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As a break out star on WGN's record breaking series "Outsiders, actress/playwright/GLAAD Award Nominee Tina Alexis Allen is a force to be reckoned with in this clash-of-cultures drama rooted in coal mining Kentucky. With Oscar-nominated actor Paul Giamatti on board as an executive producer, "Outsiders" was the most viewed original series in WGN America's history. Allen stars as 'Shurn,' an integral and fiery member of the 'Farrell' family clan alongside 'Big Foster Farrell' played by David Morse ("Treme," "Hurt Locker") and 'Lil Foster Farrell' played by Ryan Hurst ("Sons of Anarchy," "Bates Motel").
The youngest of 13 kids growing up in Chevy Chase, Maryland, Tina was a tomboy at heart. After accepting a basketball scholarship to the University of Maryland, she caught the fashion bug, earned an MBA in marketing and moved to NYC. While spreading her wings in a corporate job for iconic 80's African American clothing designer Willi Smith, she spent her weekends seeing Broadway shows and igniting a love of the arts. Some soul searching led to Tina abruptly quitting her successful career in the fashion world to fully pursue acting. She has since been celebrated for her diverse range of roles in theatre, film and television, including a powerhouse executive, a transsexual, a mom, a housewife, and even a man.
Famed acting coach, Susan Batson (Oprah, Nicole Kidman, Juliette Binoche) has described her as "a true chameleon - capable of playing anything." In Los Angeles, she performed a 12-character one-woman show, Irresistible, lauded by critics as rivaling the work of Lily Tomlin. For her work in The Break-up Notebook, Allen was nominated for a GLAAD award alongside Glee's ferociously acerbic Jane Lynch. In addition, she starred in and produced the Slamdance Jury Prize Nominated film PHANTOM PAIN, and was the hilarious "Dr. Mills" on IFC's "The Onion News Network."
Allen recently wrote and performed her critically praised solo show, SECRETS OF A HOLY FATHER. Based on her own life, Allen yearns to understand the complicated and highly secretive double life of her father. By transforming herself into him, she took her father's journey, submerging into the Universal themes of family betrayal and redemption in a tour-de-force performance from the heart. Her memoir based on the solo show is due out early 2017 on HarperCollins' Dey Street Publishing. She is also currently developing the story for television.
In addition to acting, Allen merges art, fashion, and social consciousness with the NO MORE VIOLENCE jewelry collection that she co-founded with artist and designer, Gina Raphaela. Currently sold at Barney's, the Gina Raphaela brand uses deconstructed and transformed bullets as a foundation for daring necklaces, rings and bracelets. Their philanthropic mission provides a percentage of all proceeds to be donated directly to non-profit organizations while raising awareness and making a stand for peace.
