Pat Hingle

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Pat Hingle
Hingle.jpg
Hingle as Judge Adam Fenton in Hang 'Em High (1968).
Born Martin Patterson Hingle
(1924-07-19)July 19, 1924
Miami, Florida, U.S.
Died January 3, 2009(2009-01-03) (aged 84)
Carolina Beach, North Carolina, U.S.
Cause of death Myelodysplastic syndrome
Resting place Cremated, Ashes scattered into the Atlantic Ocean
Residence Carolina Beach, North Carolina
Nationality American
Education Saluda Elementary School
Alma mater Actors Studio
Occupation Actor
Years active 1954–2009
Notable work(s) Batman, Hang 'Em High, Splendor in the Grass, Batman Returns, Batman Forever, Batman & Robin, Shaft
Home town Houston, Texas
Height 5' 10" (1.78 m)
Spouse(s) Alyce Faye Dorsey
(1947-1972; divorced),
Julie Wright
(1979-2009; his death)
Children 5
Parents Marvin Louise (nèe Patterson),
Clarence Martin Hingle

Martin Patterson "Pat" Hingle (July 19, 1924 – January 3, 2009) was an American actor.

Contents

Early life [edit]

Hingle was born Martin Patterson Hingle in Miami, Florida, the son of Marvin Louise (née Patterson), a schoolteacher and musician, and Clarence Martin Hingle, a building contractor.[1] Hingle enlisted in the U.S. Navy in December 1941, dropping out of the University of Texas. He served on the destroyer USS Marshall during World War II. He returned to the University of Texas after the war and earned a degree in radio broadcasting.

Acting career [edit]

Traditional roles [edit]

Pat Hingle as Commissioner Gordon.

Hingle was traditionally known for playing judges, police officers, and other authority figures. He was a guest star on the early NBC legal drama Justice, based on case histories of the Legal Aid Society of New York.[2]

Another notable role was as the father of the character played by Warren Beatty in Splendor in the Grass (1961). He is probably best known in recent times for playing Commissioner Gordon in the 1989 film Batman, and its three sequels. Hingle had a long list of television and movie credits to his name, going back to 1948. Among them are Hang 'Em High (1968), Sudden Impact (1983), Road To Redemption (2001), When You Comin' Back, Red Ryder? (1979), Norma Rae (1979) Brewster's Millions (1985), Stephen King's Maximum Overdrive (1986), The Grifters (1990), Citizen Cohn (1992), The Land Before Time (1988), Wings (1996), and Shaft (2000). Hingle played Dr. Chapman in seven episodes of the TV series Gunsmoke (1971), and Col. Tucker in the movie Gunsmoke: To the Last Man (1992). In 1963, Hingle guest-starred in an episode of The Twilight Zone called "The Incredible World of Horace Ford" as the title character. In 1980, he appeared in the short lived police series Stone with Dennis Weaver.[3]

Batman film series [edit]

Along with Michael Gough, who played Alfred Pennyworth, he was one of only two actors to appear in the four Batman films from 1989-1997. In Hingle's appearance as Commissioner Gordon in Batman & Robin, he worked with Uma Thurman (who portrayed Poison Ivy), whose first husband, Gary Oldman, succeeded him in the role in Batman Begins (2005) The Dark Knight (2008) and The Dark Knight Rises (2012). Hingle portraying yet another judge in Shaft also worked with Christian Bale, who would go on to portray Batman/Bruce Wayne in Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, and The Dark Knight Rises.

Personal life [edit]

Hingle married Alyce Faye Dorsey, on June 3, 1947 and had children Jody, Billy, Molly. The couple later divorced and Hingle married Julia Wright (October 25, 1979 – his death ) with whom he had two children[4]

Accident [edit]

In 1960, he had been offered the title role in Elmer Gantry, but Burt Lancaster filled the part because Hingle had been in a near fatal accident. He was caught in his West End Avenue apartment building in an elevator that had stalled between the second and third floors. He crawled out and sought to reach the second floor corridor but lost his balance and fell fifty-four feet down the shaft. He fractured his skull, wrist, hip, and most of the ribs on his left side. He broke his left leg in three places and lost the little finger on his left hand. He lay near death for two weeks, and his recovery required more than a year.

Death [edit]

Hingle died at his home in Carolina Beach, North Carolina, of myelodysplasia on January 3, 2009; he had been diagnosed with the disease in November 2006. His ashes were scattered into the Atlantic Ocean.[5]

Other roles [edit]

Filmography [edit]

Year Film Role Notes
1961 Splendor in the Grass Ace Stamper
1963 The Twilight Zone Horace Ford TV Show
Episode: "The Incredible World of Horace Ford"
1964 Carol for Another Christmas Ghost of Christmas Present TV movie
1965 Daniel Boone Will Carey TV Show
Episode: "The Returning"
1966 Nevada Smith Big Foot
1968 Hang 'Em High Judge Adam Fenton
1971 Dr. Chapman TV Show
1977 The Gauntlet Maynard Josephson
1979 When You Comin' Back, Red Ryder? Lyle Stricker
1979 Norma Rae Vernon
1980 Stone Chief Gene Paulton TV Show
1983 Sudden Impact Chief Lester Jannings
Going Berserk Ed Reese
1985 Brewster's Millions Edward Roundfield
1986 Maximum Overdrive Bubba Hendershot
1987 Baby Boom Hughes Larabee
1988 The Land Before Time Narrator & Rooter Voice
1989 Batman Commissioner Gordon
1990 The Grifters Bobo Justus
1992 Citizen Cohn J. Edgar Hoover
Gunsmoke: To the Last Man Colonel Tucker
Batman Returns Commissioner Gordon
1995 Batman Forever
The Quick and the Dead Horace
1997 Batman & Robin Commissioner Gordon
1999 Muppets from Space General Luft
2000 Shaft Judge Dennis Bradford
2001 Road to Redemption Grandpa Nathan Tucker
2006 Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby Mr. Dennit Sr. Final film role.

References [edit]

  1. ^ After his parents divorced, Hingle and his mother moved to Saluda, North Carolina, where Hingle's maternal grandfather, named Patterson, was a train engineer. Hingle's acting began at Saluda Elementary School, where he performed in a school play. Pat Hingle Biography (1924?-)
  2. ^ "Justice". The Classic TV Archive. Retrieved February 8, 2011. 
  3. ^ Pat Hingle at the Internet Movie Database
  4. ^ http://www.filmreference.com/film/47/Pat-Hingle.html
  5. ^ "Actor Pat Hingle dies at age 84". January 4, 2009. 

Gunsmoke Dr John Chapman 1971 several episodes due to Milburn Stones Health Issues

External links [edit]

Preceded by
Neil Hamilton		 Commissioner Gordon Actor
1989 - 1997		 Succeeded by
Gary Oldman
Authority control
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