Allen was indeed born in Taipei, Taiwan, but quickly found himself, at the age of two, in the deserts of Saudi Arabia where he lived with his parents, other Chinese, some Greeks, and Indians until the age of eight.There he began proper schooling at The Continental School, a British establishment, where he was surrounded by kids from all over the world since The Continental School was the only option for Western education in that part of Saudi Arabia at that time.At eight, he immigrated from Saudi Arabia to the United States and spent the rest of his childhood, adolescence, and early adulthood in Northern Virginia.He has a BA in Theatre from the University of Virginia with a minor in English. He also holds an MFA in Acting from UC Irvine. Upon graduating from UC Irvine, Allen was cast in the Broadway revival of "Flower Drum Song" by David Henry Hwang (original book & score by Rogers & Hammerstein) where he originated the role of "Harvard".He resides in Los Angeles with his cat, Halo.