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Barbara Hale

Barbara Hale is 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 later reprising the role 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).


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Born:
Apr 18, 1922 In DeKalb, Illinois, USA
Movie/TV Credits:
71
First Appeared:
In the movie Gildersleeve's Bad Day 1943-05-10
Latest Project:
Movie Perry Mason: The Case of the Jealous Jokester 1995-04-10
Known For
Poster of Perry Mason: The Case of the Telltale Talk Show Host
Poster of Perry Mason: The Case of the Skin-Deep Scandal
Poster of Perry Mason: The Case of the Fatal Fashion
Filmography
Movie Perry Mason: The Case of the Jealous Jokester Della Street 1995-04-10
Movie Perry Mason: The Case of the Lethal Lifestyle Della Street 1994-05-10
Movie Perry Mason: The Case of the Grimacing Governor Della Street 1994-11-09
Movie Perry Mason: The Case of the Skin-Deep Scandal Della Street 1993-02-19
Movie Perry Mason: The Case of the Telltale Talk Show Host Della Street 1993-05-21
Movie Perry Mason: The Case of the Wicked Wives Della Street 1993-12-17
Movie Perry Mason: The Case of the Killer Kiss Della Street 1993-11-29
Movie Perry Mason: The Case of the Fatal Framing Della Street 1992-03-01
Movie Perry Mason: The Case of the Heartbroken Bride Della Street 1992-10-30
Movie Perry Mason: The Case of the Reckless Romeo Della Street 1992-05-05
Movie Perry Mason: The Case of the Ruthless Reporter Della Street 1991-01-06
Movie Perry Mason: The Case of the Maligned Mobster Della Street 1991-02-11
Movie Perry Mason: The Case of the Glass Coffin Della Street 1991-05-14
Movie Perry Mason: The Case of the Fatal Fashion Della Street 1991-09-24
Movie Perry Mason: The Case of the Desperate Deception Della Street 1990-03-11
Movie Perry Mason: The Case of the Poisoned Pen Della Street 1990-01-21
Movie Perry Mason: The Case of the Silenced Singer Della Street 1990-05-20
Movie Perry Mason: The Case of the Defiant Daughter Della Street 1990-09-30
Movie Perry Mason: The Case of the Lethal Lesson Della Street 1989-02-12
Movie Perry Mason: The Case of the Musical Murder Della Street 1989-04-09
Movie Perry Mason: The Case of the All-Star Assassin Della Street 1989-11-09
Movie Perry Mason: The Case of the Avenging Ace Della Street 1988-02-28
Movie Perry Mason: The Case of the Lady in the Lake Della Street 1988-05-15
Movie Perry Mason: The Case of the Lost Love Della Street 1987-02-23
Movie Perry Mason: The Case of the Sinister Spirit Della Street 1987-05-24
Movie Perry Mason: The Case of the Murdered Madam Della Street 1987-10-04
Movie Perry Mason: The Case of the Scandalous Scoundrel Della Street 1987-11-15
Movie Perry Mason: The Case of the Notorious Nun Della Street 1986-05-29
Movie Perry Mason: The Case of the Shooting Star Della Street 1986-11-08
Movie Perry Mason Returns Della Street 1985-12-01
Movie Big Wednesday Mrs. Barlow 1978-05-26
Movie The Young Runaways Mrs. Ogle 1978-05-28
Movie The Giant Spider Invasion Dr. Jenny Langer 1975-10-01
Movie Airport Sarah Demerest 1970-05-29
Movie The Red, White, and Black Mrs. Alice Grierson 1970-12-16
Movie Buckskin Sarah Cody 1968-05-01
Movie Desert Hell Celie Edwards 1958-06-25
Series Perry Mason Della Street 1957-09-21
Movie The Oklahoman Anne 1957-05-19
Movie Slim Carter Allie Hanneman 1957-11-01
Movie The Houston Story Zoe Crane 1956-02-01
Movie 7th Cavalry Martha Kellogg 1956-12-01
Movie Unchained Mary Davitt 1955-08-25
Movie The Far Horizons Julia Hancock 1955-07-04
Movie Screen Directors Playhouse: Meet the Governor June Waters 1955-10-05
Series Lassie Unknown 1954-09-12
Movie Last of the Comanches Julia Lanning 1953-02-01
Series General Electric Theater Unknown 1953-02-01
Movie Seminole Revere 1953-03-20
Movie The Lone Hand Sarah Jane Skaggs 1953-05-20
Movie A Lion Is in the Streets Verity Wade 1953-09-23
Movie The First Time Betsey Bennett 1952-01-31
Movie Lorna Doone Lorna Doone 1951-05-31
Movie The Jackpot Amy Lawrence 1950-11-01
Movie Emergency Wedding Dr. Helen Hunt 1950-11-15
Movie And Baby Makes Three Jacqueline 'Jackie' Walsh 1949-12-02
Movie The Window Mary Woodry 1949-05-10
Movie The Clay Pigeon Martha Gregory 1949-03-03
Movie Jolson Sings Again Ellen Clark 1949-08-17
Movie The Boy with Green Hair Miss Brand 1948-11-26
Movie A Likely Story Vicki 1947-04-18
Movie Lady Luck Mary Audrey 1946-10-30
Movie West of the Pecos Rill Lambeth 1945-08-10
Movie First Yank into Tokyo Abby Drake 1945-09-05
Movie The Falcon in Hollywood Peggy Callahan 1944-12-08
Movie The Falcon Out West Marion Colby 1944-03-17
Movie The Seventh Victim Subway Passenger (Uncredited) 1943-08-21
Movie Gildersleeve's Bad Day Girl seeking donations from Gildersleeve 1943-05-10
Movie Around the World Barbara Hale 1943-11-27
Movie Higher and Higher Katherine 1943-12-31
Movie Government Girl Girl in Hotel Lobby (uncredited) 1943-11-05
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