Judith Allen, born Marie Elliot on February 8, 1911, in New York City to Scottish parents, was a beautiful and talented actress who began her career in theatre at the Leland Powers School in Boston. She married pro wrestler Gus Sonnenberg at the age of 19, but the marriage was short-lived and she returned to her studies.
After changing her name to Mari Colman, Judith joined a stock company that toured the New England area. Paramount took notice of her and signed her to a contract, renaming her Judith Allen. She made her film debut in This Day and Age (1933),opposite Charles Bickford and Richard Cromwell, while keeping her marriage a secret from the studio.
Judith continued her career with Paramount, appearing in films such as The Thundering Herd (1933),Too Much Harmony (1933),Hell and High Water (1933),and Dancing Man (1934). She also worked with notable actors like Randolph Scott, Bing Crosby, and W.C. Fields.
In 1935, Judith married Irish boxer Jack Doyle, but the marriage was marked by ups and downs, including a boxing loss that damaged Doyle's reputation. The couple co-starred in the film Navy Spy (1937) but eventually split up.
Judith's career began to decline in the late 1930s, and she found herself stuck in second-string programmers. She continued to work in film, radio, and stage, but her leading lady career had all but vanished. In the 1940s and 1950s, she appeared in rare films and worked as a life insurance saleswoman.
Judith married a third time, to publisher Rudolph Field, but the marriage ended in a nasty divorce. She suffered a nervous breakdown after her mother's death and eventually joined the Mentalphysics Spiritual Teaching and Retreat Center in Joshua Tree, California. She became an ordained minister and spent her later years at the center.
Judith Allen died at the age of 85 in Joshua Tree, California, leaving behind a legacy as a talented but troubled actress whose life was marked by both triumph and tragedy.
