“Batman” actress Jean Hale has died at the age of 82.
Her family announced the news on Monday and said she died from natural causes at her home in Santa Monica on Aug. 3, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
The Salt Lake City native was best known for playing Polly, the sidekick of David Wayne’s Mad Hatter on the television series “Batman” with Adam West, in 1967. She also sparred with actor James Coburn’s character in the 1967 spy parody “In Like Flint.”
She was married to actor Dabney Coleman, with whom she had three children — Quincy, Randy and Kelly — from 1961 until their 1984 divorce.
Jean started her Hollywood career as a model, but in the early ’60s, she was spotted by actress Sandra Dee’s agent Len Luskin while she strolled down NYC’s Fifth Avenue. She then signed a contract with 20th Century Fox and made her screen debut in the 1963 film “Violent Midnight.”
Before acting, Hale attended the University of Utah and earned a degree in ballet before also attending Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, New York for a period. After she completed her studies, she modeled for the Conover Agency and the Huntington Hartford Agency.
She also graduated from the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre in New York. Hale studied under acclaimed filmmakers such as Sydney Pollack, Martha Graham, James Caan, Jerry Weintraub, Jessica Walter, Christopher Lloyd, Brenda Vaccaro and her then-future husband.
She appeared in other productions such as 1964’s “Taggart” and 1967’s “The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre.” On television, she made guest appearances on series including “Perry Mason,” “The Alfred Hitchcock Hour,” “Bonanza,” “The Fugitive” and “Hawaii Five-O.”
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