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Penelope Allen

Penelope Allen

Actor · Born January 29, 1941 (85) · USA

Penelope Allen, also known as Penny Allen, is an American stage and film actress and acting coach. She is best known as the head bank teller being held hostage in the film Dog Day Afternoon. She also played Annie, the wife of Francis Lionel "Lion" Delbuchi in the film Scarecrow.

Biography from TMDB.

Born
January 29, 1941 (85)
From
USA
Works as
Actor
Titles
16 on MovieCove · 24 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 39 days to Oct 28Down 8% in 30 days

What are Penelope Allen's films like?

Across their 8 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Survival.

Genres

Drama3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 53rd percentile
: browse their Drama movies
Documentary2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 70th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Documentary movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
33%
Survival
18%
Society
17%
Ideas
13%
Self
7%
Power
6%
Morality
5%
Romantic love3 titles, browse their movies with this themeArt2 titles, browse their movies with this themeGrief2 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 8 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 3 · Serious 2 · Dark 3

Grounded: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their grounded movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 8 · Stylized 0 · Heightened 0

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 1 · Charged 4 · Intense 3

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

A split, not a type: Steady 5 · Shifting 2 · Whiplash 1

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 4 · Some laughs 4 · Funny 0

Slow burn: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their slow burn movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 5 · Even-paced 3 · Relentless 0

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 3 · Engaged 3 · Full focus 2

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 2 · Affecting 2 · Heavy 4

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 6 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 1

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Warm
6
Tense
4
Contemplative
3
Melancholic
2
Bittersweet
2
Other
2

How their films linger

Bittersweet4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteDevastating2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Happy3
  • Bittersweet2
  • Tragic3

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Penelope Allen's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 9 of their 16 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Penelope Allen's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

24 credits, 16 with a MovieCove page; 2 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • 37 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)

    as Wino

  • Passenger Side(2009)

    as Henrietta

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films

  • Three Days of Rain(2002)

    as Helen

    Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films

  • Things You Can Tell Just by Looking at Her(2000)

    as Nancy (segment "Fantasies About Rebecca")

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • Hurlyburly(1998)

    as Dry Cleaner

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films

  • The Thin Red Line(1998)

    as Witt's Mother

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • The War at Home(1996)

    as Marjoree

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • The Crossing Guard(1995)

    as Woman On Bus

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • Schemes (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)

    as DMV Lady

  • Bad Lieutenant(1992)

    as Doctor

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • The Bedroom Window(1987)

    as Judge

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films

  • American Playhouse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

    Show 1 episode · as Lee Brecker

  • Inmates: A Love Story(1981)

    as Gloria

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • A Time for Miracles (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)

    as The Farmer's Wife

  • Resurrection(1980)

    as Ellie

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • On the Nickel (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)

    as Rose

  • The Scarlet Letter (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)

    Show 4 episodes · as Mistress Hibbins

  • The Gardener's Son (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)

    as Mrs. McEvoy

  • Sybil (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)

    Show 2 episodes · as Miss Penny

  • Dog Day Afternoon(1975)

    as Sylvia

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • Scarecrow(1973)

    as Annie

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • It Ain't Easy(1972)

    as Jenny

    Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Doc(1971)

    as Mattie Earp

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • Oh! What a Lovely War(1969)

    as Solo Chorus Girl

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films

Career shape

Star power in the 90th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 24 titles from 1969 to 2014; peak year 1974.

Biggest box office

Dog Day Afternoon (1975)

$50M worldwide

Highest rated

Dog Day Afternoon (1975)

Midcredits 99th

Film career

19692014

Peak 1974 · fewer prominent film roles lately. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

  • 1971Screen debut· Doc

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting24 of 24: 24 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score57th

By decade

1960s1 · acting1970s7 · acting1980s6 · acting1990s6 · acting2000s3 · acting2010s1 · acting

Billing

usually 13th · top billed in 0% of 11 roles
7191

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.

How do Penelope Allen's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 57th percentile, the median of all 16; across their 8 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 52nd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

52ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 8

Approval · how many liked their films

54thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 8

Reach · how many have seen their films

45thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 8

Midcredits score across 16 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up7
  • 50th to 74th3
  • 25th to 49th5
  • Below 25th1

Shape of the crowd

6 of their 16 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved3
  • Crowd Pleaser6
  • Broadly Agreed2
  • Mixed5

Most divisive · actor

It Ain't Easy (1972)

78th percentile spread · 46% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

Dog Day Afternoon (1975)

Midcredits 99th · 90% liked

Reviewers score the acting 76/100 in their films, across 5 reviewed titles; fans 84, detractors 46. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Who does Penelope Allen work with?

People who share at least 2 of Penelope Allen's MovieCove titles; Al Pacino shares the most, 3.