Alan Hale Sr. facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Alan Hale Sr.
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Hale in 1922
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| Born |
Rufus Edward Mackahan
February 10, 1892 Washington, D.C., U.S.
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| Died | January 22, 1950 (aged 57) Hollywood, California, U.S.
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| Burial place | Forest Lawn Memorial Park |
| Occupation | Actor, director |
| Years active | 1899–1950 |
| Spouse(s) |
Gretchen Hartman
(m. 1914) |
| Children | 3, including Alan Hale Jr. |
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Alan Hale Sr. (born Rufus Edward Mackahan; February 10, 1892 – January 22, 1950) was a famous American actor and director. He is best known for playing many different types of characters in movies. He often played the sidekick to the adventurous actor Errol Flynn. He also acted alongside other big stars like Lon Chaney, Douglas Fairbanks, James Cagney, and Ronald Reagan. Alan Hale Sr. had a long career in film, lasting 40 years! His son, Alan Hale Jr., also became an actor. You might know his son as "the Skipper" from the TV show Gilligan's Island.
Contents
Early Life and Beginnings
Alan Hale Sr. was born in Washington, D.C.. When he was young, he studied to become an opera singer. This shows he had a talent for performing from an early age.
A Busy Career in Movies
Alan Hale Sr.'s first movie was a silent movie called The Cowboy and the Lady in 1911. Silent movies were films without spoken dialogue, where actors used their expressions and actions to tell the story. He started out playing main characters in films between 1913 and 1915.
Later, he became known as a "character actor." This means he was great at playing unique and memorable supporting roles. One of his most famous roles was playing "Little John" in the movie Robin Hood (1922). In this film, he acted with Douglas Fairbanks. Amazingly, he played Little John again 16 years later in The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) with Errol Flynn. He even played Little John a third time in Rogues of Sherwood Forest (1950)! Playing the same character in three different movies over 28 years is very rare.
Hale Sr. was a frequent co-star with Errol Flynn, appearing in 13 movies together. He often played Flynn's loyal and sometimes funny friend. For example, in the western film Dodge City (1939), he played Rusty Hart, a kind and comical sidekick to Flynn's character.
He also appeared in many other popular films. Some of these include It Happened One Night (1934) with Clark Gable, Stella Dallas (1937) with Barbara Stanwyck, and This Is the Army (1943). In total, Alan Hale Sr. acted in an amazing 235 movies! He also directed eight films during the 1920s and 1930s.
Beyond Acting: An Inventor!
Alan Hale Sr. wasn't just an actor; he was also an inventor! He came up with some clever ideas. One of his inventions was a special sliding theater chair. This chair would let people slide back to make room for others to pass by without everyone having to stand up. He also invented a hand-held fire extinguisher and even greaseless potato chips!
Family Life
Alan Hale Sr. was married to Gretchen Hartman for over 30 years. Gretchen was also an actress who started acting when she was a child. They had three children together.
His son, Alan Hale Jr., followed in his father's footsteps and became an actor. Alan Jr. is most famous for playing "the Skipper" on the TV show Gilligan's Island. It's interesting that both father and son looked very much alike. This sometimes caused confusion after Alan Hale Sr. passed away, as his son then dropped "Jr." from his name.
Even more surprisingly, both Alan Hale Sr. and Alan Hale Jr. played the same character, Porthos the musketeer, in different movies! Alan Hale Sr. played Porthos in the 1939 film Man in the Iron Mask. Forty years later, Alan Hale Jr. played Porthos in The Fifth Musketeer in 1979.
Alan Hale Sr. passed away in Hollywood, California, on January 22, 1950, when he was 57 years old. He is buried next to his wife at the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California.
Selected Filmography
- The Cowboy and the Lady (1911, his first movie)
- Robin Hood (1922) as Little John
- The Trap (1922)
- The Covered Wagon (1923)
- It Happened One Night (1934)
- The Crusades (1935)
- The Prince and the Pauper (1937)
- The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) as Little John
- Algiers (1938)
- Dodge City (1939) as Algernon 'Rusty' Hart
- The Man in the Iron Mask (1939) as Porthos
- The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939)
- The Fighting 69th (1940)
- Virginia City (1940)
- The Sea Hawk (1940)
- They Drive by Night (1940)
- Santa Fe Trail (1940)
- Manpower (1941)
- This Is the Army (1943) as Sgt. McGee
- Destination Tokyo (1943)
- The Adventures of Mark Twain (1944)
- Hotel Berlin (1945)
- God Is My Co-Pilot (1945)
- Night and Day (1946)
- Pursued (1947)
- Adventures of Don Juan (1948)
- The Inspector General (1949)
- Rogues of Sherwood Forest (1950) as Little John (his final film)
Images for kids
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Gretchen Hartman, Alan Hale Sr.'s wife.
