Allison was raised 20 miles south of Lake Erie, in the small rural farming town of Edinboro, Pennsylvania. Her mother, Sandra Leichtenberger, an ER/Cardiac Care Charge nurse, and her father, Edward McAtee, a teacher and later Director of Special Education programs in Pennsylvania, divorced when Allison was 3 years of age. Both of her parents later remarried. Allison's father comes from a family of nine, so although she has no blood related siblings, Allison was fortunate enough to be surrounded by many cousins, as well as two step brothers growing up. She maintains wonderful relationships with her family and spends as much time as possible where she was raised.At the age of 14, Allison was discovered in a doctor's office by model scout/agent Andrew Broz, with whom she maintains a very close relationship to this day. Allison started modeling in Toronto and then spent subsequent summers modeling in Manhattan. After completing high school, Allison moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to study Theatre at the University of Pittsburgh. She also spent a semester abroad studying in London, and several months traveling throughout Europe thereafter.Upon graduation, with a BA in Theatre, Allison moved to New York. There she continued modeling with New York Model Management, starred in several Off Broadway shows and continued her studies with acting coaches Susan Batson and Shiela Gray. After breaking into small roles on television, Allison began dividing her time between New York and Los Angeles.In 2008 Allison starred opposite Michael Madsen and Dennis Hopper in Quentin Tarantino's: 'Hell Ride'. That same year she starred opposite Robert Downey Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow in Jon Favreau's: 'Iron Man'. In 2010, the indie 'Bloomington', quickly became a cult classic, and set about winning Allison greater recognition globally. Next was a recurring role starring opposite David Duchovny on Showtime's: 'Californication'; proceeded by a series regular role opposite John Schneider and Tika Sumpter on Tyler Perry's: 'The Haves and the Have Nots' on OWN.