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 198687 revival of Arsenic and Old Lace
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