- He was wounded in the legs by shrapnel in France during WWII, supposedly minutes after first going into battle.
- Chunky, bug-eyed veteran nightclub comic who counted among his comic pairings Redd Foxx and 'Steve Rossi (I)" of "Marty Allen & St4eve Rossi" fame. Known for his racy material, Bernie was with Rossi from 1972-1977) calling themselves "The Real Allen & Rossi," then went solo.
- Got his big break from prizefighter Rocky Graziano who promoted him and gave him his stage name, later introducing him to comedienne Martha Raye. He worked with Raye for over 10 years.
- A former diner owner ("Bernie's Luncheonette" in the Bronx) before his comic career started up, he lost the restaurant in part due to a gambling addiction.
- He became notorious for showing up at events to which he was not invited and barging in, often as his shell-shocked German general character. He once crashed Martin & Lewis's Muscular Dystrophy Telethon. Allen's German character got him a brief film role in the film The Producers (1967) in which he played the auditioning Hitler who tried to sing "The Little Wooden Boy."
- He had occasional roles in a number of movies and TV shows, usually playing either a mobster or a Vegas comedian. He played the latter in a quick scene in Raging Bull (1980).
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