Richard Mann Allan was born on June 22, 1923, in Jacksonville, Illinois, to a farmer father, Robert, and a dietitian mother, Edna. He had two brothers, Edward and Robert Jr., and a sister, Catherine. Allan's early life was marked by a passion for dance, which he began taking classes at the age of seven. He was particularly influenced by the musicals of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, and he even performed his own version of their dances with a classmate.
As he grew older, Allan became a well-known dancer-singer-actor in Jacksonville, earning a scholarship to the University of Illinois to study theatre arts. However, his studies were cut short when he was drafted into the army and sent to Italy, where he was assigned to the officers' laundry detail.
After his discharge, Allan moved to New York City to pursue a career in show business. He landed a speaking part in the Broadway musical "The Red Mill" in 1945 and stayed with the production for its entire run. He then moved to Los Angeles, where he appeared in a series of musicals, including "Naughty Marietta" and "Wabash Avenue."
Allan's breakthrough role came in 1953, when he starred alongside Marilyn Monroe in the film "Niagara." The movie was a hit, and Allan won a Photoplay citation as "One of America's Most Promising Newcomers." However, he struggled to find consistent work in Hollywood, and he eventually signed a contract with Twentieth Century Fox.
Despite his early success, Allan's career at Fox was marked by disappointment and frustration. He was cast in a series of small roles, and he eventually became disillusioned with the studio's treatment of him. He was dropped from his contract and eventually moved to Germany, where he acted in a series of films with the German star Caterina Valente.
Allan returned to Hollywood in the 1960s, where he teamed up with the singer Diane Hartman to perform in a popular nightclub act. However, the act eventually came to an end, and Allan was forced to find a new career. He began working as a masseur, earning a living by providing massages to clients in the entertainment industry.
Allan eventually moved to Prospect, Kentucky, where he lived until his death from lung cancer on September 6, 1999, at the age of 76. He was buried in his family plot in Gillham Cemetery in Illinois.
