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Barbara Hale

Barbara Hale (April 18, 1922 - January 26, 2017) was an American actress best known for her role as legal secretary Della Street on more than 250 episodes of the long-running Perry Mason television series and in 30 made-for-TV movies. Hale was born in DeKalb, Illinois, to Luther Ezra Hale, a landscape gardener, and his wife, Wilma Colvin. She is of Scots-Irish ancestry. Hale graduated from high school in Rockford, Illinois, then attended the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts, planning to become an artist. Her performing career began in Chicago when she started modeling to pay for her education. She moved to Hollywood in 1943, and made her first screen appearances playing small parts (often uncredited). Hale was under contract to RKO Radio Pictures through the late 1940s. She appeared in Higher and Higher (1943) with Frank Sinatra; played leading lady to Robert Mitchum in West of the Pecos (1945); enjoyed top billing in both Lady Luck (1946) opposite Robert Young and The Window (1949) with Arthur Kennedy; and co-starred in Jolson Sings Again (1949), with Larry Parks playing Al Jolson and Hale as Jolson's wife, Ellen Clark. She played the top-billed title role in Lorna Doone (1951) and portrayed Julia Hancock in The Far Horizons (1955) with Fred MacMurray and Charlton Heston. Her flourishing movie career more or less ended when Hale accepted her best known role, Della Street, secretary to attorney Perry Mason, in the TV series with Raymond Burr. The show ran from 1957 to 1966, and she reprised the role in several television movies. Her last performance to date was in 2000 at age 78. In 1967 she guest starred on the ABC series Custer. Hale also had a featured role in the 1970 ensemble film Airport, playing the wife of a jetliner pilot (Dean Martin).

  • Known ForActing
  • Born18 April 1922 (age 103)
  • Place of BirthDeKalb, Illinois, USA

Barbara Hale

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Barbara Hale (April 18, 1922 - January 26, 2017) was an American actress best known for her role as legal secretary Della Street on more than 250 episodes of the long-running Perry Mason television series and in 30 made-for-TV movies. Hale was born in DeKalb, Illinois, to Luther Ezra Hale, a landscape gardener, and his wife, Wilma Colvin. She is of Scots-Irish ancestry. Hale graduated from high school in Rockford, Illinois, then attended the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts, planning to become an artist. Her performing career began in Chicago when she started modeling to pay for her education. She moved to Hollywood in 1943, and made her first screen appearances playing small parts (often uncredited). Hale was under contract to RKO Radio Pictures through the late 1940s. She appeared in Higher and Higher (1943) with Frank Sinatra; played leading lady to Robert Mitchum in West of the Pecos (1945); enjoyed top billing in both Lady Luck (1946) opposite Robert Young and The Window (1949) with Arthur Kennedy; and co-starred in Jolson Sings Again (1949), with Larry Parks playing Al Jolson and Hale as Jolson's wife, Ellen Clark. She played the top-billed title role in Lorna Doone (1951) and portrayed Julia Hancock in The Far Horizons (1955) with Fred MacMurray and Charlton Heston. Her flourishing movie career more or less ended when Hale accepted her best known role, Della Street, secretary to attorney Perry Mason, in the TV series with Raymond Burr. The show ran from 1957 to 1966, and she reprised the role in several television movies. Her last performance to date was in 2000 at age 78. In 1967 she guest starred on the ABC series Custer. Hale also had a featured role in the 1970 ensemble film Airport, playing the wife of a jetliner pilot (Dean Martin).

  • Known ForActing
  • Born18 April 1922 (age 103)
  • Place of BirthDeKalb, Illinois, USA
KNOWN FOR
PHOTOS
CREDITS
Poster
Perry Mason: The Case of the Jealous Jokester
star
7.5
1995
Poster
Perry Mason: The Case of the Grimacing Governor
star
6.708
1994
Poster
Perry Mason: The Case of the Lethal Lifestyle
star
7.3
1994
Poster
Perry Mason: The Case of the Wicked Wives
star
6.6
1993
Poster
Perry Mason: The Case of the Killer Kiss
star
7.6
1993
Poster
Perry Mason: The Case of the Skin-Deep Scandal
star
7.3
1993
Poster
Perry Mason: The Case of the Telltale Talk Show Host
star
7.1
1993
Poster
Perry Mason: The Case of the Heartbroken Bride
star
7.9
1992
Poster
Perry Mason: The Case of the Reckless Romeo
star
7.0
1992
Poster
Perry Mason: The Case of the Fatal Framing
star
6.6
1992
Poster
Perry Mason: The Case of the Ruthless Reporter
star
6.222
1991
Poster
Perry Mason: The Case of the Glass Coffin
star
7.3
1991
Poster
Perry Mason: The Case of the Maligned Mobster
star
6.5
1991
Poster
Perry Mason: The Case of the Fatal Fashion
star
7.4
1991
Poster
Perry Mason: The Case of the Silenced Singer
star
7.3
1990
Poster
Perry Mason: The Case of the Poisoned Pen
star
7.1
1990
Poster
Perry Mason: The Case of the Desperate Deception
star
6.8
1990
Poster
Perry Mason: The Case of the Defiant Daughter
star
7.0
1990
Poster
Perry Mason: The Case of the Musical Murder
star
6.5
1989
Poster
Perry Mason: The Case of the Lethal Lesson
star
7.111
1989
Poster
Perry Mason: The Case of the All-Star Assassin
star
6.375
1989
Poster
Perry Mason: The Case of the Lady in the Lake
star
6.8
1988
Poster
Perry Mason: The Case of the Avenging Ace
star
7.1
1988
Poster
Perry Mason: The Case of the Scandalous Scoundrel
star
7.1
1987
Poster
Perry Mason: The Case of the Sinister Spirit
star
7.7
1987
Poster
Perry Mason: The Case of the Lost Love
star
7.2
1987
Poster
Perry Mason: The Case of the Murdered Madam
star
6.8
1987
Poster
Perry Mason: The Case of the Notorious Nun
star
6.9
1986
Poster
Perry Mason: The Case of the Shooting Star
star
7.0
1986
Poster
Perry Mason Returns
star
7.0
1985
Poster
The Young Runaways
star
6.0
1978
Poster
Big Wednesday
star
6.9
1978
Poster
The Flight of the Grey Wolf
star
6.0
1976
Poster
The Giant Spider Invasion
star
3.871
1975
Poster
Chester, Yesterday’s Horse
star
-
1973
Poster
Airport
star
6.433
1970
Poster
The Red, White, and Black
star
-
1970
Poster
Buckskin
star
5.3
1968
Poster
Desert Hell
star
-
1958
Poster
The Oklahoman
star
5.6
1957
Poster
Slim Carter
star
-
1957
Poster
The Houston Story
star
5.5
1956
Poster
7th Cavalry
star
5.7
1956
Poster
The Country Husband
star
-
1956
Poster
The Far Horizons
star
6.2
1955
Poster
Meet the Governor
star
-
1955
Poster
Unchained
star
-
1955
Poster
Last of the Comanches
star
6.4
1953
Poster
Seminole
star
5.4
1953
Poster
A Lion Is in the Streets
star
5.5
1953
Poster
The Lone Hand
star
5.2
1953
Poster
The First Time
star
6.5
1952
Poster
Lorna Doone
star
4.6
1951
Poster
The Jackpot
star
6.9
1950
Poster
Emergency Wedding
star
5.5
1950
Poster
The Window
star
6.868
1949
Poster
The Clay Pigeon
star
5.5
1949
Poster
Jolson Sings Again
star
6.0
1949
Poster
And Baby Makes Three
star
4.9
1949
Poster
The Boy with Green Hair
star
6.19
1948
Poster
A Likely Story
star
4.2
1947
Poster
Lady Luck
star
5.4
1946
Poster
First Yank into Tokyo
star
5.4
1945
Poster
West of the Pecos
star
4.1
1945
Poster
The Falcon in Hollywood
star
6.0
1944
Poster
The Falcon Out West
star
5.5
1944
Poster
Heavenly Days
star
-
1944
Poster
Prunes and Politics
star
5.0
1944
Poster
Goin' to Town
star
-
1944
Poster
Higher and Higher
star
6.0
1943
Poster
The Iron Major
star
5.8
1943
Poster
Government Girl
star
5.2
1943
Poster
Gildersleeve's Bad Day
star
6.4
1943
Poster
Around the World
star
5.0
1943
Poster
The Seventh Victim
star
6.478
1943