Allan Jefferys

Allan Jefferys is part of that rapidly vanishing breed of people who saw combat in WWII(He piloted a plane load of paratroopers into Normandy on D-Day) and then scratched out a career in New York.

He has been a New York City taxi cab driver, short order cook, waiter, laborer, soda jerk, encyclopedia salesman, broadcast salesman, tumbler operator in a laundry, theatrical lighting designer, writer, radio & TV producer, newscaster, theatre director and actor.

For eight years, Jefferys was the Theatre Critic, Motion Picture Critic and Entertainment Editor for the American Broadcasting Co. In addition to writing and broadcasting close to a thousand reviews, he interviewed some two thousand celebrities -- ranging from a president of the United States to some of the most creative people ever known. During this period he also wrote and produced hundreds of film featurettes for TV news in the United States, Europe and the Caribbean. Recognized as a tough but fair critic by the Broadway theatre people, he served on the nominating committee for the famed Tony awards.

For the ABC Radio Network he developed a successful marriage between live and recorded music. This two hour nightly program (Allan Jefferys in the Land of Music) ran for almost five years and was named Number One Network Musical Show in an annual poll of the nation's critics. It was one of the last network shows to feature live music.

Prior to coming to ABC, Jefferys wrote, produced and starred in a top-rated daily TV program in Washington, D.C. He also did two television and one radio newscasts per day as well as interviewing some of the most important government leaders of the nation's capital.

He co-authored a novel (DJ) some years ago which sold more than a half million copies in paperback. His writing has also appeared in the Washington Post, TV Guide and other periodicals. He now lives with his wife, June, in Pinehurst, North Carolina. They play some golf but prefer American Rules croquet which, unlike the old backyard game is a combination of billiards and chess.