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:''This article is about the actor. For the hockey player/coach/executive, see Keith Allen (ice hockey)''
'Keith Philip George Allen' (born 2 June 1953 in Gorseinon, near Swansea, Wales) is a Welsh comedian, actor, singer and writer.

Contents

TV and film career

TV presenter

Music

Football

Personal life

Books

References

External links

TV and film career

He appeared in a number of films made by The Comic Strip Presents... (notably ''The Bullshitters'', a parody of ''The Professionals'') on Channel 4 in the early 1980s after becoming one of the breakthrough acts of the Comedy Store in 1979. The brother of comedian and film director Kevin Allen, Keith Allen has done both straight and comedy acting, once playing Brian Dennehy.
During the brief period of BSB as an alternative satellite broadcaster to Sky, he had a regular comedy show of his own ''I Love Keith Allen'' on the Galaxy channel, a mix of stand-up and sketches.
He appeared in the black comedy, ''Twin Town'', the Channel 4 adaptation of ''A Very British Coup'' and played the lodger who dies at the beginning of Danny Boyle's thriller ''Shallow Grave'' (1994). In the same year, he turned in a critically acclaimed performance in a BBC adaptation of ''Martin Chuzzlewit''. He was used again by Boyle to play a drug dealer in ''Trainspotting'' (1996). He also appeared disguised as a fictional hip-hop star 'Keithski' to present Top of the Pops on 19th July 1996. ^[1]
He also appeared in the hard-hitting hospital drama, ''Bodies'', as Dr. Tony Whitman.
In 2005 he appeared in the Endemol-produced BBC2 television programme ''Art School'' alongside Ulrika Jonsson, John Humphrys and Clarissa Dickson Wright where he discovered a passion for painting.
In 2006, Allen co-starred in the BBC's ''Robin Hood'' drama series, as the Sheriff of Nottingham.

TV presenter

He more recently presented TV documentaries for Victor Lewis-Smith's Associated-Rediffusion Television Productions: ''Little Lady Fauntleroy'' (2004), ''You're Fayed'' (2005) and on ''Michael Carroll - King of Chavs'' (2006). In 2007 his documentary ''Tourette De France'' appeared on Channel Four, in which he travelled with a group of Scottish people with Tourette syndrome on a Routemaster bus from London to the Parisian hospital where this condition was described by Georges Gilles de la Tourette in 1884.
His most recent documentary, ''Keith Allen Will Burn In Hell'', appeared on Channel Four in June 2007, and showed Allen profiling the controversial Westboro Baptist Church, led by Fred Phelps, and speaking to various members of the church and Phelps' family. Allen made no secret of his opposition to the Church's anti-homosexuality views, and repeatedly called a member of the Phelps family a fool, and labeled certain punishing passages of the Bible, "utterly, utterly fucking vile." He additionally referred to a member of the Church as a "redneck".
Allen presented the Manchester Passion, a contemporary retelling of the last few hours in the life of Jesus on Good Friday, April 14, 2006.

Music

He is a member of Fat Les, a band which also contains Britpop artists Damien Hirst and Blur bassist Alex James. Allen is also closely associated with the band New Order. He co-wrote their only UK number-one single, ''World In Motion'', and occasionally performed with them live. He also appears in the band's DVD ''New Order Story'', where he plays the host to a fictional New Order game show. He has also been involved in several other football-related records, including ''England's Irie'' by Black Grape and ''Vindaloo'' by his own group, Fat Les. He also contributed the song ''On Me Head, Son'' to the film '', credited on the soundtrack album to Sporting Les. He also once danced onstage with the Happy Mondays in New York City.

Football

Although born in Swansea, Allen is a fan of Fulham F.C., the oldest professional football club in London. He has produced a number of official songs for the club with his band Colin and the Cottagers singing with the club's chairman, and owner of Harrods, Mohamed Al Fayed. These include ''We're Not Real Madrid'' and ''Back Home'', a reference to the club's return in 2004 to its historic home Craven Cottage on the banks of the River Thames.

Personal life

He has eight children. These include pop singer Lily Allen, actor Alfie Owen-Allen and their sister Sarah Allen with his ex-wife Alison Owen. He was also married to Nira Park and was intimate with Julia Sawalha. He now lives with actress Tamzin Malleson. Their daughter, Teddie, was born in 2006. ^[2]
Allen is a keen conservationist and is patron of the Dorset Wildlife Trust.

Books

★ Grow Up, , Keith, Allen, Ebury Press, , ISBN 9780091910709

References

1. List of Presenters for Top of the Pops; bbc.co.uk; Accessed September 7, 2007.
2. Johnson, Sarah; "Actor chooses home birth shock horror"; Birth Wisdom; December 6, 2006.

External links

★

★ Interview from Alternatives to Valium

★ Guardian Unlimited profile