Joan Allen was born on August 20, 1956, in Rochelle, Illinois, as the youngest of four children to homemaker Dorothea Marie (Wirth) and gas station owner James Jefferson Allen.
Her mother's family was of German descent, while her father had English, Scots-Irish, and German ancestry.
Allen attended Rochelle Township High School, where she was voted most likely to succeed.
She joined the renowned Steppenwolf Theatre Company ensemble in 1977 and was one of the group's original members, starring in numerous productions.
Her early film credits included a comedic turn in the murder mystery film Compromising Positions (1985) and a dramatic role as a blind woman in Manhunter (1986).
Around the same time, Allen made a name for herself on the New York stage, eventually becoming one of the most honored actresses in the New York theater world.
She received a Tony Award for Best Actress in 1988 for her performance in Burn This and was Tony-nominated in 1989 for her role in The Heidi Chronicles.
Continuing her work in film, Allen received an Academy Award nomination for her role as Pat Nixon in Nixon (1995) and won awards from seven critics' associations.
She received her second consecutive Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination for her role in The Crucible (1996).
Allen's subsequent roles in The Ice Storm (1997),Pleasantville (1998),and Face/Off (1997) earned her high praise and several critics' awards.
For her starring role in The Contender (2000),Allen received Best Actress nominations at the Golden Globes, the Academy Awards, the SAG Awards, and the Independent Spirit Awards.
Throughout the early 2000s, Allen worked in both film and television, with roles in The Bourne Supremacy (2004),The Bourne Ultimatum (2007),The Bourne Legacy (2012),The Notebook (2004),The Upside of Anger (2005),and Death Race (2008).
Allen also received Emmy nominations for The Mists of Avalon (2001) and for her title role in the biopic Georgia O'Keeffe (2009),for which she was also executive producer.
She was married to actor Peter Friedman from 1990 to 2002 and has a daughter, Sadie, born in 1994.
