From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jonathan Hale (born Jonathan Hatley, March 21, 1891 – February 28, 1966) was a Canadian-born film and television actor. Hale was born in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Before his acting career, Hale worked in the Diplomatic Corps. Hale is most well known as Dagwood Bumstead's boss, Julius Caesar Dithers, in the Blondie film series in the 1940s. He is also notable for playing Inspector Fernack in various The Saint films by RKO Pictures. In 1950 he made two appearances in The Cisco Kid as Barry Owens. He also appeared in two different episodes of Adventures of Superman: "The Evil Three", in which he played a murderous "Southern Colonel"-type character, and "Panic in the Sky", one of the most famous episodes, in which he played the lead astronomer at the Metropolis Observatory, actually a California observatory. Among the relatively few television programs on which Hale appeared are the religion anthology series Crossroads, The Loretta Young Show, Brave Eagle, Schlitz Playhouse, The Joey Bishop Show, and Walt Disney Presents: "A Tribute to Joel Chandler Harris". Hale committed suicide on February 28, 1966. He was found dead that evening in his room at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills, California. Hale had taken his own life with a .38 caliber pistol, which was found near his body. He was 74. Hale was interred at Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery in North Hollywood, California. Sadly, Hale's grave went unmarked for more than four decades, until a proper headstone was erected by donations from the "Dearly Departed" fan-based group in 2013; he is now honored with the inscription, "We Remembered You".
Known For
| Birth Location | Hamilton, Ontario, Canada |
|---|---|
| Born | 1891-03-20 |
| Died | 1966-02-28 |
Movies
The Three Outlaws
as Pinkerton
1956
Jaguar
as Dr. Powell
1956
The Night Holds Terror
as Bob Henderson
1955
Cattle Queen of Montana
as Politician (uncredited)
1954
Duffy of San Quentin
as Boyd
1954
She Couldn't Say No
as John Bentley
1954
The Flaming Urge
as Mr. Chalmers
1953
Kansas Pacific
as Sherman Johnson
1953
Taxi
as Mr. Barker (uncredited)
1953
The Steel Trap
as Tom Bowers
1952
Behind Southern Lines
as General
1952
Son of Paleface
as Governor Freeman (uncredited)
1952
Young Man with Ideas
as Stanley Rickson (uncredited)
1952
Scandal Sheet
as Frank Madison
1952
Sunny Side of the Street
as Cyrus Pelley
1951
The Tall Target
as Passenger from Carolina (uncredited)
1951
Let's Go Navy!
as Captain
1951
Rodeo King and the Senorita
as Dr. Sands
1951
Strangers on a Train
as Mr. Antony
1951
Insurance Investigator
as Russell James
1951
Short Grass
as Charlie Bissel
1950
Three Husbands
as Edward Wurdeman - Attorney at Law
1950
Triple Trouble
as The Judge
1950
Federal Agent at Large
as James Goodwin
1950
The Baron of Arizona
as Governor
1950
The Fountainhead
as Guy Francon (uncredited)
1949
Stampede
as Varick
1949
State Department: File 649
as Director-General
1949
The Judge
as Judge Allan J. Brooks
1949
Rose of the Yukon
as Gen. Butler
1949
Disaster
as Police Commissioner Jerome
1948
Johnny Belinda
as Dr. Horace M. Gray (uncredited)
1948
Tap Roots
as Gen. Johnston (uncredited)
1948
Silver River
as Major Spencer
1948
Call Northside 777
as Governor's Aide Robert Winston (uncredited)
1948
Rocky
as Kenneth Forrester
1948
High Wall
as Emory Garrison
1947
Her Husband's Affairs
as Gov. Fox
1947
Black Gold
as Senator Watkins
1947
The Ghost Goes Wild
as Max Atterbury
1947
The Vigilantes Return
as Judge Holden
1947
The Beginning or the End
as Dr. Vannevar Bush
1947
Wife Wanted
as Philip Conway
1946
Rolling Home
as Henry Kane
1946
Blondie Knows Best
as J.C. Dithers
1946
Angel on My Shoulder
as Citizens for Better Government Chairman (uncredited)
1946
Easy to Wed
as Hector Boswell
1946
The Walls Came Tumbling Down
as Captain Griffin
1946
The Cat Creeps
as Walter Elliott
1946
Blondie's Lucky Day
as J.C. Dithers
1946
Riverboat Rhythm
as Col. Edward Beeler
1946
Gay Blades
as Whittlesey
1946
Dakota
as Col. Wordin
1945
Life with Blondie
as J.C. Dithers
1945
Man Alive
as Osborne
1945
Allotment Wives
as Brig. Gen. H.N. Gilbert
1945
Divorce
as Judge
1945
The Phantom Speaks
as Owen McAllister
1945
G.I. Honeymoon
as Colonel Hammerhead Smith
1945
Watchtower Over Tomorrow
as Security Council Chair
1945
Leave It to Blondie
as J.C. Dithers
1945
The Strange Mr. Gregory
as Defense Attorney Blair
1945
Hollywood Canteen
as Mr. Brodel (uncredited)
1944
Dead Man's Eyes
as Dr. Sam Welles
1944
End of the Road
as Gregory McCune
1944
My Buddy
as Senator Henry
1944
This Is the Life
as Dr. Plum
1944
The Black Parachute
as King Stephen
1944
Jack London
as Kerwin Maxwell
1943
There's Something About a Soldier
as Gen. Sommerton
1943
Sweet Rosie O'Grady
as Mr. Fox
1943
Footlight Glamour
as J.C. Dithers
1943
Nobody's Darling
as Jason Rhodes
1943
It's a Great Life
as J.C. Dithers
1943
Hangmen Also Die!
as Dedic
1943
The Rear Gunner
as Commanding Officer
1943
Blondie for Victory
as J.C. Dithers
1942
Calling Dr. Gillespie
as Frank M. Todwell
1942
Flight Lieutenant
as Joseph Sanford
1942
Miss Annie Rooney
as Mr. Martin White
1942
Blondie's Blessed Event
as J.C. Dithers
1942
Lone Star Ranger
as Judge Longstreth
1942
Joe Smith, American
as Blake McKettrick
1942
The Bugle Sounds
as Brigadier-General
1942
Blondie Goes to College
as J.C. Dithers
1942
The Pittsburgh Kid
as Max Ellison
1941
Ringside Maisie
as Dr. Kramer
1941
Blondie in Society
as J.C. Dithers
1941
Her First Beau
as Mr. Harris
1941
Strange Alibi
as Police Chief Sprague
1941
The Great Swindle
as Swann
1941
Blondie Goes Latin
as J.C. Dithers
1941
Flight from Destiny
as Dist. Atty. Johnson
1941
The Saint In Palm Springs
as Inspector Henry Fernack
1941
Blondie Plays Cupid
as J.C. Dithers
1940
Melody and Moonlight
as Otis Barnett
1940
Dulcy
as Homer Patterson
1940
Blondie Has Servant Trouble
as J.C. Dithers
1940
We Who Are Young
as Braddock
1940
Private Affairs
as George Gilkin
1940
The Saint Takes Over
as Inspector Henry Fernack
1940
Johnny Apollo
as Dr. Brown
1940
The Saint's Double Trouble
as Inspector Henry Fernack
1940
The Big Guy
as Jack Lane
1939
Barricade
as Assistant Secretary of State
1939
The Amazing Mr. Williams
as Mayor
1939
Blondie Brings Up Baby
as J.C. Dithers
1939
Thunder Afloat
as Admiral Girard
1939
One Against the World
as Dr. Ephraim McDowell
1939
In Name Only
as Dr. Gateson
1939
In Old Monterey
as Stevenson
1939
The Story of Alexander Graham Bell
as President of Western Union
1939
The Saint Strikes Back
as Inspector Henry Fernack
1939
Blondie Meets the Boss
as J.C. Dithars
1939
Tail Spin
as Racing Official Starter (Uncredited)
1939
Wings of the Navy
as Commandant
1939
Stand Up and Fight
as Colonel Webb
1939
The Duke of West Point
as Steven's Father
1938
There's That Woman Again
as Rolfe Davis
1938
Road Demon
as Anderson
1938
Blondie
as Mr. Dithers
1938
Tarnished Angel
as Detective Sgt. Cramer
1938
Fugitives for a Night
as Police Captain
1938
Breaking the Ice
as Mr. Kane
1938
Boys Town
as John Hargraves
1938
Letter of Introduction
as Lou Woodstock (uncredited)
1938
Men with Wings
as Long
1938
Crime Ring
as Bank President
1938
Wives Under Suspicion
as Allison
1938
The Saint in New York
as Inspector Henry Fernack
1938
Gangs of New York
as Warden
1938
Yellow Jack
as Major General Leonard Wood
1938
Her Jungle Love
as J.C. Martin
1938
Over the Wall
as Governor James McDonald
1938
Judge Hardy's Children
as John Lee
1938
The First Hundred Years
as Judge Parker
1938
Arsène Lupin Returns
as F.B.I. Special Agent
1938
Exiled to Shanghai
as J.B. Willet
1937
Big Town Girl
as Hershell
1937
Madame X
as Hugh Fariman Sr.
1937
Danger – Love at Work
as Parsons, an attorney
1937
Saratoga
as Frank Clayton
1937
Midnight Madonna
as Stuart Kirkland
1937
This Is My Affair
as Judge
1937
The League of Frightened Men
as Alexander Drummond
1937
Charlie Chan at the Olympics
as Mr. Hopkins
1937
Wings Over Honolulu
as Judge Advocate
1937
You Can't Buy Luck
as Prosecutor (uncredited)
1937
A Star Is Born
as Judge George J. Parris (uncredited)
1937
The Man Who Found Himself
as Dr. Tom Smythe
1937
Racketeers in Exile
as Alden Parker
1937
John Meade's Woman
as Mr. Melton
1937
Sea Devils
as Court-Martial President (uncredited)
1937
1937
Man Of The People
as Carter Spetner
1937
She's Dangerous
as Charles Fitzgerald
1937
You Only Live Once
as District Attorney (uncredited)
1937
Sinner Take All
as Dr. Harrison (uncredited)
1936
Happy Go Lucky
as J. Lansing Bennett
1936
Flying Hostess
as Kendall
1936
The Accusing Finger
as Special Prosecutor
1936
The Devil Is a Sissy
as Judge Holmes
1936
China Clipper
as State Department Official (uncredited)
1936
Charlie Chan at the Race Track
as Warren Fenton
1936
36 Hours to Kill
as Mac - Train Conductor
1936
Spendthrift
as Attorney
1936
Fury
as Defense Attorney
1936
Educating Father
as Fred Humphrey
1936
The Case Against Mrs. Ames
as First trial judge
1936
Panic on the Air
as Johnson
1936
The Singing Kid
as Dr. Brown (uncredited)
1936
Too Many Parents
as Judge
1936
Sutter's Gold
as Prosecuting Attorney
1936
The Voice of Bugle Ann
as District Attorney
1936
You May Be Next!
as Army Officer (uncredited)
1936
Three Live Ghosts
as Detective Bolton
1936
Charlie Chan's Secret
as Warren T. Phelps
1936
If You Could Only Cook
as Henry Brown - Member of Board of Directors (uncredited)
1935
Hit-and-Run Driver
as Captain James (uncredited)
1935
Too Tough to Kill
as Chairman of the Board
1935
The Calling of Dan Matthews
as Club Owner (uncredited)
1935
A Night at the Opera
as The Stage Manager (uncredited)
1935
3 Kids and a Queen
as Gangster
1935
Navy Wife
as Norton
1935
Page Miss Glory
as Husband at Train Station (uncredited)
1935
Alice Adams
as Mr. Palmer
1935
The Raven
as Bedside Dr. at Jerry's Right (uncredited)
1935
Public Hero Number 1
as Prison Board Member (uncredited)
1935
Let 'em Have It
as Microscopic Expert
1935
'G' Men
as Congressman (uncredited)
1935
A Night at the Ritz
as Director (uncredited)
1935
One New York Night
as Mr. Stokes
1935
Lightning Strikes Twice
as Capt. Nelson
1934
Gentlemen Are Born
as Second Broker
1934
A Lost Lady
as (uncredited)
1934
The Case of the Howling Dog
as Courtroom Spectator (uncredited)
1934
Housewife
as Doctor
1934
Jonathan Hale hasn't worked on any movies or TV shows
