John Victor Allen(I)

John Victor Allen was born in Knoxville, Tennessee to John William, a veterinarian, and Carol Ruth, a choral conductor. He moved to Texas at a very young age and was raised in rural Hopkins County where he developed a deep appreciation for the outdoors and hard work. Upon graduating high school, he attended New Mexico Military Institute and began working towards a commission in the United States Marine Corps. Due to an injury, he was unable to complete the commission and decided to continue his studies at Texas A&M University, just as his father, sister, and brother did before him.Without a discernible plan after college, John Victor moved to Dallas, Texas to be closer to his sister and her new husband. While working with his sister at her company packing boxes, he had a whim that would very much change his life. John Victor wanted to be an actor. Within a week after googling "how do i become a professional actor?" he got his headshots done and put together a resume consisting of the few plays he did in high school. Within a week, he secured three auditions resulting in three callbacks and two offers. For the next several years, John Victor was immersed in the incredibly rich fabric of the theater community in Dallas. Soon after, he decided to move to Chicago to pursue a larger market. John Victor immediately enrolled in the Second City's improv program where he met some of his very best and dearest friends. After completing the Conservatory, he and three of his closest friends formed a sketch comedy group called "The Dancing Pig." The Pig wrote and performed their comedy all over the city for several years, using their cerebral, if not irreverent, style that quickly made them a favorite amongst audiences and colleagues. Desperate to get back into performing full time, John Victor embraced Chicago's rich theater community and worked for several years with some of the most venerated actors and performers from all over the country, all the while learning invaluable lessons that continue to shape and mold his career on a daily basis.