Sian Barbara Allen

Sian Barbara Allen was born Barbara Susan Pokrass in Reading, Pennsylvania on July 12, 1946. She studied at the Pasadena Playhouse from 1964 to 1965. Her performance as the mentally challenged Kathleen in "You'll Like My Mother" (1972) opposite Patty Duke, Rosemary Murphy and Richard Thomas earned her a 1973 Golden Globe nomination for "Most Promising New Actress". While working on "You'll Like My Mother" Sian Barbara met and fell in love with the man playing her character's psychopathic brother, actor Richard Thomas. The two began a relationship that lasted for several years in the 1970's. Richard Thomas went on to play John-Boy on the hit TV show The Waltons (1972). When the writers of The Waltons wanted to do a love story for John-Boy in the first season, Thomas suggested his real-life girlfriend play his onscreen love interest. Sian appeared as "Jenny Pendleton" in the episode "The Love Story," which earned Richard Thomas his Emmy award in 1973. Sian portrayed the titular character Peggy Johns in the 1973 TV movie "Scream, Pretty Peggy" with Bette Davis and Ted Bessell. Sian worked steadily as a TV actress throughout the 1970s, appearing on shows like The Rockford Files (1974), Ironside (1967), Bonanza (1959), Gunsmoke (1955) and many others. She also wrote a script for an episode of the fourth season of "Baretta." Her last on screen role was in the L.A. Law (1986) episode, "Whatever Happened to Hannah?" Sian ended her acting career after marrying and giving birth to a daughter. She now channels her creativity into writing. She is the older sister of flash fiction author, editor, and teacher Meg Pokrass. She lives in Portland, Oregon.