Pages

Thursday, September 30, 2021

Jean Hale Passes On

Jean Hale, a frequent guest star on television shows in the Sixties (including Batman and The Wild Wild West), died on August 3 2021 at the age of 82.

Jean Hale was born on December 27 1938 in Salt Lake City, Utah. She majored in ballet at the University of Utah and then Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, New York. Miss Hale worked as a model at both the Conover Agency and the Huntington Hartford Agency. She studied acting at the Neighbourhood Playhouse under Sydney Pollack and Martha Graham. She was discovered by Len Luskin, the agent for movie star Sandra Dee, while she was walking down Fifth Avenue in New York City. She signed a contract with 20th Century Fox.

Jean Hale made her television debut in 1960 in an episode of Naked City. She made her film debut in 1963 in Violent Midnight. In the Sixties she guest starred on the TV shows The Dick Powell Show; The Eleventh Hour; My Favorite Martian; The Bill Dana Show; The Alfred Hitchcock Hour; Wagon Train; Tom, Dick and Mary; The Virginian; The Rogues; The Fugitive; McHale's Navy; Kraft Suspense Theatre; Perry Mason; The Wild Wild West; The Smothers Brothers Show; The Loner; The Legend of Jesse James; Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre; Hogan's Heroes; Batman; Tarzan; Bonanza; Hawaii Five-O; and The Survivors. She appeared in the movies Taggart (1964), McHale's Navy Joins the Air Force (1965), The Oscar (1966), In Like Flint (1967), and The St. Valentine's Day Massacre (1967).

In the Seventies Jean Hale guest starred on the shows The Virginian, Storefront Lawyers, The Mod Squad, and Cannon. She only made a few more appearances after 1975. She appeared in the TV movies Pals (1987), Thanksgiving Movie (1990), and Lies Before Kisses (1991). In 1984 she formed the production company Coleman-Tanasescu Entertainment with Gino Tanasescu. She began her own production company in 2000.

Jean Hale was a wonderful actress. She did well in comedy, such as her guest shot as The Mad Hatter's hat check girl Polly on Batman. She also did well in drama, such as her guest appearances on The Virginian. It is little wonder that she was very much in demand during the Sixties.

No comments:

Post a Comment