Jonathan Hale

Jonathan Hale

1891-03-20 – 1966-02-28 (age 74) Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
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Biography

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jonathan Hale (born Jonathan Hatley, March 21, 1891 – February 28, 1966) was a Canadian-born film and television actor.

Hale was born in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Before his acting career, Hale worked in the Diplomatic Corps. Hale is most well known as Dagwood Bumstead's boss, Julius Caesar Dithers, in the Blondie film series in the 1940s. He is also notable for playing Inspector Fernack in various The Saint films by RKO Pictures.

In 1950 he made two appearances in The Cisco Kid as Barry Owens. He also appeared in two different episodes of Adventures of Superman: "The Evil Three", in which he played a murderous "Southern Colonel"-type character, and "Panic in the Sky", one of the most famous episodes, in which he played the lead astronomer at the Metropolis Observatory, actually a California observatory.

Among the relatively few television programs on which Hale appeared are the religion anthology series Crossroads, The Loretta Young Show, Brave Eagle, Schlitz Playhouse, The Joey Bishop Show, and Walt Disney Presents: "A Tribute to Joel Chandler Harris".

Hale committed suicide on February 28, 1966. He was found dead that evening in his room at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills, California. Hale had taken his own life with a .38 caliber pistol, which was found near his body. He was 74. Hale was interred at Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery in North Hollywood, California. Sadly, Hale's grave went unmarked for more than four decades, until a proper headstone was erected by donations from the "Dearly Departed" fan-based group in 2013; he is now honored with the inscription, "We Remembered You".

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Known For

Strangers on a Train
Strangers on a Train

1951

as Mr. Antony

A Star Is Born
A Star Is Born

1937

as Judge Parris (uncredited)

The Tall Target
The Tall Target

1951

as Passenger from Carolina (uncredited)

The Raven
The Raven

1935

as Bedside Dr. at Jerry's Right (uncredited)

You Only Live Once
You Only Live Once

1937

as District Attorney (uncredited)

Call Northside 777
Call Northside 777

1948

as Governor's Aide Robert Winston (uncredited)

'G' Men
'G' Men

1935

as Congressman (uncredited)

Johnny Apollo
Johnny Apollo

1940

as Dr. Brown

The Steel Trap
The Steel Trap

1952

as Tom Bowers

Alice Adams
Alice Adams

1935

as Mr. Palmer

Charlie Chan at the Olympics
Charlie Chan at the Olympics

1937

as Mr. Hopkins

A Night at the Opera
A Night at the Opera

1935

as The Stage Manager (uncredited)

The Fountainhead
The Fountainhead

1949

as Guy Francon (uncredited)

Danger – Love at Work
Danger – Love at Work

1937

as Parsons, an attorney

Saratoga
Saratoga

1937

as Frank Clayton

The Devil Is a Sissy
The Devil Is a Sissy

1936

as Judge Holmes

Son of Paleface
Son of Paleface

1952

as Governor Freeman (uncredited)

Angel on My Shoulder
Angel on My Shoulder

1946

as Citizens for Better Government Chairman (uncredited)

Fury
Fury

1936

as Defense Attorney

Cattle Queen of Montana
Cattle Queen of Montana

1954

as Politician (uncredited)