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Barbara Hale

Barbara Hale

Actor · Died January 26, 2017, aged 94 · DeKalb, Illinois, USA

Barbara Hale (April 18, 1922 - January 26, 2017) was an American actress best known for her role as legal secretary Della Street on more than 250 episodes of the long-running Perry Mason television series and in 30 made-for-TV movies. Hale was born in DeKalb, Illinois, to Luther Ezra Hale, a landscape gardener, and his wife, Wilma Colvin. She is of Scots-Irish ancestry. Hale graduated from high school in Rockford, Illinois, then attended the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts, planning to become an artist. Her performing career began in Chicago when she started modeling to pay for her education. She moved to Hollywood in 1943, and made her first screen appearances playing small parts (often uncredited). Hale was under contract to RKO Radio Pictures through the late 1940s. She appeared in Higher and Higher (1943) with Frank Sinatra; played leading lady to Robert Mitchum in West of the Pecos (1945); enjoyed top billing in both Lady Luck (1946) opposite Robert Young and The Window (1949) with Arthur Kennedy; and co-starred in Jolson Sings Again (1949), with Larry Parks playing Al Jolson and Hale as Jolson's wife, Ellen Clark. She played the top-billed title role in Lorna Doone (1951) and portrayed Julia Hancock in The Far Horizons (1955) with Fred MacMurray and Charlton Heston. Her flourishing movie career more or less ended when Hale accepted her best known role, Della Street, secretary to attorney Perry Mason, in the TV series with Raymond Burr. The show ran from 1957 to 1966, and she reprised the role in several television movies. Her last performance to date was in 2000 at age 78. In 1967 she guest starred on the ABC series Custer. Hale also had a featured role in the 1970 ensemble film Airport, playing the wife of a jetliner pilot (Dean Martin).

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
April 18, 1922
Died
January 26, 2017 (aged 94)
From
DeKalb, Illinois, USA
Works as
Actor
Titles
59 on MovieCove · 90 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Official site (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Down 28% in 30 days

What are Barbara Hale's films like?

Usually the Ally: 35 of 38 analyzed roles.

Genres

Crime32 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 79th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Crime movies
Drama7 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 47th percentile
: browse their Drama movies
Action4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 37th percentile
: browse their Action movies
Comedy3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 54th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Comedy movies
Western2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 44th percentile
: browse their Western movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Roles they play

38 analyzed roles
Ally
35 of 38
Herald
2 of 38
Shapeshifter
1 of 38
Show the 38 roles

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Barbara Hale's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 9 of their 59 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (5).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Barbara Hale's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

90 credits, 59 with a MovieCove page; 1 appearance as themselves is hidden until asked for.

Career shape

Biggest box office

Airport (1970)

$100M worldwide

Highest rated

Perry Mason (1957)

Midcredits 95th

Film career

19701978

Peak 1970 · back in prominent film roles after a quiet stretch. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

Billing

usually 3rd · top billed in 0% of 8 roles

Counts over their MovieCove titles; a title counts in every role they held on it. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30.