Celebrity News January 27, 2017
‘Perry Mason’ Star Barbara Hale Dead at 94
Barbara Hale, the woman behind the character Della Street on TV's long-running series “Perry Mason," has died at the age of 94.
On Friday, her son, actor William Katt, posted on Facebook, "Lost my beautiful wonderful mom Barbara Hale yesterday afternoon. She left peacefully at her home in Sherman Oaks Ca surrounded by close family and dear friends. We've all been so lucky to have her for so long. She was gracious and kind and silly and always fun to be with. A wonderful actress and smart business woman she was most of all a treasure as a friend and mother! We're all a little lost without her but we have extraordinary stories and memories to take with us for the rest of our lives.”
Hale had a thriving movie career in the '40s and '50s, but became most closely associated with her role on “Perry Mason.” The CBS show, starring Raymond Burr as the never-wrong lawyer and Hale as his all-knowing girl Friday, aired from 1957 to 1966, which made it the longest-running courtroom show. “Perry Mason” TV movies aired from 1985 to 1995, the last installment featuring Hale's final performance.
Hale married actor Bill Williams, whose real name was Herman Katt, in 1946. They were married until his death in 1992. Along with William, the couple had two daughters, Johanna Katt and Juanita King, who survive her.