Jean Stapleton
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- January 19, 1923
- Died
- May 31, 2013
- Birthplace
- Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA
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".
Filmography
The Last Laugh 2016
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Those Were the Days: The Birth of "All in the Family" 2009
as Self
The Television Revolution Begins: "All in the Family" Is On the Air 2009
as Self
Like Mother Like Son: The Strange Story of Sante and Kenny Kimes 2001
as Irene Silverman
Pursuit of Happiness 2001
as Lorraine
Baby 2000
as Byrd
You've Got Mail 1998
as Birdie Conrad
Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World 1998
as Mrs. Jenkins (voice)
Chance of a Lifetime 1998
as Mrs. Dunbar
Michael 1996
as Pansy Milbank
Lily Dale 1996
as Mrs. Coons
Bury Me in Niagara 1993
as Mildred
The Trial 1993
as Landlady (uncredited)
The Habitation of Dragons 1992
as Lenora Tolliver
Fire in the Dark 1991
as Henry Dutton
Funny Ladies: A Portrait of Women Cartoonists 1991
as Narrator
All in the Family: 20th Anniversary Special 1991
Actor
Mother Goose Rock 'n' Rhyme 1990
as Mother Goose
Dead Man's Folly 1986
as Ariadne Oliver
Cinderella 1985
as Fairy Godmother
Gonzo Presents Muppet Weird Stuff 1985
as Self
The Buddy System 1984
as Mrs. Price
A Matter of Sex 1984
as Irene Wallin
Jack and the Beanstalk 1983
as The Giantess
Something's Afoot 1982
as Miss Tweed
Eleanor, First Lady of the World 1982
as Eleanor Roosevelt
Isabel's Choice 1981
as Isabel Cooper
Good Evening, Captain 1981
as Self
Angel Dusted 1981
as Betty Eaton
Aunt Mary 1979
as Mary Dobkin
The Muppets Go Hollywood 1979
as Self (uncredited)
You Can't Take it With You 1979
as Penny Sycamore
Tail Gunner Joe 1977
as Mrs. DeCamp
Acts of Love and Other Comedies 1973
as Gina's Mother
Klute 1971
as Goldfarb's Secretary
Cold Turkey 1971
as Mrs. Wappler
Up the Down Staircase 1967
as Sadie Finch
Something Wild 1961
as Shirley Johnson
Bells Are Ringing 1960
as Sue
Damn Yankees 1958
as Sister Miller
Credits from TMDB.