Chad Allen

Chad Allen (born June 5, 1974) is an American psychologist and retired actor. Beginning his career at the age of seven, Allen is a three-time Young Artist Award winner and GLAAD Media Award honoree. He was a teen idol during the late 1980s as David Witherspoon on the NBC family drama Our House and as Zach Nichols on the NBC sitcom My Two Dads[1][2] before transitioning to an adult career as Matthew Cooper on the CBS western drama Dr. Quinn: Medicine Woman.[3] He announced his retirement from acting in April 2015.

Allen was born Chad Allen Lazzari on June 5, 1974,[5] in Cerritos, California, and grew up in Artesia. He has a twin sister named Charity and a brother named Steve Lazzari who works for Union Pacific Railroad. Allen is of predominantly Italian origin, with a “dose” of German origin.[6] He was raised in a “strict” Roman Catholic household and regards himself as being a “deeply spiritual person” because of his upbringing.[6][7] Allen attended St. John Bosco High School in Bellflower, California.