What We Know About Virgin River's Zibby Allen
Whether you're swooning over Jack Sheridan or rooting for Hope McCrea's marriage, Netflix's heartbreaking "Virgin River" has a cast of characters that you can't help but either love or hate. While we have a special soft spot for the first season's core cast, the series has introduced some equally compelling newcomers throughout its subsequent seasons.
Notably, Jack's sister Brie Sheridan has been a welcome addition to the collection of Virgin River citizens. Played by Zibby Allen, Brie joined the show at the start of its third season, coming from her life as a big-city attorney in search of solace from her traumatic past. If you're a fan of this character, then you've likely wondered about the actor that makes the magic happen.
Allen is actually a multi-talented performer who, besides appearing in a slew of recognizable TV shows, has participated in some neat original projects. For more info, here's everything we know about Zibby Allen of "Virgin River" fame.
Allen's acting career began in the theater
Zibby Allen began acting during her adolescence, joining the San Francisco Bay Area theater scene at a young age. As she shared with Numéro Mag, "At 16 years old ... I was sneaking out to meet up with my 40-year old gay theater friends who wanted to teach me how to smoke a cigar and discuss Kierkegaard. I think it sort of expanded me in ways that I probably can't measure, but I'm grateful for that upbringing."
Allen was recruited by San Francisco's American Conservatory Theatre out of high school and then went on to study her craft at Steppenwolf West in Los Angeles. During her early career, Allen turned to commercial work to support her theatrical and film endeavors, estimating to have acted in around 43 ads.
From there, the California native went on to land background and supporting roles in a number of notable TV series that you might've seen her in before "Virgin River." Her list of acting credits includes "Grey's Anatomy," "Bates Motel," "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.," "The Flash," "The Good Doctor," and "Nancy Drew." She's also been in a few made-for-TV movies, landing supporting roles in the Hallmark flicks "The Story of Us" and "The Vows We Keep," and starring in Lifetime's "Lies Between Friends."
Allen is also a writer, producer, and musician
Besides these pieces of media, Allen has also worked as a writer and producer. In terms of production, the actor co-hosted and produced the first four seasons of "Small Town Dicks," a true-crime podcast that features real-life detectives who solved small-town cases. As a writer, Allen co-wrote and starred in "The Living Worst," an indie feature that premiered in 2019.
Her creative endeavors don't stop there, as the California native is also a musician and one-half of the music duo Socks and Chimes. In an interview with Jejune Magazine, Allen opened up about how she became involved in music, explaining that it was prompted by the loss of her older brother. "Just before Hunter's death, a customer at the bar I worked at in L.A. gifted me one of his spare ukuleles. So during my long stretch of insomnia I started late-night learning how to play my ukulele (thank you YouTube), and writing simple little songs."
Then, Allen began collaborating with her friend Ian Merrigan, and their folk band Socks and Chimes was born. The two released their album "I Love You Overall" in 2011, spawning a Pacific Northwest tour. The duo hasn't released any new music since then, but they were spotted on Instagram in 2021 working on a new project.
Zibby Allen is a wife and dog mom
In addition to her multi-faceted career, Zibby Allen also appears to have a very happy personal life. The actor has been married to Adam Blair, a Scottish visual artist, since 2018. The two split their time between Los Angeles, Vancouver, and Scotland, balancing their professional responsibilities with their emotional ties. When talking with Numéro Mag in 2022, Allen opened up about her changing view on marriage, as she was previously against the institution.
"I think I was so opposed to marriage, especially before I got married, because I didn't have many role models for marriages that look like something I wanted," she explained. "When I met my now husband, our connection and our compatibility was unlike anything I had experienced ... as we went on and spent time together, my ideas of marriage started to shift and I redefined what marriage is for me, which is a practice."
Besides this, the California native is also the doting owner of a dog named Kona. In an interview with Talk House, the writer and producer explained that she adopted Kona from Jimi's Angels Rescue in Los Angeles. While the adoption was initially intimidating, as Allen hadn't had a dog of her own before, she found a loyal companion in Kona. "The one constant is her love," she explained. "Her unconditional lovin' is completely immutable to my ups and downs, my beautiful or ugly moments."