JEAN STAPLETON BIOGRAPHY & FILMOGRAPHY:
Jean Stapleton was born on January 19th, 1923 in New York City, New York with the birth name Jeanne Murray. Some of her family members were already involved in show business such as her cousin Betty Jane Watson and her uncle, Joseph E. Demming who worked in vaudeville. Her brother, Jack Stapleton also grew up to pursue a career in the industry.
She was born to parents, Joseph E. Murray and Marie Stapleton Murray who was a professional singer. After earning her high school diploma from Wadleigh High, Stapleton enrolled at Hunter College. After college she first found work as a secretary before pursuing a career in entertainment.
Like many other performers during that time, she began with working as a stage actress at the Greenwood Playhouse in Maine. After gaining some experience she went back to New York and appeared in a production of, "The Corn is Green" (1948) before making her Broadway debut in, "Damn Yankees" (1955) followed by other Broadway roles in, "Bells Are Ringing" (1960), "Rhinoceros" (1961) and "Funny Girl" (1964).
Other roles she added to her credits were on the television series, "The Defenders" (1962), "The Eleventh Hour" (1963), "Starlight Theater" (1951), "Woman with a Past" (1954), "Dr. Kildare" (1961) , "Dennis the Menace" (1962) and "Naked City" (1961-1963).
Along with working as a stage actress she became most well known for her role as Edith Bunker on the television series, "All in the Family" (1968) for which she earned three Emmy's and two Golden Globe Awards.
More recently she has been seen in such films as, "Michael" (1996), "You've Got Mail" (1998) and such television series as, "Everybody Loves Raymond" (1996), "Murphy Brown" (1996), "Style & Substance" (1998). Her last roles prior to retirement were in the 2001 film, "Pursuit of Happiness" and the television movie, "Like Mother Like Son: The Strange Story of Sante and Kenny Kimes" (2001).
She married only once to William Putch in 1957 and they had two children and remained married until he passed away on November 23rd, 1983. She has not re-married and lives in retirement in Manhattan, New York.
Filmography
2001 Like Mother Like Son: The Strange Story of Sante and Kenny Kimes
2001 Pursuit of Happiness
2000 Baby
2000 Touched by an Angel
1998 You've Got Mail
1998 Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World
1998 Chance of a Lifetime
1998 Style & Substance
1996 Michael
1996 Everybody Loves Raymond
1996 Lily Dale
1996 Murphy Brown
1996 The Great War and the Shaping of the 20th Century
1995-1996 Beakman's World
1995 Caroline in the City
1994 Grace Under Fire
1994 Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle
1993 Ghost Mom
1993 The Trial
1993 The General Motors Playwrights Theater
1992 The Ray Bradbury Theater
1992 The Habitation of Dragons
1992 Shelley Duvall's Bedtime Stories
1991 Fire in the Dark
1990-1991 Bagdad Cafe
1990 Mother Goose Rock 'n' Rhyme
1990 American Playwrights Theater: The One-Acts
1989 Trying Times
1987 Tender Places
1986 The Love Boat
1986 Dead Man's Folly
1985 Great Performances
1983-1985 Faerie Tale Theatre
1984 Scarecrow and Mrs. King
1984 The Buddy System
1984 A Matter of Sex
1984 Something's Afoot
1982 Eleanor, First Lady of the World
1981 Isabel's Choice
1981 Angel Dusted
1979 Archie Bunker's Place
1979 Aunt Mary
1979 You Can't Take It with You
1968-1979 All in the Family
1977 Tail Gunner Joe
1976 The Muppet Show
1973 Acts of Love and Other Comedies
1971 Klute
1971 Cold Turkey
1967 Up the Down Staircase
1965 The Patty Duke Show
1964 My Three Sons
1963 Route 66
1963 The Eleventh Hour
1961-1963 Naked City
1962 Car 54, Where Are You?
1962 The Defenders
1962 Jackie Gleason: American Scene Magazine
1962 The Doctors and the Nurses
1962 Dennis the Menace
1961 Something Wild
1961 Dr. Kildare
1960 Bells Are Ringing
1960 The Robert Herridge Theater
1958 Damn Yankees!
1955 The Philco-Goodyear Television Playhouse
1954 Woman with a Past
1953 Lux Video Theatre
1952 Robert Montgomery Presents
1951 Starlight Theatre
