James Nathan Hale, prominent LDS theater owner, playwright and actor, died Jan. 30, 1994, at his home in Taylorsville, Utah, at age 83.
He and his wife, Ruth, were in show business for 50 years. They were founders of the Glendale Centre Theater in California; Hale Center Theaters in Salt Lake City and Orem, Utah; and Hale Theater in Grover, Utah. From their California theater connections, the Hales recommended actors for several Church-produced motion pictures. They appeared themselves in several, such as "All About Thad" and "Pioneers and Petticoats." Brother Hale played the part of the grandfather in the most recent of the two versions of "Man's Search for Happiness." The Hales wrote more than 70 plays together.
