Early Life
Allan was born the daughter of an Italian expeditionary and a Rhodesian socialite. She was adopted by a wealthy British-South African couple, John and Janet Fry at age one month old. The family briefly lived in England but her Scottish father was advised by doctors to move to a warmer climate. Subsequenly Allan was brought up in the Johannesburg suburb of Bryanston and attended Roedean School. John Fry died when Allan was 10 years old. She is a trained classical pianist and recorded a televised piano concerto as a child, and made her debut with Johannesburg symphony orchestra at the age of 10. Later she graduated in fine art and attained an honours degree in English literature at the University of the Witwatersrand.
Read more about this topic: Jani Allan
Famous quotes containing the words early and/or life:
“I could be, I discovered, by turns stern, loving, wise, silly, youthful, aged, racial, universal, indulgent, strict, with a remarkably easy and often cunning detachment ... various ways that an adult, spurred by guilt, by annoyance, by condescension, by loneliness, deals with the prerogatives of power and love.”
—Gerald Early (20th century)
“These people in high life have too much presence of mind, I believe, to seem disconcerted, or out of humour, however they may feel: for had I been the person of the most consequence in the room, I could not have met with more attention and respect.”
—Frances Burney (1752–1840)