Frances and Hal

Frances Marie (Martin) Linden was born on September 28, 1927 in New York City, United States to parents Christine Weber (1896-1973) and Emil Martin (1896-1984). She had one sister, Margaret, who was two years younger. Frances grew up in Palisades Park, New Jersey. She later moved to California and starred in five episodes of the gameshow Tattletales (1975) and one episode of the talk show Dinah! (1977). She is best known for being the wife of American television star Hal Linden, who was well-known for playing Captain Barney Miller on the television show "Barney Miller". The show ran for eight years, beginning in 1977. Frances and Hal met while doing summer stock in 1955 and they dated for about two years. They married on April 13, 1958 and went on to have four children together: three daughters; Amelia Christine, Jennifer Dru, and Nora Kathryn, and one son, Ian Martin Linden. See a photo of Hal and Frances on their 25th wedding anniversary: Frances (Martin) Linden - 25th anniversary. Frances Martin Linden passed away on July 9, 2010 in Santa Monica, California. As of March 2024, her husband Hal is still alive at the age of 92. Read a 2009 article about Hal's life, career, and relationship with Frances at Hal Linden: Smart, sweet, but no schmaltz and hear Hal Linden singing "What I Did For Love" at Memory about Hal Linden.

Hal Linden was born Harold Lipshitz on March 20, 1931 in the Bronx, New York. He was raised in New York and attended many schools including the High School of Music and Art (New York City, NY) and Queens College, City University of New York (Queens, NY) where he studied music. In 1952, Linden joined the United States Army, serving for two years in the Army Band. While stationed at Fort Belvoir, he attended a touring production of "Guys and Dolls" in Washington, D.C., which inspired him to pursue acting. Hal is best known as an American television actor who starred in the show "Barney Miller" , in which he played the lead role. Hal has had an extensive acting career and more of his roles can be found in Hal Linden: Professions. Hal was happily married to Frances (Martin) Linden and had 4 children together. Their marriage was cut short upon her death in 2010. Linden has continued acting and appearing in guest roles on TV into the mid 2010's and has also focused more on his music. Read a fascinating article about his career and his view of his life at Hal Linden: Smart, sweet, but no schmaltz. And if you didn't know that Hal Linden was a gifted singer, see this YouTube video at Memory about Hal Linden.