Allen Rucker

Allen is author of the best-selling book, The Best Seat in the House: How I Woke Up One Tuesday Morning and was Paralyzed for Life. Allen Rucker was born in Wichita Falls, Texas and raised in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. He received his BA in English from Washington University, St. Louis and an MA in Communication from Stanford University and an MA in American Culture from the University of Michigan.

He is also the author or co-author of nine books of humor and non-fiction. The Sopranos Family Cookbook, one of three books he's written about the Sopranos, was a New York Times #1 bestseller. The memoir co-written with country music star, Gretchen Wilson, Redneck Woman, was also a New York Times bestseller.

As a TV writer-producer, he co-founded the experimental video group, TVTV, and has written numerous network specials, documentaries, and teleplays, including the series, The History of White People In America with Martin Mull; Christopher Reeve: A Celebration of Hope (Emmy nominee); the original HBO movie, Hometown Boy Makes Good, starring Anthony Edwards; CBS: The First Fifty Years; Big Guns Talk, a history of the Western; and Family Values: The Mob & The Movies.

He is the recipient of the DuPont-Columbia Journalism Award, the Writers Guild Annual Award, and two CableACE Awards, among others. In 2005, he received the special WGA Joan Young Award for career distinction as a writer with a disability. The History of White People In America was honored by the Museum of Television & Radio in 2001 and TVTV was given a full MTR retrospective in 2004.

Allen also teaches at the USC School of Cinema-TV. He lives in LA with his wife, Ann-Marie. They have two sons.