A Glendale native, Tom Allen first developed a taste for acting at Hoover High School, appearing in a production of The Importance of Being Earnest. He continued acting in a small way at Stanford University before heading off to law school at the University of Chicago, where he was lured back on stage by another production of Earnest.

After graduation he worked for a judge in Salem, Oregon, where he appeared in yet another production of Earnest, among other shows. He then went off to work at the Department of Labor in Washington, DC, where he continued to act, once in a production of Our Town, a play he especially loves. Returning to Southern California, he worked for the State while also acting in comedies and musicals, including Mame, The Music Man (three times), Oliver (twice), Bye Bye Birdie, Willie Wonka, and Guys and Dolls. This last show was at Glendale Centre Theatre, where he also appeared in two more productions of Earnest (his fourth and fifth). His “musical” career reached some kind of climax when he portrayed Man in Chair in The Drowsy Chaperone with JFed Players.

With the encouragement of his wife Cristina, he joined The Group Rep in September 2025.