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Richard Hale was an American opera and concert singer and later a character actor of film, stage and television. Hale's appearance usually landed him roles as either Middle Eastern or Native American characters.
Born James Richards Hale in Rogersville, Tennessee, he attended Columbia University on a singing scholarship. Upon graduation in 1914, he turned down an offer to join Columbia's English department, choosing instead to join Minnie Maddern Fiske's theater group. Hale's 1921 debut at Aeolian Hall began a successful career in opera as a baritone; he toured Europe and the United States. The 1927 New York Times film review of The Unknown credits "Richard Hale, baritone" as singing "The Pirate's Frolic". During the 1930s, Hale performed at the Berkshire Playhouse in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. Hale also narrated Peter and the Wolf for Sergei Prokofiev, at Tanglewood, with Koussevitsky conducting. Hale was also the narrator for Arthur Fiedler's 1953 RCA recording of the same music with the Boston Pops.
In later life, he turned more and more to acting. His most notable role was in the 1956 film Friendly Persuasion, starring Gary Cooper. He was also notable as the Soothsayer who warns "Beware the Ides of March!" in the Shakespeare film Julius Caesar. He made four guest appearances on Perry Mason, including murder victim George Lutts in 1957 in the show's third episode, "The Case of the Nervous Accomplice," and general store owner Robert Tepper in the 1960 episode, "The Case of the Violent Village." He also appeared in television programs such as Rawhide, Maverick, Daniel Boone, Green Acres, Petticoat Junction, Bonanza, Gunsmoke, and Adam-12.
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