Does Joan Allen Have a Husband? She Was Married Once to Peter Friedman

Peter Friedman was once Emmy Award nominee Joan Allen's husband. The former couple share one child and even shared the stage on Broadway at some point in their careers.

Allen is a veteran actress who started her acting career after joining the famed Steppenwolf Theatre Company production in 1977 in Chicago.

Allen was one of the group's original members, and she starred in several of their productions. Her first notable roles were in two critically acclaimed movies, including "Compromising Positions" (1985) and "Manhunter" (1986).

Amid that period, she made strides in New York with her stage work and ultimately became one of the most awarded stars in the city. She won every prize for her performances on and off Broadway. She received a Best Actress Tony Award in 1988 for her role in "Burn This" alongside actor John Malkovich.

Allen was born on August 20, 1956, in Rochelle, Illinois, and is the youngest of four siblings. Her mother, Dorothea Marie (Wirth), is a homemaker, and her father, James Allen, owns the gas station.

Joan Allen Was Previously Married to Actor Peter Friedman

As for her love life, Joan Allen, whose Broadway success has been much like fellow star actress Idina Menzel - nicknamed Queen of Broadway) has only been married once. She was previously married to actor Peter Friedman, whom she wed in 1990.

The pair welcomed one child, daughter Sadie in March 1994, but they called it quits in March 2002 after 12 years of marriage.

Friedman was born on April 10, 1949, in New York City, and like his former wife, he is also a stage and film actor, not forgetting his work on television.

The father of one is known for his acting stints in movies such as "Single White Female" (1992) "Paycheck" (2003), and "Love & Other Drugs" (2010). Friedman has also been nominated for a Tony Award.

Joan Allen Discusses Her On-Screen Husbands More than She Does Her Ex-husband

Joan Allen, who received her first Academy Award nomination for her portrayal of Pat Nixon in "Nixon" (1995), met Friedman while starring in the 1983 play "And a Nightingale Sang," the Steppenwolf Theatre show.

They two later worked together on Broadway in "The Heidi Chronicles," (1989), and she received a Tony Award nomination in the Best Actress category. Allen has often played wife and mother roles and frequently talked about her on-screen husbands, except her former husband, over the years.

In May 2021, she recalled her role in the film adaptation of "The Crucible," where she played Goody Proctor, the wife of Daniel Day-Lewis's John Proctor. In the movie, she conceals her on-screen husband's infidelity during a witchcraft trial. "She's incredibly tormented, but she does it to protect her husband," Allen explained.

In June of that same year, the Academy Award nominee reminisced about her appearance in 1997's "The Ice Storm," wherein she starred as Elena Hood alongside Sigourney Weaver (Janey Carver). In the film, Allen is married to Ben Hood, played by Kevin Kline, who has an affair with her best friend (Janey).

Weaver once revealed that she was desperate to become a mom again after not spending enough time with her daughter due to work. In contrast, fellow actress Kathy Garver feared being a mom at an older age.

Joan Allen & Friedman Share a Daughter Who Followed in Their Parents' Footsteps

Joan Allen and Friedman's only child has followed in their acting footsteps. Born on February 21, 1994, Sadie has made appearances in both television and film.

The actress has appeared in the CBS drama series, "Blue Bloods," which started airing in September 2010 and is currently running in its 13th season. Sadie starred alongside Tom Selleck and Donnie Wahlberg.

In 2021, the New York native appeared in the movie, "Side Effects," a comedy about the COVID-19 pandemic era, alongside Josh Breckenridge and Doc Dougherty.

Sadie's most recent appearance is in 2022's dark comedy "The Cannibals'" which follows a family that owns Magnotti Meats and Poultry, a small butcher shop.