Sian Barbara Allen, best known for her role as Jenny Pendleton in The Waltons, has died at the age of 78.
The actress passed away peacefully on Monday, April 1, in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, following a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease. Her family confirmed the news on social media, with her sister writing: “My wonderful sister… died peacefully today after a long illness. This loss is too hard.”
Born in Reading, Pennsylvania in 1946, Allen began her acting journey at the Pasadena Playhouse in 1964. She made her television debut in 1971 on Alias Smith and Jones and quickly became a recognizable face on ‘70s TV, appearing in Gunsmoke, Love, American Style, The F.B.I., and Marcus Welby, MD.
Her breakout film role came in 1972’s You’ll Like My Mother, where she played a mentally challenged young woman. The performance earned her a Golden Globe nomination for Most Promising New Actress in 1973. It was during the filming of that project that she began a relationship with co-star Richard Thomas, who played John-Boy Walton in The Waltons.
Allen would go on to appear in two episodes of The Waltons that same year, playing Jenny Pendleton, John-Boy’s love interest. She also starred alongside Bette Davis in Scream, Peggy, Scream and shared the screen with Gregory Peck in the Western Billy Two Hats.
In 1976, she portrayed Anne Morrow Lindbergh in the TV movie The Lindbergh Kidnapping Case, further cementing her status as a go-to dramatic lead of the era. She rounded out the decade with multiple TV guest roles and even wrote an episode of Baretta, appearing in it as the detective’s cousin.
Her final acting role came in 1990 on L.A. Law, after which she stepped away from Hollywood to focus on family life.
Allen married actor Peter Gelblum in 1979. The couple had a daughter, Emily, and later divorced in 2001. She is survived by her daughter, grandson Arlo, sisters Hannah Davie and Meg Pokrass, and nephew Miles Bond.
Sian Barbara Allen leaves behind a quiet legacy of impactful roles across television and film — a familiar presence for many who grew up watching 1970s TV.
