Andrew Allan's name is synonymous with the Golden Age of Radio in Canada. From 1943 to 1955 when he was supervisor of drama for CBC and producer of its Stage series, the stable of Canadian writers and actors he assembled--"far and away the most exciting repertory group that can be heard," according to a New York Times article in 1946--was Canada's equivalent of a national theater. Although Allan was also well respected as an actor, writer, and director for theater and television, he is best remembered for the consistently high quality of his award-winning radio productions.

Andrew Edward Fairbairn Allan was born in Arbroath, Scotland, the son of William Allan, a Presbyterian minister, and Agnes Hannah Fairbairn Allan. His family immigrated to Australia, then moved to New York and Boston before settling in Peterborough, Ontario, in 1925. Allan attended the University of Toronto from 1927 to 1930 but left without graduating: "I...