McKeown produced the show Tracey Takes On… alongside his wife Tracey Ullman.
Tracey Ullman and Allan McKeown
Allan McKeown died on Tuesday, December 24 after a long battle with prostate cancer. He was 67. The British TV producer, married to the singer and actress Tracey Ullman, co-created Tracey Takes On… and State of the Union with his wife.
McKeown was born in Ealing (England) on May 21, 1946. He left school at age 14 to become a hairdresser. His list of clients included The Beatles, Elizabeth Taylor, Michael Caine and Richard Burton. He created hairstyles for ’60s films such as If and Get Carter.
In 1969, after his hairdresser career, he joined James Garrett and Partners and became a producer of commercials. Then, McKeown formed his own production company called Witzend with Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais, which produced the films Porridge and To Russia With Elton in addition to commercials.
Witzend became the public company SelecTV and in 1990 McKeown became a founding member of the Meridian consortium. The British producer ultimately sold his stake to Pearson in 1996.
One of the first independent TV producers in the U.K., McKeown served as executive producer on shows for British TV including Auf Wiedersehen Pet, Shine on Harvey Moon, Lovejoy and Birds of a Feather.
McKeown latest productions were Jerry Springer the Opera at the National Theatre, which won the Olivier Award in 2004 for best new musical, and in 2005, Lennon the Musical on Broadway with Yoko Ono.
He is survived by his wife Tracey, daughter Mabel and son Johnny.