Jean Stapleton

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".

Jean Stapleton is known for work in acting across film and television. New Release currently presents 31 verified screen credits connected to this profile.

Selected work includes You've Got Mail (1998), Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World (1998), Beakman's World (1992), The Ray Bradbury Theater (1985), Faerie Tale Theatre (1982), All in the Family (1971), Woman With A Past (1954), The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962). The recorded credits span 1944 to 1998, including 2 movies and 29 TV shows.

The filmography below lists available titles, release years and known roles. This profile is updated as additional verified information becomes available.