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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?

Across their 50 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Bonds.

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.

Themes

share of theme weight
Morality
61%
Bonds
13%
Society
8%
Self
6%
Power
4%
Survival
4%
Ideas
4%
Justice38 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception16 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds7 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity6 titles, browse their movies with this themeTruth6 titles, browse their movies with this themeDuty5 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival4 titles, browse their movies with this themeLoyalty6 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 49 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Grounded: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their grounded movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 37 · Stylized 12 · Heightened 0

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 8 · Charged 35 · Intense 6

Steady: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their steady movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 36 · Shifting 12 · Whiplash 1

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 31 · Some laughs 17 · Funny 1

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 16 · Even-paced 31 · Relentless 2

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 15 · Engaged 34 · Full focus 0

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 49 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0

Roles they play

38 analyzed roles

Usually the Ally: 35 of 38 analyzed roles.

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

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
45
Warm
15
Contemplative
16
Melancholic
11
Thrilling
6
Other
24

How their films linger

Feel-good30 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteCathartic19 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet12 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing13 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 23 with a twist

  • Happy38
  • Bittersweet10
  • Tragic1
  • Ambiguous1

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

Star power in the 92nd percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 90 titles from 1943 to 1995; peak year 1970.

Biggest box office

Airport (1970)

$100M worldwide

Highest rated

Perry Mason (1957)

Midcredits 95th

Film career

19431995

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.

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting90 of 90: 90 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score71st

By decade

1940s20 · acting1950s28 · acting1960s4 · acting1970s7 · acting1980s13 · acting1990s18 · acting

Billing

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

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30.

How do Barbara Hale's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 74th percentile, the median of all 53; across their 49 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 73rd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

73rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 49

Approval · how many liked their films

71stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 49

Reach · how many have seen their films

45thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 49

Midcredits score across 59 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up26
  • 50th to 74th18
  • 25th to 49th11
  • Below 25th4

Shape of the crowd

41 of their 59 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved3
  • Crowd Pleaser41
  • Broadly Agreed7
  • Mixed8

Most divisive · actor

The Red, White, and Black (1970)

82nd percentile spread · 50% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

Perry Mason (1957)

Midcredits 95th · 92% liked

Reviewers score the acting 62/100 in their films, across 49 reviewed titles; fans 72, detractors 45. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Barbara Hale's work okay for kids?

Across a limited sample of up to 3 MovieCove titles with content scores.

Their medianMedian of all films
Violence & Gore3 titlesmedian 31 · mildMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity3 titlesmedian 20 · mildMedian of all films: 32
Profanity3 titlesmedian 26 · mildMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs3 titlesmedian 49 · moderateMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense3 titlesmedian 33 · mildMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted.

Who does Barbara Hale work with?

People who share at least 2 of Barbara Hale's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Dick DeBenedictis shares the most, 29.

Directors

  • Christian I. Nyby II18 titles    See newest 12 of 18 shared titles with Christian I. Nyby II
  • Ron Satlof7 titles    See all 7 shared titles with Ron Satlof
  • Gordon Douglas3 titles    See all 3 shared titles with Gordon Douglas

Writers

  • Erle Stanley Gardner24 titles    See newest 12 of 24 shared titles with Erle Stanley Gardner
  • Dean Hargrove28 titles · 9 as writer    See newest 12 of 28 shared titles with Dean Hargrove
  • Joel Steiger27 titles · 8 as writer    See newest 12 of 27 shared titles with Joel Steiger
  • Anne Collins5 titles    See all 5 shared titles with Anne Collins

Actors

  • Raymond Burr26 titles    See newest 12 of 26 shared titles with Raymond Burr
  • William R. Moses21 titles    See newest 12 of 21 shared titles with William R. Moses
  • William Katt8 titles    See all 8 shared titles with William Katt
  • Betsy Jones-Moreland4 titles    See all 4 shared titles with Betsy Jones-Moreland

Composers, cinematographers and editors

  • Dick DeBenedictis29 titles    See newest 12 of 29 shared titles with Dick DeBenedictis
  • David Solomon23 titles · 14 as editor    See newest 12 of 23 shared titles with David Solomon
  • Carter DeHaven14 titles    See newest 12 of 14 shared titles with Carter DeHaven
  • Robert Seaman11 titles    See all 11 shared titles with Robert Seaman

Producers

  • Fred Silverman28 titles    See newest 12 of 28 shared titles with Fred Silverman
  • Barry Steinberg13 titles    See newest 12 of 13 shared titles with Barry Steinberg
  • Billy Ray Smith12 titles    See all 12 shared titles with Billy Ray Smith
  • Peter Katz10 titles    See all 10 shared titles with Peter Katz