Jonathan Hale
Born: 1891-03-20 in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Died: 1966-02-28
Known For: Acting
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".
Filmography
1956
- Jaguar as Dr. Powell
- The Three Outlaws as Pinkerton
1955
- MGM Parade
- Screen Director's Playhouse as Mayor
- Crossroads as Governor
- The Night Holds Terror as Bob Henderson
1954
- Lassie
- The Whistler
- Cattle Queen of Montana as Politician (uncredited)
- Duffy of San Quentin as Boyd
- She Couldn't Say No as John Bentley
1953
- City Detective
- Kansas Pacific as Sherman Johnson
- Taxi as Mr. Barker (uncredited)
- The Flaming Urge as Mr. Chalmers
1952
- Adventures of Superman as Professor Roberts
- Cavalcade of America
- Mr. & Mrs. North
- Son of Paleface as Governor Freeman (uncredited)
- Scandal Sheet as Frank Madison
- Young Man with Ideas as Stanley Rickson (uncredited)
- The Steel Trap as Tom Bowers
- Behind Southern Lines as General
1951
- The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok as General
- Strangers on a Train as Mr. Antony
- The Tall Target as Passenger from Carolina (uncredited)
- Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
- Let's Go Navy! as Captain
- Rodeo King and the Senorita as Dr. Sands
- Insurance Investigator as Russell James
- Sunny Side of the Street as Cyrus Pelley
1950
- The Cisco Kid as Barry Owens
- The Baron of Arizona as Governor
- Triple Trouble as The Judge
- Short Grass as Charlie Bissel
- Three Husbands as Edward Wurdeman
- Federal Agent at Large as James Goodwin
1949
- The Fountainhead as Guy Francon (uncredited)
- A Dangerous Profession
- The Judge as Judge Allan J. Brooks
- State Department: File 649 as Director-General
- Stampede as Varick
- Rose of the Yukon as Gen. Butler
1948
- Tap Roots as Gen. Johnston (uncredited)
- Call Northside 777 as Governor's Aide Robert Winston (uncredited)
- Johnny Belinda as Dr. Gray (uncredited)
- Silver River as Major Spencer
- Rocky as Kenneth Forrester
- Disaster as Police Commissioner Jerome
- King of the Gamblers as Sam Hyland
1947
- High Wall as Emory Garrison
- The Beginning or the End as Dr. Vannevar Bush
- Her Husband's Affairs as Gov. Fox
- The Vigilantes Return as Judge Holden
- Black Gold as Senator Watkins
- The Ghost Goes Wild as Max Atterbury
1946
- Angel on My Shoulder as Citizens for Better Government Chairman (uncredited)
- Wife Wanted as Philip Conway
- Easy to Wed as Hector Boswell
- Gay Blades as Whittlesey
- Blondie Knows Best as J.C. Dithers
- The Walls Came Tumbling Down as Captain Griffin
- Rolling Home as Henry Kane
- The Cat Creeps as Walter Elliott
- Blondie's Lucky Day as J.C. Dithers
- Riverboat Rhythm as Col. Edward Beeler
1945
- Dakota as Colonel Wordin
- The Phantom Speaks as Owen McAllister
- Life with Blondie as J.C. Dithers
- Watchtower Over Tomorrow as Security Council Chair
- G.I. Honeymoon as Colonel Hammerhead Smith
- Divorce as Judge
- The Strange Mr. Gregory as Defense Attorney Blair
- Leave It to Blondie as J.C. Dithers
- Man Alive as Osborne
- Allotment Wives as Brig. Gen. H.N. Gilbert
1944
- Hollywood Canteen as Mr. Brodel (uncredited)
- Dead Man's Eyes as Dr. Sam Welles
- End of the Road as Gregory McCune
- This Is the Life as Dr. Plum
- The Black Parachute as King Stephen
- My Buddy as Senator Henry
1943
- Hangmen Also Die! as Dedic
- The Amazing Mrs. Holliday
- Sweet Rosie O'Grady as Mr. Fox
- Nobody's Darling as Jason Rhodes
- Jack London as Kerwin Maxwell
- It's a Great Life as J.C. Dithers
- There's Something About a Soldier as Gen. Sommerton
- Footlight Glamour as J.C. Dithers
- The Rear Gunner as Commanding Officer
1942
- Calling Dr. Gillespie as Frank M. Todwell
- Joe Smith, American as Blake McKettrick
- Blondie Goes to College as J.C. Dithers
- Flight Lieutenant as Joseph Sanford
- Miss Annie Rooney as Mr. Martin White
- Blondie for Victory as J.C. Dithers
- The Bugle Sounds as Brigadier-General
- Blondie's Blessed Event as J.C. Dithers
- Lone Star Ranger as Judge Longstreth
1941
- Ringside Maisie as Dr. Kramer
- Strange Alibi as Police Chief Sprague
- The Saint In Palm Springs as Inspector Henry Fernack
- Blondie Goes Latin as J.C. Dithers
- Blondie in Society as J.C. Dithers
- The Pittsburgh Kid as Max Ellison
- The Great Swindle as Swann
- Flight from Destiny as Dist. Atty. Johnson
- Her First Beau as Mr. Harris
1940
- Johnny Apollo as Dr. Brown
- The Saint Takes Over as Inspector Henry Fernack
- Dulcy as Homer Patterson
- Blondie Has Servant Trouble as J.C. Dithers
- Blondie Plays Cupid as J.C. Dithers
- We Who Are Young as Braddock
- Private Affairs as George Gilkin
- Melody and Moonlight as Otis Barnett
- The Saint's Double Trouble as Inspector Henry Fernack
1939
- In Name Only as Dr. Gateson
- The Story of Alexander Graham Bell as President of Western Union
- Stand Up and Fight as Colonel Webb
- The Amazing Mr. Williams as Mayor
- The Saint Strikes Back as Inspector Henry Fernack
- Tail Spin as Racing Official Starter (Uncredited)
- Blondie Brings Up Baby as J.C. Dithers
- Wings of the Navy as Commandant
- Thunder Afloat as Admiral Girard
- Blondie Meets the Boss as J.C. Dithars
- The Big Guy as Jack Lane
- Barricade as Assistant Secretary of State
- In Old Monterey as Stevenson
- One Against the World as Dr. Ephraim McDowell
1938
- Boys Town as John Hargraves
- Blondie as Mr. Dithers
- Tarnished Angel as Detective Sgt. Cramer
- Men with Wings as Long
- Judge Hardy's Children as John Lee
- Letter of Introduction as Lou Woodstock (uncredited)
- Wives Under Suspicion as Allison
- The Duke of West Point as Colonel Early
- Yellow Jack as Major General Leonard Wood
- Her Jungle Love as J.C. Martin
- Gangs of New York as Warden
- There's That Woman Again as Rolfe Davis
- The Saint in New York as Inspector Henry Fernack
- Crime Ring as Bank President
- Over the Wall as Governor James McDonald
- Breaking the Ice as Mr. Kane
- Arsène Lupin Returns as F.B.I. Special Agent
- Fugitives for a Night as Police Captain
- The First Hundred Years as Judge Parker
- Road Demon as Anderson
1937
- A Star Is Born as Judge Parris (uncredited)
- You Only Live Once as District Attorney (uncredited)
- Big Town Girl as Hershell
- Outcast
- Madame X as Hugh Fariman Sr.
- Saratoga as Frank Clayton
- This Is My Affair as Judge
- Charlie Chan at the Olympics as Mr. Hopkins
- You Can't Buy Luck as Prosecutor (uncredited)
- The Man Who Found Himself as Dr. Tom Smythe
- Wings Over Honolulu as Judge Advocate
- Danger – Love at Work as Parsons, an attorney
- Sea Devils as Court-Martial President (uncredited)
- Man Of The People as Carter Spetner
- John Meade's Woman as Mr. Melton
- The League of Frightened Men as Alexander Drummond
- She's Dangerous as Charles Fitzgerald
- Exiled to Shanghai as J.B. Willet
- Midnight Madonna as Stuart Kirkland
- Racketeers in Exile as Alden Parker
1936
- Fury as Defense Attorney
- Sinner Take All as Dr. Harrison (uncredited)
- Charlie Chan's Secret as Warren T. Phelps
- Charlie Chan at the Race Track as Warren Fenton
- China Clipper as State Department Official (uncredited)
- Sutter's Gold as Prosecuting Attorney
- 36 Hours to Kill as Mac - Train Conductor
- The Accusing Finger as Special Prosecutor
- The Singing Kid as Dr. Brown (uncredited)
- The Devil Is a Sissy as Judge Holmes
- Spendthrift as Attorney
- Educating Father as Fred Humphrey
- You May Be Next! as Army Officer (uncredited)
- Panic on the Air as Johnson (uncredited)
- Happy Go Lucky as J. Lansing Bennett
- The Case Against Mrs. Ames as First trial judge
- Flying Hostess as Kendall
- The Voice of Bugle Ann as District Attorney
- Too Many Parents as Judge
- Three Live Ghosts as Detective Bolton
1935
- A Night at the Opera as The Stage Manager (uncredited)
- 'G' Men as Congressman (uncredited)
- The Raven as Bedside Dr. at Jerry's Right (uncredited)
- Alice Adams as Mr. Palmer
- If You Could Only Cook as Henry Brown - Member of Board of Directors (uncredited)
- Page Miss Glory as Husband at Train Station (uncredited)
- Public Hero Number 1 as Prison Board Member (uncredited)
- 3 Kids and a Queen as Gangster
- One New York Night as Mr. Stokes
- The Calling of Dan Matthews as Club Owner (uncredited)
- Let 'em Have It as Microscopic Expert
- Navy Wife as Norton
- Hit-and-Run Driver as Captain James (uncredited)
- A Night at the Ritz as Director (uncredited)
- Too Tough to Kill as Chairman of the Board
1934
- Housewife as Doctor
- A Lost Lady as (uncredited)
- Gentlemen Are Born as Second Broker
- The Case of the Howling Dog as Courtroom Spectator (uncredited)
- Lightning Strikes Twice as Capt. Nelson