Allen was born in Ventura, California, and grew up in Texas. Her parents divorced when she was young and married other people.[3] She has an older brother. When Allen was fourteen, she ran away from home and lived with friends for two years. She said in 1997 that her family was "very disorganized" at the time.[4]
She competed in beauty pageants as a teen and modeled for Budweiser, posing for billboards, catalogs, and calendars. She was also a spokesmodel for World Gym and worked as an aerobics instructor[3] before moving to Los Angeles.
Career
1994-1999: Days of Our Lives
Allen did not intend to become an actress, but met a manager and began getting acting roles.[5] She played the title role in the erotic film series Emmanuelle in Space (1994), before appearing [6][7] in three episodes of The Bold and the Beautiful in 1995, playing a character named Shelley.[5][8] She also guest starred on Deadly Games and appeared in two episodes of High Tide.[9]
Allen appeared in the comedy film Liar Liar (1997), co-starring with Jim Carrey.[13] She had a role in the thriller film The Haunted Sea (1997).[14] Allen made another guest appearance on Pacific Blue in 1999.[9] She played Dr. Katherine 'K' Harrison in the television film Avalon: Beyond the Abyss, co-starring with Parker Stevenson.[15] Allen left Days of Our Lives when her contract ended, last airing November 5, 1999.[12]
In 2005, Allen guest starred on Monk and Jake in Progress.[16] She had a regular role as Laurie Payne on the Fox series Head Cases, which was cancelled after only a few episodes.[27] She appeared as herself in six episodes of the HBO reality show Project Greenlight. The series focused on the making of the horror film Feast, which Allen had a role in.[28] She starred as herself on HBO's Unscripted, an improvised series about struggling actors, produced by George Clooney and Steven Soderbergh.[29] Allen was featured in Maxim magazine's Girls of Maxim gallery, and was named number 70 on the Maxim "Hot 100 of 2005" list.[30]
Allen played Casey Simmons in the film Best Mom (2018), co-starring with Donna Mills.[59] She starred as Jackie in the Lifetime film Party Mom. Her son, Jake Moritt, also had a role in the movie.[60][61] She also played Ruth Kelly in the Lifetime film The Perfect Mother.[62] Allen starred as Andromeda in the science fiction comedy film Eleven Eleven.[63] For her work in Eleven Eleven, she was nominated for Best Actress at the Burbank International Film Festival. She won the Award of Merit for Leading Actress at the IndieFEST Film Awards and the award for Best Actress at the Hollywood Boulevard Film Festival.[64][65] Allen played Camille in the Lifetime film I Almost Married a Serial Killer (2019).[66]
2020-2023: The Bold and the Beautiful
Allen starred as Carol in the found footage horror film Case 347 (2020).[67] She played Ruth in the comedy film The 420 Movie: Mary & Jane.[68] Allen played Mrs. Woodley in the Lifetime film The Wrong Stepfather, co-starring with Vivica A. Fox.[69] Allen played Jewel in the thriller film Shadows.[70] For her work in Shadows, she won the award for Best Supporting Actress at the Silver State Film Festival.[64]
In 2021, she played Tracy in the Lifetime film, The Wrong Mr. Right, co-starring again with Vivica. A. Fox.[71] Allen starred as Joan Carr in the thriller film Paradise Cove.[72] She guest starred on 9-1-1. In May 2021, it was announced that she had been cast in the thriller film Five Below.[73] She played Suzanne in the comedy film For the Hits.[74] For her work in For the Hits, she was nominated for Best Lead Actress at the East Europe International Film Festival and Best Actress at the Seattle Film Festival.[64] Allen appeared in the film After Masks, playing Diane in the "Quarantales" segment.[75]
Allen returned to daytime soap operas, playing the role of Taylor Hayes on The Bold and the Beautiful.[2] Her first air date was December 10, 2021. The part had previously been played by Hunter Tylo, who had last appeared on the show in March 2019.[76][77]
In April 2023, she was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her work on The Bold and the Beautiful.[78] In December 2023, Allen announced that she had left The Bold and the Beautiful, as her contract as a series regular had not been renewed and she had declined an offer to recur. Her last air date was November 8, 2023.[79][80]
Personal life
Relationships
On September 14, 1996, Allen married Justin Moritt, a production manager.[9][4] Their son, Jacob "Jake" Nolan Moritt, was born on July 12, 1997.[81] Allen and Moritt divorced in 1999.[9]
In 2002, she began dating George Clooney after they worked together on the film Confessions of a Dangerous Mind. They ended their relationship in 2004, but they were reported to be dating again in 2006 and 2008.[82][83]
On October 10, 2010, Allen married Mams Taylor, an Iranian-English rapper. They separated in April 2011 and Allen filed for divorce at Los Angeles County Superior Court on February 12, 2012.[84][83]
In November 2015, it was reported that Allen was dating actor Nathan Fillion.[83] They met when she guest starred on his series, Castle, in 2014. Their relationship reportedly ended after less than a year together, but some news outlets claimed that they stayed together until 2020.[85]
Other work
Allen had a T-shirt line for several years, called Superexcellent.[33] She has headlined clubs as a stand-up comedian and worked as a writer on comedy projects for Netflix and HBO.[64] From 2017 to 2018, she hosted a podcast, "I'm Fine" with Krista Allen, reviewing a self-help book with celebrity friends in each episode.[56]
Allen is a vegan. She has said that it, "reflects who I am as a person and my outlook on the world." She doesn't believe in forcing her beliefs on others, stating, "Those who want to make a change, will be open to learning and will eventually figure it out. It’s that simple."[87] She had a blog, Veggie Boom Boom, where she shared recipes and her thoughts about being vegan.[88] In April 2012, she wrote an article for the website Om Times about her journey to becoming vegan.[89]
Allen is a director and spokesperson for R.I.S.E. & Stand, a non-profit which helps educate and raise awareness about bullying, human trafficking, domestic abuse, and animal cruelty. She is an ambassador for Crisis Care L.A., an organization which gives food and support for families struggling through natural disasters. Allen has worked as a motivational speaker and educator for at risk youth and women.[64] She supports the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and No Kid Hungry. She has appeared in a promo for Dream Loud Official, a non-profit to save art and music programs in schools.[90]
Legal issues
In February 2018, Allen said that a woman had broken into her Los Angeles home and attacked her two dogs. Allen walked in on the intruder, who was attempting to steal a vibrator. The police told TMZ that Allen pinned the woman down after calling 911. The intruder had consumed alcohol and pills that were in the house. Allen's dogs recovered after receiving minor injuries.[91]
In 2019, she and her former Baywatch co-star Donna D'Errico were targets of a scam. They received offers to fly to Dubai, give a speech, and receive a $300,000 appearance fee. The scammer claimed to be from the office of the Deputy Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and said that the speech would be at an economic empowerment convention for small business owners. The contracts that Allen and D'Errico were sent seemed legit, so they both signed. The organizer in Dubai then claimed to have trouble wiring over the funds. Instead, the scammer deposited checks into the women's bank accounts. Before the checks cleared, the women were asked to donate $150,000 each to a fake charity. Allen and D'Errico became suspicious and decided not to send the donations or any personal information. The checks that the scammer had deposited were revealed to be fraudulent, and the actresses would have lost $300,000 if they had not backed out. Other targets of the scam were Taylor Armstrong and Dog the Bounty Hunter.[92]
