Joan Allen was born in 1956 in Rochelle, Illinos, United States.
Daughter of Dorothy, a housekeeper; Y Jeff Alen, owner of a gas station; She is the youngest of four siblings.
He attended the Rochelle Township High School and then attended the Easthern Illinois University, where he graduated.
There he also met John malkovich, who invited her to go to Chicago to join the Stteppenwolf Theater Company with which Joan premiered “And a Nightingale“in 1977.
In 1985 he made his television debut with the series “Evergreen“, and that same year, he made his film debut with the film”Compromising Positions“(1985), starring Susan Sarandon, Raúl Juliá Y Edward herrmann.
The following year, the director Francis Ford Coppola gave him a chance in the film “Peggy Sue got married“(1986) together with Kathleen turner Y Nicolas Cage.
Satisfied with the work of the actress, Coppola entrusted him with the role of Vera tucker on “Tucker: a man and his dream“(1988), a film for which she was confined for years to the stereotype of the good wife, capable of holding the reins of the family.
In the middle of that year, Joan got married with Peter friedman.
Joan he was already a consecrated figure in Brodway, and in 1988 he won an award Tony What Best actress for his performance in “Burn this“.
In 1989, together with Bruce Willis starred “Memories of war“, then, for a few years he briefly participated in tapes such as”In Search of Bobby Fisher“(1993) and”Crazy Love“(1994).
In 1995 the director Oliver stone offered him an opportunity to shine in “Nixon“, in which Joan characterized Pat nixon as a manipulative, cold and distant woman who had her husband under her orders, Richard Nixon, interpreted by Anthony Hopkins.
Joan received a nomination from the Screen Actors Guild and to Oscar to Best Supporting Actress for this role.
The following year he played Elizabeth proctor, a pregnant woman who by defending her husband’s honor involuntarily condemns him to death, in “The crucible“(1996), adaptation of”Witches of Salem“, play by Arthur Miller against McCarthysm.
In 1997 he acceded to his first leading role in “The ice storm“, in which he put himself in the shoes of Elena Hood, a dissatisfied woman with an unfaithful husband, completed the cast Kevin Kline, Tobey Maguire, Christina Ricci Y Elijah Wood.
That same year he participated in “Face to face“, with Nicolas Cage Y John Travolta.
In 1998 it coincided again with Tobey Maguire on “Pleasantville“, in which she again defended the role of a diligent housewife named Bety parker. They completed the cast Reese witherspoon Y William H. Macy.
Already in the new millennium, she played the senator Laine hanson on “Candidate for power“(2000), together with Gary oldman. Her character as an independent politician, judged by her allegedly amoral past and her defense of the right to abortion, earned her a candidacy for the Oscar to Best actress.
Since then, Joan became a high school of luxury in commercial films like “The Bourne myth“(2004), starring Matt Damon, and where he played the role of a member of the CIA.
He also starred in minor films such as “Noa’s diary“(2004),”And it is“(2004) and”Beyond hate“(2005), together with Kevin Costner.
More recently she was seen in “Bonneville“(2006), a dramatic comedy with Jessica lange Y Kathy bates, and was again the CIA analyst Pat landy on “The Bourne Ultimatum“(2007).
Upcoming is the action thriller “Death race“(2008), and the last two films in which he participated are in the production phase: the drama of Lasse Hallström, “Hachiko: A Dog’s Story“(2008), together with Richard Gere; Y “Good sharma“(2008), a drama with Billy connolly.
In his personal life, Joan she was married until 2002 to the actor Peter friedman. He has a daughter by name Sadie.