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".
Michael
(Pansy Milbank)
Pursuit of Happiness
(Lorraine)
Dead Man's Folly
(Ariadne Oliver)
You've Got Mail
(Birdie Conrad)
Damn Yankees
(Sister Miller)
Cold Turkey
(Mrs. Wappler)
Up the Down Staircase
(Sadie Finch)
Bells Are Ringing
(Sue)
Good Evening Captain
(Self)
The Buddy System
(Mrs. Price)
Gonzo Presents Muppet Weird Stuff
(Self)
Something Wild
(Shirley Johnson)
The Television Revolution Begins: "All in the Family" Is On the Air
(Self)
Those Were the Days: The Birth of "All in the Family"
(Self)
Baby
(Byrd)
Chance of a Lifetime
(Mrs. Dunbar)
Angel Dusted
(Betty Eaton)
Lily Dale
(Mrs. Coons)
The Last Laugh
(Self)
Funny Ladies: A Portrait of Women Cartoonists
(Narrator)
Klute
(Goldfarb’s Secretary)
Aunt Mary
(Mary Dobkin)
Tail Gunner Joe
(Mrs. DeCamp)
Eleanor, First Lady of the World
(Eleanor Roosevelt)
You Can't Take it With You
(Penny Sycamore)
Fire in the Dark
(Henry Dutton)
Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World
(Mrs. Jenkins (voice))
A Matter of Sex
(Irene Wallin)
Acts of Love and Other Comedies
(Gina's Mother)
Bury Me in Niagara
(Mildred)
Jack and the Beanstalk
(The Giantess)
Cinderella
(Fairy Godmother)
Like Mother Like Son: The Strange Story of Sante and Kenny Kimes
(Irene Silverman)
Pursuit of Happiness
(Lorrraine)
The Trial
(Landlady (uncredited))
Isabel's Choice
(Isabel Cooper)
Mother Goose Rock 'n' Rhyme
(Mother Goose)
The Habitation of Dragons
(Lenora Tolliver)
The Muppets Go Hollywood
(Self)
All in the Family: 20th Anniversary Special
The Rosie O'Donnell Show
(Self)
My Three Sons
The Love Boat
Caroline in the City
(Aunt Mary Kosky)
Touched by an Angel
(Emma)
Everybody Loves Raymond
(Aunt Alda)
All in the Family
(Edith Bunker)
Route 66
E! True Hollywood Story
Murphy Brown
Naked City
(Marilyn Konish)
Grace Under Fire
Scarecrow and Mrs. King
Archie Bunker's Place
Faerie Tale Theatre
(The Giantess)
Beakman's World
(Beakman's Mom)
The Electric Company
The Muppet Show
(Self - Special Guest Star)
Hallmark Hall of Fame
(Mary Dobkin)
The Eleventh Hour
Intimate Portrait
(Self)
Dennis the Menace
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
(Self)
Lux Video Theatre
(Teacher)
The Defenders
(Mrs. Larsen)
The Patty Duke Show
The Philco Television Playhouse
(Bus Girl)
Robert Montgomery Presents
TV Land Top 10
Dr. Kildare
(Nurse Whitney)
Bagdad Cafe
Cher
(Self)
Trying Times
Woman With A Past
TV Land Awards: A Celebration of Classic TV
The Ray Bradbury Theater
Saturday Night Live
(Self - Cameo (uncredited))
Naked City
(Mrs. Trellis)
The Mike Douglas Show
(Self)
Faerie Tale Theatre
(The Fairy Godmother)
Shelley Duvall's Bedtime Stories
(Narrator (Voice))
The Carol Burnett Show
(Self - Guest / Various Characters)
Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle
(Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle)
Tony Awards
(Self - Presenter)
Tony Awards
(Self - Host)
The Dick Cavett Show
(Self - Guest)
The Nurses
(Mrs. Montgomery)
Style & Substance
(Gloria Utley)
Great Performances
(Helen)