Allen Rucker
Encyclopedia
Allen Rucker is an American writer and author. Born in Wichita Falls, Texas
, and raised in Bartlesville, Oklahoma
, he earned a B.A. from Washington University in St. Louis
(1967), an M.A. in American Culture from the University of Michigan
(1969), and another M.A. in Communication from Stanford University
(1977).
, co-wrote (with Martin Mull
) the award-winning cable series The History of White People in America
, and more recently wrote the Emmy Award-winning documentary "Two Days in October" for the PBS series American Experience
. His nine books to date include three books on the TV series The Sopranos
, including the New York Times #1 bestseller The Sopranos Family Cookbook, and a memoir about becoming paralyzed due to transverse myelitis
at the age of 50: The Best Seat In The House: How I Woke Up One Tuesday and Was Paralyzed For Life. He has also co-written books with Martin Mull, Tom Green
, and country star Gretchen Wilson
.
at the University of Southern California.
Wichita Falls, Texas
Wichita Falls is a city in and the county seat of Wichita County, Texas, United States, United States. Wichita Falls is the principal city of the Wichita Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Archer, Clay and Wichita counties. According to the U.S. Census estimate of 2010,...
, and raised in Bartlesville, Oklahoma
Bartlesville, Oklahoma
Bartlesville is a city in Osage and Washington counties in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The population was 43,070 at the 2010 census. Bartlesville is located forty-seven miles north of Tulsa and very close to Oklahoma's northern border with Kansas. It is the county seat of Washington County, in...
, he earned a B.A. from Washington University in St. Louis
Washington University in St. Louis
Washington University in St. Louis is a private research university located in suburban St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1853, and named for George Washington, the university has students and faculty from all fifty U.S. states and more than 110 nations...
(1967), an M.A. in American Culture from the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
(1969), and another M.A. in Communication from Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
(1977).
Career
He co-founded the video documentary group TVTVTVTV
TVTV was a San Francisco-based pioneering video collective founded in 1972 by Allen Rucker, Michael Shamberg, Tom Weinberg, Hudson Marquez and Megan Williams. Shamberg was author of the 1971 "do-it-yourself" video production manual Guerrilla Television. Over the years, more than thirty "guerrilla...
, co-wrote (with Martin Mull
Martin Mull
Martin Mull is an American actor who has starred in his own television sitcom and acted in prominent films. He is also a comedian, painter, and recording artist...
) the award-winning cable series The History of White People in America
The History of White People in America
The History of White People in America is a made for TV mockumentary movie, first broadcast in 1985 on HBO.It starred Martin Mull, with Fred Willard, Mary Kay Place, and Edie McClurg...
, and more recently wrote the Emmy Award-winning documentary "Two Days in October" for the PBS series American Experience
American Experience
American Experience is a television program airing on the Public Broadcasting Service Public television stations in the United States. The program airs documentaries, many of which have won awards, about important or interesting events and people in American history...
. His nine books to date include three books on the TV series The Sopranos
The Sopranos
The Sopranos is an American television drama series created by David Chase that revolves around the New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster Tony Soprano and the difficulties he faces as he tries to balance the often conflicting requirements of his home life and the criminal organization he heads...
, including the New York Times #1 bestseller The Sopranos Family Cookbook, and a memoir about becoming paralyzed due to transverse myelitis
Transverse myelitis
Transverse myelitis is a neurological disorder caused by an inflammatory process of the spinal cord, and can cause axonal demyelination. The name is derived from Greek referring to the "spinal cord", and the suffix -itis, which denotes inflammation...
at the age of 50: The Best Seat In The House: How I Woke Up One Tuesday and Was Paralyzed For Life. He has also co-written books with Martin Mull, Tom Green
Tom Green
Michael Thomas "Tom" Green is a Canadian actor, rapper, writer, comedian, talk show host and media personality. Best known for his shock humour brand of comedy, Green found mainstream prominence via his MTV television show The Tom Green Show...
, and country star Gretchen Wilson
Gretchen Wilson
Gretchen Frances Wilson is an American country music artist. She made her debut in 2004 with the Grammy Award-winning single "Redneck Woman," a number-one hit on the Billboard country charts. The song served as the lead-off single of her debut album, Here for the Party...
.
Personal life
Rucker lives in Los Angeles and is married with two sons. He also teaches in the School of Cinematic ArtsUSC School of Cinematic Arts
The USC School of Cinematic Arts, until 2006 named the School of Cinema-Television , is a film school within the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, California. It is the oldest and largest such school in the United States, established in 1929 as a joint venture with the Academy of...
at the University of Southern California.