Chet R. Allen (May 6, 1939 – June 17, 1984) was an American

child actor The term child actor or child actress is generally applied to a child acting on stage, television, or in film, movies. An adult who began their acting career as a child may also be called a child actor, or a "former child actor". Closely associa ...

known for his role as Amahl in

Gian Carlo Menotti Gian Carlo Menotti (, ; July 7, 1911 – February 1, 2007) was an Italian-American composer, libretto, librettist, director, and playwright who is primarily known for his output of 25 operas. Although he often referred to himself as an American ...

's '' Amahl and the Night Visitors'', the first opera written for television, which he made with the NBC Opera Theatre.

Early life and career

Allen was born in

Chillicothe, Ohio Chillicothe ( ) is a city in Ross County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. The population was 22,059 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located along the Scioto River 45 miles (72 km) south of Columbus, Ohio, Columbus, ...

, and later moved to Columbus, Ohio. At the time he was selected as Amahl, Allen was a soprano in the Columbus Boychoir, founded in Columbus. He reprised the role of Amahl in April 1952 with the

New York City Opera The New York City Opera (NYCO) is an American opera company located in Manhattan in New York City. The company has been active from 1943 through its 2013 bankruptcy, and again since 2016 when it was revived. The opera company, dubbed "the peopl ...

, conducted by Thomas Schippers. In 1953, Allen starred with Dan Dailey in the film ''Meet Me at the Fair'' in the role of 14-year-old Tad Bayliss. That same year, he played the young teenager Jerry Bonino in the short-lived NBC

series Series may refer to: People with the name * Caroline Series (born 1951), English mathematician, daughter of George Series * George Series (1920–1995), English physicist Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Series, the ordered sets used i ...

'' Bonino'', starring Ezio Pinza as a recently widowed Italian-American opera singer Babbo Bonino, undertaking the rearing of his eight children. Mary Wickes co-starred as Martha the housekeeper.

Death

In 1984, at the age of forty-five, Allen died by suicide by taking five times the fatal dosage of an anti-depressant.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Allen, Chet 1939 births 1984 suicides 1984 deaths 20th-century American male actors 20th-century American male opera singers American male child actors American male film actors American male television actors Boy sopranos Drug-related suicides in Ohio Male actors from Ohio People from Chillicothe, Ohio Male actors from Columbus, Ohio Singers from Ohio Classical musicians from Ohio