What Was Alan Hale Jr.'s Net Worth?
Alan Hale Jr. was an American actor and restauranteur who had a net worth equal to $6 million at the time of his death in 1990. Alan Hale Jr. was the son of actor Alan Hale Sr. He had more than 220 acting credits to his name but was best known for his role as Jonas "The Skipper" Grumby on the television series "Gilligan's Island." He appeared on the show from 1964 to 1967. From 1952 to 1954, Hale starred as the title character on the TV series "Biff Baker, U.S.A." He also starred as the title character on the series "Casey Jones" from 1957 to 1958.
Hale starred in many Westerns and musical comedies and appeared in films including "The Big Trees," "Destry," "A Man Alone," "The True Story of Jesse James," "The Long Rope," "It Happened on Fifth Avenue," "The West Point Story," "Honeychile," and more. In 1960, Alan was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6653 Hollywood Blvd.
In addition to acting, Hale co-owned Alan Hale's Lobster Barrel, a restaurant he opened in the mid-1970s in Los Angeles.
Alan Hale Jr. passed away on January 2, 1990, at 68 years old, from thymus cancer.
(Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
Early Life
Alan Hale Jr. was born on March 8, 1921, in Los Angeles, California. His mother, Gretchen Hartman, was a silent film actress, and his father, Rufus Edward MacKahan (who went by the stage name Alan Hale), was a famous character actor. His father had begun his career in silent films but transitioned to sound movies later on in his career. Hale appeared in a number of silent films when he was a baby and had a few additional roles in his childhood.
Career
In 1931, Hale made his Broadway stage debut in "Caught Wet." He made his screen debut as a child in 1933 in "Wild Boys of the Road" though his appearance did not make the final cut of the film, despite the fact that he received a screen credit for his performance. He did not appear in as many films over the next decade but then had roles in "To the Shores of Tripoli" in 1942 and "Yanks Ahoy" in 1943. Alan served in the United States Coast Guard during World War II and took a break from acting during this time.
During the late 1940s and early 1950s, Hale frequently appeared in Gene Autry films and had a recurring role on "The Gene Autry Show" from 1950 to 1952. Around this time, he also began to work in other television roles. In 1952, he landed a starring role in CBS's "Bill Baker, U.S.A." He remained on the series until 1954. He also made appearances in series like "The Range Rider," "Annie Oakley," "Fireside Theater," "Matinee Theater," "Fury," "Northwest Passage," and "The Man from Blackhawk."
In 1957, Hale had a particularly busy year in television. He played Shawnee Bill on the Western "Wanted Dead or Alive." He also played a folksy rancher in an episode of "Cheyenne" and then landed a starring role in the television series "Casey Jones." He remained on the latter series for 32 episodes until the show was canceled in 1958. The same year, he was cast as a recurring character in the series "The Texan."
In the early 1960s, Alan continued guest-starring in episodes of shows like "Gunsmoke," "Bonanza," "The Real McCoys," "Mister Ed," "Green Acres," " Adventures in Paradise," "The Andy Griffith Show," "Lassie," "Tales of Wells Fargo," "Route 66," and "Hazel." Additionally, while he spent much of his time working in television, Hale continued appearing in films as well. Throughout the 1950s, he had roles in movies like "The Gunfighter," "At Sword's Point," "The Man Behind the Gun," "The Sea Chase," "The True Story of Jesse James," and "Up Periscope." He also appeared in "The Long Rope" in 1961 and "Bullet for Batman" and "Advance to the Rear" in 1964.
In 1964, Hale won what would become one of his most well-known roles when he was cast as the Skipper on the CBS sitcom "Gilligan's Island." The series aired a total of 98 episodes between 1964 and 1967. Hale's character was very popular, as he played the more serious and surly role opposite Gilligan. "Gilligan's Island" was a massive success and Alan, like many of the other actors on the show, did experience typecasting following its conclusion. However, he did not mind being associated with the character and often would visit children in hospitals dressed as the Skipper to cheer them up. Following the conclusion of the series, Hale reprised the character in the three subsequent television films – "Rescue from Gilligan's Island" in 1978, "The Castaways of Gilligan's Island" in 1979, and "The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island" in 1981. He also voiced the character in two cartoon versions of the series – "The New Adventures of Gilligan" from 1974 to 1977 and "Gilligan's Planet" from 1982 to 1983.
After the show ended, Hale continued his career in television. He appeared in series like "The Wild Wild West," "Here Comes the Bride," "Land of the Giants," "The Virginian," "Marcus Welby, M.D.," "The Love Boat," and "Crazy Like a Fox." He landed roles in films as well. In 1968, he had a role in the Clint Eastwood Western "Hang 'Em High." He also appeared in "The Giant Spider Invasion" in 1975 and "Angels Revenge" in 1978.
To honor his acting career, Hale was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960. Over the course of his career, he appeared in over 200 films and television series.
Gilligan's Island Salary & Royalties
Alan and his cast-mates were paid a salary of $750 per week while working on the show. That's the same as making around $7,300 per week in today's dollars. Assuming each season required 40 weeks (there were 36 episodes in season one, 32 in season two, and 30 in season three), that worked out to an annual income of $30,000. That's the same as making around $300,000 in today's dollars.
Contrary to popular belief, the cast members did not receive any significant income in the form of residuals. As Dawn Wells explained to a reporter in 2014:
"A misconception is that we must be wealthy, rolling in the dough, because we got residuals. We didn't really get a dime… Sherwood Schwartz, our producer, reportedly made $90 million on the reruns alone."
Personal Life
Hale was married twice in his life. He married his first wife, Bettina Reed Doerr, in March 1943. The couple had four children together – Alan, Chris, Lana, and Dorian – before divorcing. In 1964, Alan married former singer Naomi Grace Ingram. They remained married until Hale's death.
Hale died on January 2, 1990, of thymus cancer at St. Vincent Medical Center in Los Angeles at the age of 68. His "Gilligan's Island" co-star Dawn Wells attended the funeral, representing the cast's surviving members.
