Keith Allen

Keith Howell Charles Allen (born 2 September 1953) is a British actor, pantomime star and television presenter. He is the father of singer Lily Allen and actor Alfie Allen, and brother of actor and director Kevin Allen. Early life Allen was born on 2 September 1953 in Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, Wales, the second of three children of Edward Charles Owen, a Royal Navy petty officer submariner. His younger brother is actor Kevin Allen. He spent his early years near Swansea and in Malta, and most of his childhood in Gosport, Hampshire, while his father served in Portsmouth. At the age of 11, when his father was posted to Singapore, he was sent to board at Brentwood School, a public school in Essex. He was expelled from the school at the age of 13. At 15 he was sent to a borstal after repeatedly being caught stealing, later saying that he "had a great time" there. Career Early work After having several jobs during the 1970s, including a job as a stagehand from which he was sacked after joining Max Bygraves' chorus line on stage naked, Allen worked as a stand-up comedian and vocalist, opening for punk bands such as The Clash.