Corey Allen

Born in Cleveland, Corey Allen began acting while attending UCLA. A proponent of "The Method," Allen found himself in the company of several like-minded young actors in his first film of consequence, Rebel Without a Cause (1955). Allen played Buzz, the high-school ringleader who dies horribly during the "chickie run" with James Dean. Though Buzz became a comparatively sympathetic character before his screen demise, producers tended to think of Allen as a surly, punkish type, and cast him accordingly. Frustrated with being typecast, Allen turned director in 1962. Corey Allen's theatrical-film directorial efforts have hardly been Oscar calibre (have you seen The Erotic Adventures of Pinocchio?), but his TV work has proven quite impressive, enough so to earn him an Emmy award.

~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide