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Post by safeandsound on Jul 6, 2011 19:58:57 GMT -8
Ron Hale (Roger):I Met My Wife Under A Hood Of A Car (and found a great family too!)
TV Dawn to Dusk – June 1977
It's not easy to become an “instant father.” Parenthood is hard enough when you get to grow into the task as the baby is growing up. But when the family comes ready-made, the job may seem even tougher.
Ron Hale, however, takes it all in stride. He's said wholeheartedly: ”I've always loved kids. I fell in love with someone and I knew she had children. They were part of her – and I liked them immediately.” Ron lives on Staten Island with his wife, Dood, and this three step-children (from Dood's previous marriage) Erin, 15, Dana, 13, and Piper, 11.
The most exciting thing that's happened to Ron, outside Ryan's Hope – on which he plays rotten “Roger Coleridge”, is the family's house-hunting. “I've lived in apartments all my life,” Ron says, “and this will be an exciting major step for me. We've been looking north of th city, and we've found a place that is in the country, about 65 miles north of Manhattan. It's a 187 year old caretakers house, really kind of a dream house for us. It's the kind of thing we've alway wanted. There's well over an acre of land.”
“Whether or not we got it depended on the bank. Being an actor, of course, it's very difficult to get any kind of credit. It's very alarming, but I suppose I can see their point of view. It's like you're a second class citizen if you're an actor. You don't have any secure background. You can't give a bank your resume over the last 12 years and show then how much you've worked, how steady a person you are. They don't want to hear about it. They want to know how long you've been with said corporation and how much money you owe. They love it when you owe money. It shows you are reliable. It's kind of contradictory. But we owe nothing because I've always paid for everything in cash. But when our mortgage goes through, we'll be moving in at the end of June.”
Both husband and wife work (perhaps improving the before-mentioned creditworthiness) although Ron is the only performer in the family. “If we were both actors,” Ron points out, “ you'd have two people needing the same kind of things and we really couldn't give them to each other. Plus separation in this business - the constant serpentine – is bound to cause problems.” This is not to imply the “little woman” waits at home with feather duster in hand. “My lady is a very strong woman,” he says proudly, “ and I wouldn't have it any other way.” Dood broke her leg last spring and has only been back to work for couple of months. “Right now she's managing an auto parts store. She's done various things, been a buyer for a major department store, run needlepoint shops - lots of everything.”
“She got into this project about 2 years ago. A friend of our owns probably the largest auto supply company and warehouse in Staten Island. He asked her to come design a store that would be more conducive for a woman to come into... not just a great-looking place where mechanics come day in and day out. There are more women buying auto parts for themselves and their husband. So she designed it and we worked together on the building. I did most of the carpentry. It's been a challenge for her, and I think she's done very well.”
As if anticipating a further question, Ron is happy to talk some more about his wife, explaining: “Dood is the nickname she was given as a young girl and it stuck. It comes from 'doodlebug'. She used to race sports car. It's very strange too. In the beginning of our relationship everything fit in. When I was teenager, somebody asked me about what kind of girl I'd like to have, and I would say 'a gal who'd get under the car with me and change the transmission.' Basically, I was saying I wanted someone, of course , who would be be feminine and attractive. I wanted someone intelligent and with a good sense of humor. But I wanted someone who'd be be a little more interested in doing things and learning things other than what's the latest make-up. Or how to keep her fingernails from splitting and breaking. So at the beginning of our relationship I was amazed. Here was someone who had trophies for sports car racing. She also did a marvelous job in raising three kids alone. She's a super lady!”
Ron's hobbies consists mainly of sports and the whole family often joins in, “I've been active all my life, sports-wise, I played football all the way through high school and college. I fought in the Golden Gloves as a boxer in Chicago. I wrestled. I played soccer and taught my boys how to play. This last year I played in the Broadway softball league. I used to race cars. I raced motorcycles a little bit in high school and college.”
Ron has a basic philosophy in life, which is easy to tell he's passing on to his children. “Do unto others ,” he says, “Be yourself, whatever that may be. Strive to just treat people the way you'd want them to treat you. Just think of what the other person is thinking. This has carried me through a lot of hard times. I think we basically all want the same things out of life – someone to love, to be loved, to do what you want to do professionally, and to reap the benefits of those things. If you put a tremendous amount of yourself into your personal and professional life, you get back twofold what you put into them.”
Professionally, you should put 100% into it. If you fail, it doesn't hurt as much because you know you've put as much as you can into it. But, generally, if you put that much into it, it'll come back to you. The rewards are tremendous.”
Ron was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and went to Furman University in Greensville, South Carolina. His parents enthusiastically supported his decision to go into show business. “ My family's a very good one. They thought if that's what I wanted to try, then terrific. They just wanted me to put everything I have into it, and if I discovered it wasn't what I wanted, then I should go onto to something else. There was never any pressure in my life. I could be anything that I wanted to be.”
Ron extends the same privileges of freedom and responsibility to his step-children. “They take care of themselves, “ he comments. They haven't had babysitters in years. They are very self-sufficient, very mature for their ages. Since I've been doing Ryan's Hope, I've been home about four days a week. If my wife is working, I take care of the house. I do the cooking, which I love. And the kids pretty much take care of themselves. They don't have to be babied.”
We can go way for weekends, and sometimes they'll stay home. But 99% of the time, they go with us. If we're going skiing, the kids go with us because they love to ski, too. But if we want to go away for a three-day weekend, we just say 'OK, Kids!' And they get a kick out of that ,too. They all takes turns cooking and cleaning. They're very proud of themselves because they take care of everything. No problem is too big for them.”
What do the children think of having an actor in the family? “ I think they're like most actors' children. Very early, the bubble starts to burst. When I first got to know the kids, they were fascinated by it. But they spend a lot of chem backstage and reading scripts with me, and they know that it's 95% work. Acting is a profession, a trade. They know that there's really very little glamor involved. They don't go around bragging about me. Of course, all their friends know. But their friends also know me.”
When our daughter was about 12 or 13, a friend or ours said, 'Isn't it hard to live with Ron?' She said, 'When Ron is acting, he acts. When he's home, he's himself.' I was very proud of her. This something I've always believed in. I do what I do. When I'm acting, I'm creating a character. But when the curtain comes down, I don't carry it with me.”
And a good thing, too.
Dr. Roger Coleridge is a home wrecker (not to mention a gambler and a blackmailer, to boot!) but real-life Ron Hale is quite the family man!
Kris Metcalfe
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Post by Fia on Jul 7, 2011 15:20:56 GMT -8
Once again, another very interesting post. THANKS S&S !!!
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Post by scarlettudor on Jul 8, 2011 4:47:44 GMT -8
Yes, S&S. Another good one! Thanks for all the time spent retyping these articles for us.
Ron impresses me with his lack of self-centeredness. He seems a huge fan of his wife and kids. He talks about them more than himself.
I don't suppose he's still married to the same woman? That hardly ever happens.
Sue Ellen
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Post by scarlettudor on Jul 8, 2011 5:07:52 GMT -8
I googled and couldn't find the information about who Ron is married to or if he is still married. Found a nice picture, though. I hope it's permissible to post. The photographer's name is on it and it didn't say it was copywrighted when I saved it.
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Post by destclev on Jul 8, 2011 5:11:46 GMT -8
Yes, S&S. Another good one! Thanks for all the time spent retyping these articles for us. Ron impresses me with his lack of self-centeredness. He seems a huge fan of his wife and kids. He talks about them more than himself. I don't suppose he's still married to the same woman? That hardly ever happens. Sue Ellen Sue Ellen, Ron's wife, Dood (I think that's it) died. In another article that was posted for us, he discussed moving to the southwest (again, I think that's right) a while after she passed on.
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Post by scarlettudor on Jul 8, 2011 6:21:11 GMT -8
Oh, how sad. And he's never remarried apparently. I found no mention of a current wife. Thanks, Debbie.
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Post by safeandsound on Jul 8, 2011 6:55:27 GMT -8
Several online sources say Ron and Dood were divorced in 1989 -- and I think it is very likely they were. I'm sure her death still affected him deeply -- even if they weren't married at the time it happened. Dood's name was Helen Stewart Davis Kenny Hale Thigpen. Thigpen is Ron's real last name. A friend's tender memories of Dood. www.wernerf.com/article/hs.htmlHere's a portion -- Sean was Dood's first husband. Erin is Dood and Sean's daugher; Ron's step-daughter. A few months later I was still crying while driving with Megan to Doodle and Ron’s annual Halloween party. There was no visibility at all given my nonstop tears and the torrential autumnal downpour. I thought for sure Megan and I would die that night on the spectacularly hazardous hairpin turn off the Taconic onto the road that led to Doodle’s house. But we made it through, and when Megan and I arrived at Doodle’s, the house was filled with Channel 7 television personalities. There was lots of food, a lot of alcohol and a lot of tension. Although I had planned to stay the night, Megan and I left within the hour. Things went from bad to worse between Ron and Dood, and eventually Ron left. He moved to Los Angeles and landed a supporting role on General Hospital. Sometimes I still see him on the show. Sadly, Doodle was failing at a geometric rate. I visited as often as possible, but could never give her the nurturing she gave to me. On one visit to her house I was accompanied by my significant other, a physician who ordered Dood to the hospital because of the unhealed wounds he saw on her leg. She ended up staying for weeks. When she returned home I brought her groceries. She was clutched by an unremitting sadness. We looked through old pictures and letters, and crafts she had made with the children. We laughed. We wept. I didn’t want to leave her alone, but neither could I stay.
A week later at our 30th high school reunion, I was kicking myself for not bringing Doodle with me. I had managed to convince Fingado to fly in from Syracuse and also somehow enticed the usually reclusive Gena Connolly to attend the reunion. But why did I fail to include Doodle!
About a week after the reunion Doodle telephoned with the news that Sean had just died in a fall. She started feeling even more miserable.
Exactly one week after Sean’s death, Erin called to say Doodle had been in a car accident on that treacherous hairpin turn on the Taconic. Her golden retriever Pi, survived the crash, but Dood did not.
I took custody of Pi, and in one of those ironic twists of fate, he now lives with Jessie Hamilton’s uncle on 100 acres of King James deeded property in Virginia. Doodle, of course, lives on in me.
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Post by gladrags on Jul 8, 2011 7:12:47 GMT -8
Found a nice picture, though. Dang! Nice tux. Among other things. ;D
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Post by destclev on Jul 8, 2011 8:19:55 GMT -8
Several online sources say Ron and Dood were divorced in 1989 -- and I think it is very likely they were. I'm sure her death still affected him deeply -- even if they weren't married at the time it happened. Dood's name was Helen Stewart Davis Kenny Hale Thigpen. Thigpen is Ron's last name. A friend's tender memories of Dood. www.wernerf.com/article/hs.htmlA few months later I was still crying while driving with Megan to Doodle and Ron’s annual Halloween party. There was no visibility at all given my nonstop tears and the torrential autumnal downpour. I thought for sure Megan and I would die that night on the spectacularly hazardous hairpin turn off the Taconic onto the road that led to Doodle’s house. But we made it through, and when Megan and I arrived at Doodle’s, the house was filled with Channel 7 television personalities. There was lots of food, a lot of alcohol and a lot of tension. Although I had planned to stay the night, Megan and I left within the hour. Things went from bad to worse between Ron and Dood, and eventually Ron left. He moved to Los Angeles and landed a supporting role on General Hospital. Sometimes I still see him on the show. This is even sadder. Thanks for the update and correction, S&S.
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Post by safeandsound on Jul 8, 2011 8:50:15 GMT -8
Thanks for all the time spent retyping these articles for us. I didn't have to retype them. Last year -- after they announced Soapnet would eventually become Disney Junior -- I asked permission to move them -- and a few other pieces like Rose Alaio's comments -- to another forum -- for safe keeping. I had a feeling the Soapnet forum was going to disappear one day. I just had to copy and paste.
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Post by scarlettudor on Jul 8, 2011 12:27:35 GMT -8
Thanks, S&S. And thank you for the update on Ron and Dood. So sad.
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Post by catlover79 on Dec 19, 2012 23:48:20 GMT -8
Sad, sad, sad. As far as I know, Ron has never remarried. I wonder if he is still in touch with his stepkids.
But, in this 2010 inteview with We Love Soaps, he still referred to her as his wife -
We Love Soaps: How did the role of Mike Corbin on GENERAL HOSPITAL come about? Ron Hale: My wife passed away in 1992 from a car accident. I had to sell our house, and went back to my brother’s theater in South Carolina and did a production of "MacBeth" with him. Then I got a movie called Trial By Jury starring Armand Assante and William Hurt. I was hired for two weeks, and it turned into four or five. Everyone kept saying, “Come out to L.A., they love a fresh face,” even though I wasn’t a fresh face. But the idea was that there were guys in my age range that get used all the time. So I sold my house, I jumped in my car, and drove west. I stayed with Nancy Addison’s husband, Danny. I had enough money leftover from the sale of the house that I knew I could live in L.A. for a year. I thought, “If I don’t get a job in L.A. this year then I might as well pack in the whole acting thing.”
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Post by ronhalepedophile on Jan 2, 2015 17:20:02 GMT -8
Are you aware that Ron Hale (a.k.a. Ronald Thigpen) is a pedophile? I used to live down the street from him in Palm Springs. He lived on Via Escuela. The cross street was Avenida Caballeros. I don't know if he still lives there. He probably does. He build a nice little bar on his back patio with a TV and surround sound. His house is done in a western style. He golfs in Palm Springs at a golf course that my grandpa worked at. I was his housekeeper until he showed me videos of Lolitas (little girls) from Brazil.
These were little girls doing sexual things and being made to do sexual things! He talked about his trips down there. About them holding hands when they would get off the bus and their little skirts. That was all I could stand. I don't know if he has actually done things with little girls, but he had tried stuff with me before showing me one of those horrible videos of child abuse. He probably figured that I would like them because I am bisexual. This man is not a good person. I never reported him to the police because I lived down the street from him and I was only 21 years old at the time. I also didn't have any proof to give to the police. I didn't want to disappear for outing him. Who knows what he would have done.
My uncle raped my four-year-old niece and went to jail a short time before being released. If they don't even keep these dangerous people in jail, what would they do to Ron? Anyway, I thought you should all know. He seems to be your fantasy guy. He is sick and doesn't deserve to be in any more movies or TV shows.
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Post by Fia on Jan 3, 2015 11:11:35 GMT -8
I can not confirm that Ron Hale ever lived in Palm Springs, let alone that he was a pedophile. However, I do not believe in unwarranted censorship so I will let your post remain for now. Just be warned that if I do find out that this is not true, you will be banned from this forum.
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Post by doodfriend on Jan 21, 2015 15:29:36 GMT -8
I have a really, really, hard time believing that Ron is a pedaphile. Dood and I became friends in 1961, when she was married to her first husband, Shaun. We raised our kids together, lived next door to each other for several years. After she and Shaun were divorced, she met Ron and they lived together on Staten Island for several years before they moved north of NYC. I spent many happy times in their new house and I always found Ron to be a very loving, caring person. He was helping to raise her two boys and a daughter and there were never any allegations about his having any inappropriate actions toward the kids. I wonder if you are mistaking his identity.
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Post by Fia on Jan 26, 2015 11:24:03 GMT -8
Thank you for your input doodfriend. It's nice to have another perspective on this issue.
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pipert
Wearing of the Green
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Post by pipert on Jul 3, 2020 22:03:33 GMT -8
I just did a web search and he did live in Palm Springs. It wasn't difficult to find his address.
1043 E Vía Escuela Palm Springs, CA 92262
Ronald Hale Thigpen
(760) 318-2232
Age 74
613 Garmony Rd, Columbia, SC 29212 (803) 772-6902
Known as:Ronald T Hale, Ronald T Thiopen, Ron Hale
Related to:James Thigpen, 96Kay Thigpen, 77Barbara Thigpen, 97 ...
Has lived in:Saint George, SC Palm Springs, CA
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