Biography
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".
Movies & TV Shows
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You've Got Mail (1998) — Birdie Conrad
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Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World (1998) — Mrs. Jenkins (voice)
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Michael (1996) — Pansy Milbank
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Everybody Loves Raymond (1996) — Aunt Alda
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Klute (1971) — Goldfarb's Secretary
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Saturday Night Live (1975) — Self - Cameo (uncredited)
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The Muppet Show (1976) — Self - Special Guest Star
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The Love Boat (1977)
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Touched by an Angel (1994) — Emma
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All in the Family (1971) — Edith Bunker
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Murphy Brown (1988)
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E! True Hollywood Story (1996)
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The Carol Burnett Show (1967) — Self - Guest / Various Characters
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Dead Man's Folly (1986) — Ariadne Oliver
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Bells Are Ringing (1960) — Sue
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Beakman's World (1992) — Beakman's Mom
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Scarecrow and Mrs. King (1983)
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Damn Yankees (1958) — Sister Miller
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My Three Sons (1960)
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Something Wild (1961) — Shirley Johnson
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The Trial (1993) — Landlady (uncredited)
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Grace Under Fire (1993)
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The Ray Bradbury Theater (1985)
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Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In (1968) — Self
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Caroline in the City (1995) — Aunt Mary Kosky
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Dennis the Menace (1959)
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Cold Turkey (1971) — Mrs. Wappler
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Up the Down Staircase (1967) — Sadie Finch
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The Muppets Go Hollywood (1979) — Self
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The Electric Company (1971)
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Great Performances (1971) — Helen
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Faerie Tale Theatre (1982) — The Giantess
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The Dick Cavett Show (1968) — Self - Guest
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The Last Laugh (2016) — Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
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Route 66 (1960)
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Golden Globe Awards (1944) — Self - Nominee
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Mother Goose Rock 'n' Rhyme (1990) — Mother Goose
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Dr. Kildare (1961) — Nurse Whitney
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The Rosie O'Donnell Show (1996) — Self
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The Patty Duke Show (1963)