Heywood Allen born Allan Stewart Konigsberg ; November 30, [ a ] is an American filmmaker, actor, and comedian whose career spans more than six decades. Allen has received many accolades , including the most nominations 16 for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. DeMille Award in He also published several books of short stories and wrote humor pieces for The New Yorker. In the early s, he performed as a stand-up comedian in Greenwich Village and then around the country, where he developed a monologue style rather than traditional jokes and the persona of an insecure, intellectual, fretful nebbish.
After writing, directing, and starring in a string of slapstick comedies , such as Take the Money and Run , Bananas , Sleeper , and Love and Death , he directed Annie Hall , a romantic comedy-drama featuring Allen and his frequent collaborator Diane Keaton. Allen continued to garner acclaim, making a film almost every year, and is often identified as part of the New Hollywood wave of auteur filmmakers whose work has been influenced by European art cinema.
In , Allen began a professional and personal relationship with actress Mia Farrow. Over a decade-long period, they collaborated on 13 films. The couple separated after Allen began a relationship in with Mia's and Andre Previn 's year-old adopted daughter Soon-Yi Previn. Allen married Previn in They have two adopted daughters. Allen was never charged or prosecuted, and has vehemently denied the allegation.
Both their parents were born and raised on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Allen's parents did not get along, and he had an estranged relationship with his mother.
Unlike his comic persona, he was more interested in baseball than school and was picked first for teams. At age 17, he legally changed his name to Heywood Allen [ 37 ] and later began to call himself Woody.
