01/19/1923
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".
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The Last Laugh (2016) as Self |
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The Television Revolution Begins: "All in the Family" Is On the Air (2009) as Self |
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Those Were the Days: The Birth of "All in the Family" (2009) as Self |
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Like Mother Like Son: The Strange Story of Sante and Kenny Kimes (2001) as Irene Silverman |
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Pursuit of Happiness (2001) as Lorraine |
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Pursuit of Happiness (2001) as Lorrraine |
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Baby (2000) as Byrd |
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You've Got Mail (1998) as Birdie Conrad |
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Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World (1998) as Mrs. Jenkins (voice) |
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Chance of a Lifetime (1998) as Mrs. Dunbar |
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Michael (1996) as Pansy Milbank |
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Lily Dale (1996) as Mrs. Coons |
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Bury Me in Niagara (1993) as Mildred |
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The Trial (1993) as Landlady (uncredited) |
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The Habitation of Dragons (1992) as Lenora Tolliver |
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Fire in the Dark (1991) as Henry Dutton |
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Funny Ladies: A Portrait of Women Cartoonists (1991) as Narrator |
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All in the Family: 20th Anniversary Special (1991) as |
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Mother Goose Rock 'n' Rhyme (1990) as Mother Goose |
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Dead Man's Folly (1986) as Ariadne Oliver |
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Cinderella (1985) as Fairy Godmother |
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Gonzo Presents Muppet Weird Stuff (1985) as Self |
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The Buddy System (1984) as Mrs. Price |
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A Matter of Sex (1984) as Irene Wallin |
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Jack and the Beanstalk (1983) as The Giantess |
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Something's Afoot (1982) as Miss Tweed |
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Eleanor, First Lady of the World (1982) as Eleanor Roosevelt |
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Isabel's Choice (1981) as Isabel Cooper |
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Good Evening Captain (1981) as Self |
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Angel Dusted (1981) as Betty Eaton |
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Aunt Mary (1979) as Mary Dobkin |
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The Muppets Go Hollywood (1979) as Self |
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You Can't Take it With You (1979) as Penny Sycamore |
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Tail Gunner Joe (1977) as Mrs. DeCamp |
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Acts of Love and Other Comedies (1973) as Gina's Mother |
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Klute (1971) as Goldfarb’s Secretary |
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Cold Turkey (1971) as Mrs. Wappler |
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Up the Down Staircase (1967) as Sadie Finch |
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Something Wild (1961) as Shirley Johnson |
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Bells Are Ringing (1960) as Sue |
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Damn Yankees (1958) as Sister Miller |