Sandra (Sandy) Elaine Allen (born June 18, 1955 in Chicago, Illinois, U.S.) is currently the second tallest living woman in the world according to Guinness World Records. She is 7' 7¼ inches (232 cm) in height. Until recently she stood as the holder of the title of being the tallest woman in the world in The Guinness Book of Records, now coming second to Yao Defen. She has written a book named Cast A Giant Shadow, and has appeared in the Guinness Book of World Records since 1976. Her abnormal height is due to a tumor in her pituitary gland that caused it to release growth hormone uncontrollably. At age 22, she underwent surgery for the condition. Without this she would have continued to grow and suffer further medical problems associated with gigantism. She appeared in the Academy Award winning Italian film Il Casanova di Federico Fellini, a TV movie called Side Show and in a Canadian/American documentary film c