, Allen became one of the first black entertainers to have a recurring role on network television when she was cast on CBS' The Phil Silvers Show, beginning in 1955. She was one of the first African Americans to appear on television commercials in the U.S. She was also one of the earliest African American actors on daytime soap operas as she appeared in the mid-1950s as the character Ada Chandler on the popular daytime soap opera The Edge of Night. Allen assumed the character of Ada Chandler, after yet another Broadway veteran and groundbreaking actor Micki Grant left the role as the original character "Ada Chandler." Allen was also known for her work on and off Broadway.

Allen was born Wilhelmina Louise Allen on January 13, 1925, in Richmond, Virginia. Her father, William R. Allen, was an actuary, while her mother, the former Mamie Wimbush, was a teacher. Her interest in the performing arts, especially ballet and opera, began early in life. A fan of singer Marian Anderson, Allen attended her 1939 concert at the Lincoln Memorial after the Daughters of the American Revolution barred Anderson from performing at the DAR Constitution Hall.

Allen attended the Hampton Institute, now known as present-day Hampton University. She then moved to New York City during the mid-1940s to pursue acting and dance. She was cast as a dancer in several Bradway productions early in her career, including the 1947 musical review Caribbean Carnival; a Broadway revival of Four Saints in Three Acts in 1952; and My Darlin' Aida, an adaptation of a Giuseppe Verdi opera, which also opened in 1952. She also appeared with one of her mentors, the legendary Ethel Waters in the revival of the off Broadway production of Mamba's Daughters.

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