Hale was born Alan McKahan, Jr. The son of actors Alan Hale and Gretchen Hartman the blond, barrel-chested character actor began appearing in films while still in his teens. As an adult he looked like his father's double and played similar roles; he appeared in scores of films over four decades. He is best known as the Skipper on the '60s TV sitcom Gilligan's Island, but he was also a regular on the TV series Casey Jones.