Allen Payne
Journeyman Hairstylist
1938-2021

Allen Payne, hairstylist, passed away in late October at 82 years old after a long battle with illness. He was born December 16, 1938 in Los Angeles, California. Allen served in the Navy for six years on the LST Iron County 840 and the USS Tawakoni 114. He was always honored to be a Veteran. He is survived in death by his wife, Janet and myself, his daughter Skye.

My dad was a proud and active member of IATSE Local 706, always supporting his fellow union members. He was a regular contributor to the Artisan in his day. In the time since his death, I’ve heard from many co-workers that he was the lifeblood of the sets he worked on. He was willing to take young union members under his wing and hired anyone short on qualification hours. Allen would educate through trivia, jokes, and his own unique bits of wisdom. I remember marching down Hollywood Boulevard in a solidarity protest with the union when I was six years old. He instilled a deep love of community and a dedicated work ethic within me that has stayed with me my whole life. 

After getting his start being taught by Jay Sebring in Santa Monica, my dad worked in the motion picture business for four decades as a hairstylist. He always cherished the lifelong friendships made through work. He was the Hair Department Head on both Knight Rider and Baywatch. He particularly loved his time on Baywatch, working on the beach every day and popularizing the casual beach look. He was always incredibly proud of his work, featured multiple times in the Celebrity Hairstyle magazine. I spent a considerable amount of time on his sets as a child and I was fascinated by his work. I admired his friendships with everyone on set, ranging from Executive Producers to PAs and DGA trainees. There was no one he wouldn’t befriend or entertain. 

He worked on all-time classics like Back to the Future 2, Beethoven, and Raging Bull. Allen spent the most time with David Hasselhoff, traveling and working with David for eight years even after he retired in 2000. Besides his time with David, he is most well-known for his work with Michael Landon (Highway to Heaven, Father Murphy), Michael J. Fox (Back to the Future), Ann-Margaret (I Ought to Be in Pictures, Who Will Love My Children?), Tom Hanks (Bosom Buddies), Bette Midler (Beaches), and Harvey Keitel (Fail Safe). My father leaves behind a legacy of artistic and well-crafted work with his wide breadth of knowledge and jokes. His support, humor, and talent will be greatly missed.