Creighton Hale
Creighton Hale was an Irish-American theatre, film, and television actor whose career extended more than a half-century, from the early 1900s to the end of the 1950s.
Career
Hale was born in County Cork, Ireland, one of two children of Maud V. Hale and Daniel Fitzgerald. Educated in Dublin and London, he later attended Ardingly College in Sussex.
He emigrated to the United States in 1910, with a company headed by Gertrude Elliott. Remaining in the country, he acted in stock theater in Hartford, Indianapolis, and other cities, billed initially as Pat Creighton Hale. While starring in Charles Frohman's Broadway production of Indian Summer, Hale was spotted by a representative of the Pathe Film Company. He eventually became known simply as Creighton Hale, although the derivation of "Creighton" remains unknown. Making his screen debut in The Exploits of Elaine, Hale had prominent supporting roles in films like D.W. Griffith's Way Down East, Orphans of the Storm, and The Idol Dancer, and later starred in such films as The Marriage Circle, Seven Footprints to Satan and The [Cat and the Canary (1927 film)|The Cat and the Canary]. Regarding the latter, Picture Show wrote of Hale's performance, "He makes no attempt to be impressive. He is just natural."
It was thought that in 1923 Hale starred in an early pornographic "stag" film On the Beach. In the film, three nude women agree to have sex with him, but only through a hole in a fence. Photographs of the scene clearly show that the man in the film is not Hale, but is another actor who also wore glasses.
When talkies came about, Hale's career declined. He made several appearances in Hal Roach's Our Gang series, and also played uncredited bits in major talking films such as Larceny, Inc., The Maltese Falcon, and Casablanca.
Personal life
Hale's two sons, Creighton Hale Jr. and Robert Lowe Hale, from his first marriage to Victoire Lowe, were adopted by Lowe's second husband, actor John Miljan. After his divorce, Hale married Kathleen Bering in Los Angeles in 1931.
Hale's sister-in-law, Isabelle Lowe, was both an accomplished stage actress and a published author and aspiring playwright. She and Hale performed together at least twice during the early 1920s—co-starring in revivals of Rida Johnson Young's Little Old New York and A.E. Thomas's Just Suppose—and co-authored two never-produced plays.
Hale died at the Motion Picture Country Home on August 9, 1965, at age 83. In accordance with his wishes, no funeral service was held, his remains were cremated at Chapel of the Pines, and his ashes were brought to rest at Duncans Mills Cemetery in Northern California.
Selected filmography
The Million Dollar Mystery – Gang Member The Stain – Office ClerkThe Taint – Walter, Madame Bartlett's SonThe Three of Us – ClemThe Exploits of Elaine – Walter Jameson A Fool There Was – Minor RoleThe New Exploits of Elaine – Walter JamesonThe Romance of Elaine – Reuben WhitcombHazel Kirke – Pittacus GreeneThe Iron Claw – DaveyCharity – Jimmie Fleming Snow White – Prince FlorimondThe Seven Pearls – Harry DrakeMrs. Slacker – Robert GibbsFor Sale – Waverly HamiltonAnnexing Bill – BillyWaifs – Fitzjames PowersHis Bonded Wife – Philip HazardThe Woman the Germans Shot – Frank BrooksThe Great Victory – Conrad Le BrettOh, Boy! – George BuddThe Thirteenth Chair – Willy GrosbyThe Love Cheat – Henry CalvinA Damsel in Distress – George BevanThe Black Circle – Andrew MacTavish FergusonThe Idol Dancer – Walter KincaidA Child for Sale – Charles StoddardWay Down East – Professor SterlingForbidden Love – Harold Van ZandtOrphans of the Storm – PicardFascination – Carlos de Lisa Her Majesty – Ted HarperMary of the Movies – The BoyThree Wise Fools – Young TrumbullTrilby – Little BilleeBroken Hearts of Broadway – An OutcastTea: With a Kick! – Art BingerThe Marriage Circle – Dr. Gustav MuellerName the Man – Alick GellHow to Educate a Wife – Billy BreeseRiders Up – Johnny, aka Information KidWine of Youth – Richard The Mine with the Iron Door – St. JimmyThis Woman – Bobby BleedonThe [Bridge of Sighs (1925 film)|The Bridge of Sighs] – Billy CraigSeven Days – Jim WilsonThe Circle – Arnold CheneyExchange of Wives – Victor MoranTime, the Comedian – Tom CautleyThe [Shadow on the Wall (1925 film)|The Shadow on the Wall] – George WaltersWages for Wives – Danny KesterBeverly of Graustark – Prince OscarA Poor Girl's Romance – Wellington KingstonThe Midnight Message – Billy DoddOh, Baby! – Arthur GrahamSpeeding Through Should Men Walk Home? – The Gentleman CrookWhy Girls Say No – Becky's BoyfriendOne Hour Married Annie Laurie – DonaldThumbs Down – Richard HaleThe Cat and the Canary – Paul JonesRose-Marie – Etienne DorayRiley of the Rainbow Division – RileySisters of Eve – Leonard TavernakeThe House of Shame – Harvey BaremoreSeven Footprints to Satan – James KirkhamThe Great Divide – Edgar BlossomHoliday – Pete HedgesSchool's Out – Jack Crabtree – Miss Crabtree's BrotherBig Ears – Wheezer's fatherGrief Street – TedPrestige – Lieutenant at Engagement Party The Greeks Had a Word for Them – Wedding Supervisor Shop Angel – Maxie MortonFree Wheeling – Dickie's FatherSensation Hunters – Fred BarrettThe Masquerader – Bobby Blessington Only Yesterday – What's Your Racket? – ChiefGambling Lady – Funeral Attendee George White's Scandals – Theatre Treasurer The Thin Man – Reporter Bulldog Drummond Strikes Back – Wedding Guest The President Vanishes – Wardell's Secretary Helldorado – Newspaper Reporter Mystery Woman – Radio Operator One More Spring – Minor Role Life Begins at 40 – Drug Clerk Million Dollar Haul – Arthur 'Curley' RobertsBecky Sharp – British Officer Men Without Names – GroomDeath from a Distance – Witness Your Uncle Dudley – Auto Salesman Custer's Last Stand – HankThe Music Goes 'Round – Man on the Street The Millionaire Kid – Thomas NevilleTill We Meet Again – English Artillery Officer The Country Beyond – Mountie The Crime of Dr. Forbes – Student Doctor 36 Hours to Kill – Ticket Agent Hollywood Boulevard – Himself – Actor at Trocadero BarUnder Your Spell – Bailiff Find the Witness – Bell CaptainStep Lively, Jeeves! – Reporter Midnight Taxi – G-Man Charlie Chan on Broadway – Reporter Big Town Girl – Desk Man International Settlement – Clerk One Wild Night – Bank Teller Meet the Girls – Assistant Bartender Confessions of a Nazi Spy – Draftsman Nancy Drew... Trouble Shooter – Man in Sheriff's Office Indianapolis Speedway – Racetrack Official The Cowboy Quarterback – Broadcaster Torchy Blane... Playing with Dynamite – Hotel Desk ClerkEverybody's Hobby – Hatfield's Reporter Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase – ReporterDust Be My Destiny – Nick's Second Customer On Your Toes – First Stage Manager Pride of the Blue Grass – English Announcer On Dress Parade – Doctor Telling Cadets 'No Visitors' The Roaring Twenties – Customer Kid Nightingale – Man Answering Telephone at Lessernan's Gymnasium The Return of Doctor X – Hotel ManagerA Child Is Born – Elevator Operator Calling Philo Vance – Du Bois – Fingerprint ManGranny Get Your Gun – Second Reporter One Million B.C. – Shell PersonKing of the Lumberjacks – Cashier Tear Gas Squad – Police Announcer Saturday's Children – Stamp Collecting Mailman Flight Angels – San Francisco Airport Attendant Brother Orchid – Reporter #3 A Fugitive from Justice – Reporter at Train Station Gambling on the High Seas – Nelson – Gambling Loser The Man Who Talked Too Much – Reporter #4 All This, and Heaven Too – Ship's Officer My Love Came Back – Thompson – Music Co. Clerk Money and the Woman – Mack, Bank Customer Knute Rockne All American – Callahan's Secretary Tugboat Annie Sails Again – James – Armstrong's Chauffeur East of the River – Casino Floor Man Always a Bride – First Reporter Father Is a Prince – Lawrence – Bower's Accountant Lady with Red Hair – Reporter Eddie She [Couldn't Say No (1940 film)|She Couldn't Say No] – Jasper – Loafer on Hotel Porch Santa Fe Trail – Telegraph Operator Honeymoon for Three – Ticket Agent The Strawberry Blonde – Secretary The Great Mr. Nobody – Man Buying Newspaper Footsteps [in the Dark (film)|Footsteps in the Dark] – Mr. Harlan Here Comes Happiness – Headline Printer Knockout – Second Reporter Affectionately Yours – Hotel Manager with Key Out of the Fog – Pharmacist Sergeant York – Associated Press Man The Bride Came C.O.D. – Reporter #5 Bullets for O'Hara – Jury Foreman Bad Men of Missouri – Bank Representative Highway West – Waiter Dive Bomber – Hospital Attendant The Smiling Ghost – Collector Nine Lives Are Not Enough – Mahan – Police Fingerprint Expert Passage from Hong Kong – Steamship Clerk One Foot in Heaven – Church Usher The Maltese Falcon – Stenographer Law of the Tropics – Wilson – Clerk Blues in the Night – Gambler at Dice Table The Body Disappears – Prof. Edwards Steel Against the Sky – Jim The [Man Who Came to Dinner (1942 film)|The Man Who Came to Dinner] – Radio Man Bullet Scars – Jess, the DruggistThe Male Animal – Reporter Murder in the Big House Ritter – Warden's SecretaryLarceny, Inc. – Mr. CarmichaelYankee Doodle Dandy – Telegraph Operator Spy Ship – Reporter The Big Shot – Bit Role Wings for the Eagle – Jeweler Escape from Crime – Durkin The Gay Sisters – Mourner / Courtroom Sketch Artist Busses Roar – The Ticket Agent You Can't Escape Forever – Newspaper Employee Taking Notes The Hidden Hand – The Coroner Gentleman Jim – Championship Fight Spectator Casablanca – Dubious Gambler The Gorilla Man – Constable FletcherThe Mysterious Doctor – Luke Action in the North Atlantic – Sparks Watch on the Rhine – Chauffeur Thank Your Lucky Stars – Engineer The Crime Doctor's Strangest Case – Dr. Carter Uncertain Glory – Prison Secretary The [Adventures of Mark Twain (1944 film)|The Adventures of Mark Twain] – Man with Mule Mr. Skeffington – Casey Crime by Night – Horace Grayson The Last Ride – Air Raid Warden Confidential Agent – Postman Three Strangers – Man in Pub A Stolen Life – Attendant at Wedding Reception Her Kind of Man – Backstage Man Janie Gets Married – Newspaper Worker Night and Day – Man in Theatre Two Guys from Milwaukee – Mayor's Aide The Verdict – Reporter Humoresque – Professor Nora Prentiss – Captain of Waiters, Sea Gull Cafe That Way with Women – BriggsThe Two Mrs. Carrolls – Second Tout Stallion Road – Engagement Party Guest Love and Learn – Tom – the Wyngate Butler Possessed – Secretary at Inquest The [Perils of Pauline (1947 film)|The Perils of Pauline] – Marcelled Leading ManCry Wolf – Dr. Reynolds Life with Father – Mr. Wickersham – Father of Twin Boys Always Together – Eric, Turner's Butler April Showers – Hotel Guest The [Woman in White (1948 film)|The Woman in White] – Underservant The Big Punch – Dr. LeRoy Embraceable You – Bus Station Ticket Clerk Johnny Belinda – Bailiff Smart Girls Don't Talk – Apartment House Clerk June Bride – Airplane Passenger Fighter Squadron – Cockney The Decision of Christopher Blake – Actor in Dream Play Whiplash – Man Leaving Nightclub John Loves Mary – Waiter Flaxy Martin – George – Tenement Resident A [Kiss in the Dark (1949 film)|A Kiss in the Dark] – Tenant Homicide – Glorietta Desk Clerk Tulsa – Party Guest The Younger Brothers – Hotel Clerk Night Unto Night – Auto Court Workman The Fountainhead – Court Clerk One Last Fling – Gus, Bolton's Valet The Girl from Jones Beach – Waiter The House Across the Street – Newspaper Office Worker Beyond the Forest – Townsman with Glasses The Story of Seabiscuit – Oscar – Racetrack Spectator Always Leave Them Laughing – Hotel Clerk Montana – Rancher Backfire – Cab Driver Francis – Bank Employee Chain Lightning – Well-Wisher Perfect Strangers – Reporter The Daughter of Rosie O'Grady – Well-Wisher at Dressing Room Party The Flame and the Arrow – Undetermined role The Great Jewel Robber – Hotel Clerk Atom Man vs. Superman – Observer Sunset Boulevard – Himself The Enforcer – Music Store Clerk Goodbye, My Fancy – Griswolds' Butler Fort Worth – Railroad Backer On Moonlight Bay – Father in Silent Movie Painting the Clouds with Sunshine – Undetermined role Come Fill the Cup – Newspaperman Starlift – Theatre Manager The Girl in White – Instructor Scarlet Angel – Judge Ames Washington Story – Congressman Cattle Town – Townsman on Street Because You're Mine – Eye Examiner Million Dollar Mermaid – Husband on Beach Off Limits – Bar Patron So You Want to Learn to Dance – Barber The System – Reporter at Senate Investigation Hearing Sangaree – Mr. Hale, plantation owner So [This Is Love (film)|So This Is Love] – Passerby Take the High Ground! – Army Doctor Walking My Baby Back Home – Edwards Phantom of the Rue Morgue – Concierge's Husband A Star Is Born – Undetermined role, crowd scene Strange Lady in Town – Card Player The McConnell Story – Fight Fan Illegal – Undetermined role, courtroom sceneThe Steel Jungle – ClerkSerenade – Assistant Stage Manager Our Miss Brooks – Faculty Member The She-Creature – Minor Role Sneak Preview – episode "One Minute from Broadway"Top Secret Affair – Clerk at Senate Hearing The Spirit of St. Louis – Man Driving Car The Helen Morgan Story – Speakeasy Patron The [Story of Mankind (film)|The Story of Mankind] – Heavenly Judge Westbound – Irritated Stagecoach Passenger