Alex Carson
Just recently, television actress Jean Hale passed away, at the age of 82. Though the actress hadn’t acted since 1991, she performed several notable roles during her career and will sorely missed. In addition to featuring as the Mad Hatter’s moll on the 1960s live-action Batman series. Jean also married to actor Dabney Coleman for a couple of decades, and the two had three children together. Join Facts Verse as we pay our respects to Jean Hale, Batman actress.
Just recently, it announced that television actress Jean Hale had passed away, at the age of 82. Though the actress perhaps best known for her role as the Mad Hatter’s moll on the 1960s Batman series. She also occupied several other notable roles before retiring from acting in 1991. The Mad Hatter has always been one of Batman’s most memorable villains. With his name taking it’s inspiration from Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.
Jean Hale appeared alongside the Mad Hatter on the Batman episode “The Contaminated Cowl”. David Wayne played the character of the Mad Hatter. And the episode aired during as part of the show’s second season. The episode revolved around a plot by the Mad Hatter to turn Batman’s iconic cowl bright pink with the help of some magical radiation. Something that the memorable villain accomplished with the aid of his moll, a woman by the name of Polly. Jean Hale, of course, played the character of Polly.
As it turns out, that episode of Batman proved became a pretty big hit with fans. Thanks both to the appearance of the Mad Hatter and his moll. As well as the simple fact that it provided the audience the rare opportunity to see Batman wearing bright pink. Of course, Batman wearing bright pink wasn’t nearly as strange amidst the show’s tongue-in-cheek design as it would be in the character’s more recent outings. Jean Hale’s turn in the episode was a success. And she went on to receive several other notable roles on television.
Soon after appearing on Batman, Jean received what has arguably become the second-most iconic role of her modest career. This role came in the 1967 James Bond spoof In Like Flint, which featured comedic actor James Coburn. Jean cast in the role of Lisa, who’s an operative of a rival organization to Flint’s. The role of Lisa meant to parody the tradition of the Bond girl in the James Bond films. And Jean’s good looks proved perfect for the part! The character of Flint had already appeared in a film once previously. With the character being debuted in the prior year’s Our Man Flint.
Jean Hale had been born in Salt Lake City, Utah, on December 27, 1938. Her parents named Stanton and Doris, and they were Mormons. Despite the fact that Jean ended up raised Mormon. She didn’t seem to carry the faith much into her later life. Jean ended up starting her acting career in the 1960s, receiving an uncredited role on the television series Naked City. This role came in the year 1960. A year later, in 1961, Jean married her first and only husband. A fellow actor by the name of Dabney Coleman.
Although Dabney Coleman has certainly grown into a star to eclipse Jean in the time since. he wasn’t much more notable of a thespian at the time that he and Jean got married. The two shared a passion for trying to make it in the industry, and studied acting together at the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York City. While there, they studied under Sydney Pollack. There were several other notable actors studying alongside the two, including Christopher Lloyd and James Caan. Soon, Jean and her new husband’s experiences at the Neighborhood Playhouse would pay off, with some increasingly meaty roles being offered to the both of them.
Jean’s initial uncredited role on Naked City followed by some bigger roles on other television programs, including Wagon Train, The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, and My Favorite Martian. Despite receiving and accepting these roles, Jean’s success during this time period hindered by some of the roles that she didn’t accept. Jean had infamously offered roles in the films Butterfield 8 and Valley of the Dolls. Both of which would’ve likely made the fledgling actress a much bigger star than she ever became.
Jean had tried hard to get the role of Bonnie in 1967’s Bonnie and Clyde. However, the role ended up going to Faye Dunaway. Like the roles that Jean almost laid claim to in BUtterfield 8 and Valley of the Dolls, performing as the character of Bonnie would’ve likely rocked the actress to the status of a household name. Sadly, she never quite achieved the fame that she likely deserved during her career. However, she still acted in plenty of roles up until retiring in 1991. If you’re enjoying this video so far, be sure to hit the like button to show your support! As well, subscribe to the channel if you’d like to be among the first to know when more Facts Verse videos are on their way!
After performing several guest-starring roles on various television programs and turning down multiple film roles that could’ve gone on to make her famous, Jean Hale finally took on her biggest role yet in the 1965 feature McHale’s Navy Joins the Air Force, which was a film adaptation of the series McHale’s Navy. Jean dyed her hair for the role, turning her into a blonde bombshell. She would keep the look throughout the rest of her entertainment career, becoming known for it.
Jean’s role as blonde bombshell Sgt. Madge Collins in the theatrical adaptation of McHale’s Navy brought the actress more attention than ever before. From then on, the actress would start typecast in sensual roles, typically playing some kind of seductress. She appeared on Perry Mason twice, playing two separate characters in two separate episodes. The first episode of Perry Mason that Jean appeared in was “The Case of the Murderous Mermaid”, in which she played the character of Reggie Lansfield. Later, she appeared in an episode titled “The Case of the Laughing Lady”, playing a character by the name of Carla Chaney.
Besides Perry Mason and Batman, another notable television program that Jean Hale made an early appearance on was Hogan’s Heroes. She appeared in an episode titled “I Look Better in Basic Black”, and she played the role of an American entertainer who gets in over her head when she accidentally stumbles upon a rocket factory and winds up imprisoned at Stalag 13.
Starting in the 1970s, the variety of roles that Jean Hale offered started to dwindle down. The last television series that Jean made a guest-starring appearance on was the show Cannon in the 1970s. After that, Jean didn’t act again until 1987. That year, she acted in the made-for-television feature Pals, playing the character of Muffy. Following this, Jean appeared in two more made-for-television features before officially retiring from acting in 1991. Those two features were 1990’s Thanksgiving Day and 1991’s Lies Before Kisses.
Besides the fact that she wasn’t receiving the greatest roles, Jean also became less interested in acting after giving birth to her three children with husband Dabney Coleman. Jean also did some work behind the scenes after becoming increasingly disinterest in acting, forming Coleman-Tanasescu Entertainment with Gino Tanasescu. The production company founded in 1984, though Jean and Gino parted way in the year 2000. Besides being the year that Jean co-founded Coleman-Tanasescu Entertainment with Gino Tanasescu, 1984 was also the year that Jean had divorced her first and only husband.
After marrying actor Dabney Coleman in 1961, the two went on to have three children before their 1984 divorce. These three children are Kelly Johns, Randy Coleman, and Quincy Coleman. Of the three, Quincy has arguably gone on to be the one with the most public notoriety. Instead of becoming a thespian like her parents, Quincy grew up to be a somewhat successful songwriter. Quincy has released two albums, with those 2003’s Also Known as Mary, and 2006’s Come Closer. Quincy was born in 1972, and is currently 49 years old. Her mother’s passing devastated her greatly.
In addition to releasing those two albums, Quincy Coleman has also had some of her songs featured in notable pieces of media. In 2004, a song of Quincy’s by the name of “Also Known as Mary” featured in the film Crash. As film buffs might remember, Crash ended up going on to win the Academy Award for Best Picture at the Oscars. Besides Crash, Quincy has also had a song featured in the 2006 film How to Go Out on a Date in Queens, and sang two songs on the soundtrack of the 2007 film Waitress.
Besides having songs featured in films, Quincy has also had even more songs featured on various television programs. Some of the television programs that have featured Quincy’s work include Dawson’s Creek and Men in Trees. After Jean and Dabney’s divorce in 1984, neither party ever married again. Dabney Jean’s only husband throughout the entirety of her life, though Dabney had been married once previously and had one other child besides the three that he shared with Jean. Dabney is still alive today, in Los Angeles.
After three decades of being retired from acting, Jean Hale passed away on August 3, 2021. The cause of death was given as natural causes, and she passed away in Santa Monica, California. At the time of her death, the former television and film actress was 82 years old.
Although actress Jean Hale didn’t receive the most prestigious variety of roles during her acting career, she certainly made an impression with the few that she did! Comment down below to share if there’s a role you remember Jean from that we left out of this video, or if you were surprised to learn that she had almost received the part of Bonnie in 1967’s Bonnie and Clyde! As always, like this video to show your support, and subscribe and hit the notification bell if you’d like to be among the first to know when more Facts Verse videos are on their way!
