Jean Stapleton

Jean Stapleton

1923-01-19

Biography

Jean Stapleton was born Jeanne Murray in Manhattan, New York City, to Marie A. (Stapleton), an opera singer, and Joseph Edward Murray, a billboard advertising salesman. Her paternal grandparents were Irish. She was a cousin of actress Betty Jane Watson. Other relatives in show business were her uncle, Joseph E. Deming, a vaudevillian; and her brother Jack Stapleton, a stage actor. She graduated from Wadleigh High School, NYC, in 1939, and attended Hunter College. She worked as a secretary before becoming an actress. Stapleton made her stage debut at the Greenwood Playhouse, Peaks Island, Maine, in the summer of 1941, and her New York stage debut in "The Corn Is Green" (1948). She appeared on Broadway in the musicals "Damn Yankees" (1955) and "Bells Are Ringing" (1956), and later repeated her roles in the movie versions (Damn Yankees (1958) and Bells Are Ringing (1960)). Her other Broadway roles included the original companies of "Rhinoceros" (1961) and "Funny Girl" (1964). Stapleton also played Abby Brewster in the 1986-87 revival of "Arsenic and Old Lace".

Also appears in

Cinderella

Cinderella

7.1

Pursuit of Happiness

Pursuit of Happiness

4.5

Lily Dale

Lily Dale

2.0

Aunt Mary

Aunt Mary

8.0

Fire in the Dark

Fire in the Dark

Not yet rated

A Matter of Sex

A Matter of Sex

7.5

Those Were the Days: The Birth of

Those Were the Days: The Birth of "All in the Family"

Not yet rated

Jack and the Beanstalk

Jack and the Beanstalk

5.0

Bury Me in Niagara

Bury Me in Niagara

4.0

The Television Revolution Begins:

The Television Revolution Begins: "All in the Family" Is On the Air

Not yet rated

Gonzo Presents Muppet Weird Stuff

Gonzo Presents Muppet Weird Stuff

Not yet rated

Isabel’s Choice

Isabel’s Choice

Not yet rated

Eleanor, First Lady of the World

Eleanor, First Lady of the World

6.0

Chance of a Lifetime

Chance of a Lifetime

8.0

The Habitation of Dragons

The Habitation of Dragons

Not yet rated

Acts of Love and Other Comedies

Acts of Love and Other Comedies

7.0

All in the Family: 20th Anniversary Special

All in the Family: 20th Anniversary Special

9.0

Funny Ladies: A Portrait of Women Cartoonists

Funny Ladies: A Portrait of Women Cartoonists

Not yet rated

Good Evening Captain

Good Evening Captain

Not yet rated