[2] Allen began his acting career on stage with the J. C. Williamson organisation, performing around Australia.

[3] In the United States, Allen was a member of a touring theater company, known for their popular rendition of The Better 'Ole.

In 1910, Allen married fellow actor Marjorie Josephine née Condon in Brisbane.

The union was not a success and he went to North America without her, in 1912, with an Australian court granting her a divorce for abandonment in 1915.

[3] He and his second wife, Gertrude Dorothea (née Hyde), had two children, Harry Jr. and Paula.