Isabel Allende is 84 years old as of October 2026. She was born on 2 August 1942.
Chilean-American author of novels including The House of the Spirits
Did you know?She fled Chile and lived in exile after her cousin, President Salvador Allende, was deposed in a coup.
Quick facts
Date of birth2 August 1942
Age84
NationalityChilean-American
BirthplaceLima, Peru
Occupationnovelist, voice actor, screenwriter
Editor's Take:
Isabel Allende writes family sagas full of strong women, politics and touches of magic. She left Chile after the 1973 coup, which overthrew her father's cousin, Salvador Allende. Exile turned her into a novelist. Her books have sold tens of millions of copies in many languages. Her memoir Paula, written while her daughter lay in a coma, is one of her most moving works. She now lives in California. She starts each new book on 8 January.
Key Milestones
1975: Leaves Chile for exile in Venezuela
1982: Publishes The House of the Spirits
1994: Publishes Paula
2014: Receives the Presidential Medal of Freedom
Isabel Angélica Allende Llona (Spanish:; born 2 August 1942) is a Chilean-American writer.
