Hugh Allan on AllMovie

A discovery of Mary Pickford, American silent screen leading man Hugh Allan (born Allan Abram Hughes) is remembered solely for two serials he made with 1927 WAMPAS Baby Star Gladys McConnell: The Tiger's Shadow (1928) and The Fire Detective (1929). Chosen by Pickford as her leading man in Little Annie Rooney (1925), the handsome Allan proved too inexperienced and was replaced by William Haines. He spent the remainder of his short career playing All-American boys in lightweight fare such as Dress Parade (1927), Hold 'Em Yale (1928), and Annapolis (1928). Sound proved too big an obstacle for the non-actor and Allan abandoned films permanently in 1930 when a bankrupt producer left him stranded in Hawaii. One of the few actors to actually profess a fondness for melodramatic action fare, Allan stated in a 1992 interview: "I enjoyed making those serials because of their athletic action and all the other exciting things involved. They made us do our own stunts, and once I got all my eyebrows burned off, but they were awfully fun to make." Sadly, Hugh Allan died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.