Chad Allen (born Chad Allen Lazzari; June 5, 1974) is an American psychologist and retired actor. Having begun his career at the age of seven, Allen is a three-time Young Artist Award winner and GLAAD Media Award honoree. He was a teen idol during the late 1980s as David Witherspoon on the NBC family drama Our House and as Zach Nichols on the NBC sitcom My Two Dads. Allen later moved on to a career in adult roles, starring as Matthew Cooper on the CBS western drama Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman. He announced his retirement from acting in April 2015.
Early life Allen was born Chad Allen Lazzari on June 5, 1974 in Cerritos, California. He grew up in Artesia. Allen has a twin sister named Charity and a brother named Steve Lazzari who works for Union Pacific Railroad. He is of predominantly Italian origin, with a "dose" of German ancestry. Allen has stated that he was raised in a "strict" Roman Catholic household and regards himself as being a "deeply spiritual person" because of his upbringing. He attended St. John Bosco High School in Bellflower, California.
Career Allen guest-starred on several prime time series, including an early episode of Airwolf for which he was nominated as "Best Young Actor: Guest in a Series" at the 6th Youth in Film Awards and St. Elsewhere, in which he played autistic child Tommy Westphall (1983–88). The series' final episode, "The Last One", ends with the indication that all of its storylines occurred in Tommy's imagination. In 1983, he appeared on Cutter to Houston, playing "a kid who got hurt and had to be given mouth-to-mouth and carried to the waiting chopper by Dr. Hal Wexler (Alec Baldwin)". "I thought it was the greatest job I had ever gotten," he later stated. Allen's first regular role was as David Witherspoon on Our House (1986–88).
On November 5 of that year, the three-part mini series Straight Up premiered, where he co-starred with Louis Gossett Jr. In it Allen plays a teen tempted by drugs, while Gossett plays a magical character who operates the "fate elevator", so that each time Allen is tempted by a substance Gossett takes him on an elevator ride which shows the consequence of that substance.
In 1989–90, he had a recurring role as Zach in My Two Dads. Allen's next contract role was Matthew Cooper in Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman alongside Jane Seymour (1993–98). During the final season of his run on St. Elsewhere, Allen was teamed with his sister Charity Allen on an episode of NBC's Saturday morning children's game show I'm Telling!.
Starting with Third Man Out (2005), Allen starred as Donald Strachey, a gay private detective in a monogamous relationship, in a series of television movies for the here! network based on novels by Richard Stevenson. The sequel, Shock to the System (2006), was followed by On the Other Hand, Death (2008) and Ice Blues (2008). Allen noted that Strachey was the first gay character he had ever played outside of theater and that, though his career is "different" since coming out, he finds it "more interesting and fun for me than it has ever been."
When Allen was cast as real-life Christian missionary Nate Saint in the docudrama End of the Spear (2006) some conservative Christians lashed out at producers for casting an openly gay man in the role.
In 2007, Allen starred in the film Save Me. Developed and produced by Allen, the film was directed by Robert Cary and written by Robert Desiderio. Save Me, a film exploring the ex-gay movement, premiered at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival and was later picked up for distribution by independent studio First Run Features.
From June through August 2008, Allen appeared with Valerie Harper in Looped, a play based on an afternoon looping session with Tallulah Bankhead for the film Die! Die! My Darling!, at the Pasadena Playhouse in Pasadena, California.
Starting on September 23, 2008, Allen portrayed the love interest of Dr. Kyle Julian for five episodes of the prime time SOAPnet serial General Hospital: Night Shift, a spin-off of the ABC Daytime soap opera General Hospital.
In April 2015, Allen confirmed in a YouTube video that he had quit his acting career to become a clinical psychologist.
Personal life In 1996, at age 21, Allen was outed as gay when the US tabloid The Globe published photos of him kissing another man in a hot tub at a party. The photos were sold by someone who claimed to be a friend of the couple. Allen has since become an activist for the LGBT community in addition to his continuing acting and producing career. On January 17, 2006, Allen appeared on CNN's Larry King Live with then-mayor of San Francisco Gavin Newsom to represent his viewpoint in a debate over same-sex marriage. Allen thanked Newsom for his attempts to legalize same-sex marriage in the city. Allen has been featured in The Advocate magazine multiple times and has appeared on three of its covers.
In November 2006, The Los Angeles Daily News wrote in passing that Allen's partner, Jeremy Glazer, was also in the film Save Me. In a September 2008 interview with Out.com, Allen stated that he was currently in a three-year relationship and had been sober for eight years. In October 2008, AfterElton.com stated his boyfriend to be Glazer. In May 2009, Allen was the recipient of a GLAAD Media Award: the Davidson/Valentini Award. In his acceptance speech he said he had met Glazer, his partner, exactly four years earlier. They broke up in 2015.
Allen graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles in June 2015 with a bachelor of arts in psychology. He graduated from the Psy.D. program in clinical psychology at Antioch University New England in 2020.
Filmography Year Title Role Notes 1981 Simon & Simon Boy Episode: "A Recipe for Disaster" 1983–1988 St. Elsewhere Tommy Westphall 17 episodes: Recurring Role1984 Airwolf Ho Minh Truong Episode: "Daddy's Gone a Hunt'n"1985 Matt Houston Patrick Episode: "The Nightmare Man" Not My Kid BobbyTelevision movie The Bad Seed Mark DaiglerTelevision movie Hotel Bobby Cowley Episode: "Sleeping Dogs" A Death in California Glenn 2 episodes Code of Vengeance A.J. Flowers Episode: "Code of Vengeance" The New Leave It to Beaver Doug Williams 2 episodes 1985–1986 Webster Rob Whitaker 7 episodes 1985–1988 Punky Brewster ConradBrian 2 episodes1986 Happy New Year, Charlie Brown! Charlie Brown Voice role The Magical World of Disney Coop Episode "Help Wanted: Kids" TerrorVision Sherman Putterman Theatrical Release 1986–1988 Our House David Witherspoon 46 episodes: Main Role 1987 Tales from the Darkside Sandy Episode: "The Milkman Cometh"1988 I'm Telling!Celebrity Guest ContestantTeamed with his sister, Charity Allen Straight Up Ben 2 episodes Highway to Heaven Ricky Diller Episode: "The Whole Nine Yards" Hunter Danny Sanderson Episode: "Heir of Neglect" 1989–1990 My Two Dads Zach Nichols 26 episodes: Main Role1990 Camp Cucamonga Frankie Calloway Television movie Star Trek: The Next Generation Jono/Jeremiah Rossa Episode: "Suddenly Human"1991 The Wonder Years Brad Patterson Episode: "The Yearbook" DEA Michael Stadler 2 episodes Murder in New Hampshire: The Pamela Wojas Smart Story William Flynn Television movie 1992 ABC Weekend Special Sean Episode: "Choose Your Own Adventure: The Case of the Silk King"1993 Praying Mantis Bobby McAndrews In the Heat of the Night Matt Skinner Episode: "Every Man's Family" 1993–1998 Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman Matthew Cooper146 episodes: Main Role 1998 The Love Boat: The Next Wave Pete Dougherty Episode: "How Long Has This Been Going On?" 1999 Total Recall 2070 Eddie Miller Episode: "First Wave" 1999 & 2004 NYPD Blue Tommy IbarraKyle Tanner 2 episodes2001 What Matters Most Lucas Warner A Mother's Testimony Kenny Carlson Do You Wanna Know a Secret? Brad Adams/Bradley Clayton2002 Sexy Voice 1 Getting Out Steve 2003 Paris Jason Bartok 2004 Downtown: A Street Tale Hunter2005 Cold Case Monty Fineman 1985 Episode: "Kensington" Third Man Out Donald Strachey Charmed Emrick Episode: "Hulkus Pocus" End of the Spear Nate Saint/Steve Saint2006 The Pool 2 Mark Casati Criminal Minds Jackson Cally Episode: "The Tribe" Shock to the System Donald Strachey2007 Save Me Mark Terra Terrian Scientist Voice2008 On the Other Hand, Death Donald Strachey Ice Blues Donald Strachey CSI: Miami Barry/Stan Carlyle Episode: "Bombshell" General Hospital: Night Shift Eric Whitlow 5 episodes2009 Hollywood, je t'aime Ross Fright Flick Brock2010 Spork Loogie Dexter Lance Robinson Episode: "Everything is " For Better or for Worse 2012 Hollywood to Dollywood Himself
References
Further reading Dye, David. Child and Youth Actors: Filmography of Their Entire Careers, 1914-1985. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Co., 1988, p. 5. Lazzari, C. A. (2020). Separating Rope Strands: An Unraveling of Shame in Gay Men. https://aura.antioch.edu/etds/590
External links