Hal is a masculine given name, often a diminutive form (

hypocorism A hypocorism ( or ; from Ancient Greek: (), from (), 'to call by pet names', sometimes also ''hypocoristic'') or pet name is a name used to show affection for a person. It may be a diminutive form of a person's name, such as ''Izzy'' for I ...

) of Harold,

Henry Henry may refer to: People * Henry (given name) *Henry (surname) * Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry Royalty * Portuguese royalty ** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal ** Henry, Count of Portugal, ...

Harvey Harvey, Harveys or Harvey's may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Harvey'' (play), a 1944 play by Mary Chase about a man befriended by an invisible anthropomorphic rabbit * Harvey Awards ("Harveys"), one of the most important awards ...

, and a nickname. Notable people with the name include:

People

Hal Ashby William Hal Ashby (September 2, 1929 – December 27, 1988) was an American film director and editor associated with the New Hollywood wave of filmmaking. Before his career as a director Ashby edited films for Norman Jewison, notably ''The Ru ...

(1929–1988), American film director *

Hal Barwood Hal Barwood is an American screenwriter, film producer, film director, game designer, game producer, and novelist. Early life Born in Hanover, New Hampshire, his father ran a local movie theater in the town, this being one of his inspirations t ...

, American game designer * Hal Bidlack (born 1958), former USAF officer *

Hal Blaine Hal Blaine (born Harold Simon Belsky; February 5, 1929 – March 11, 2019) was an American drummer and session musician, thought to be among the most recorded studio drummers in the music industry, claiming over 35,000 sessions and 6,000 singles ...

(Harold Simon Belsky; 1929–2019), American drummer *

Hal Colebatch Sir Harry Pateshall Colebatch (29 March 1872 – 12 February 1953) was a long-serving and occasionally controversial figure in Western Australian politics. He was a member of the Western Australian Legislative Council for nearly 20 years, the ...

, Australian politician * Hal Colebatch (author) (1945–2019), Australian author *

Hal Daub Harold John Daub Jr. (born April 23, 1941) is an American lawyer and politician from Nebraska who served four terms in the United States House of Representatives and as the 48th Mayor of Omaha, Nebraska. In 2012, Daub was elected to the Board of R ...

(born 1941), American politician *

Hal David Harold Lane David (May 25, 1921 – September 1, 2012) was an American lyricist. He grew up in New York City. He was best known for his collaborations with composer Burt Bacharach and his association with Dionne Warwick. Early life David ...

(1921–2012), American lyricist *

Hal Davis Harold Edward Davis (February 8, 1933 – November 18, 1998) was an American songwriter and record producer. Davis was a producer and writer for Motown Records for nearly thirty years, and was a key figure in the latter part of the Motown ...

(1933–1998), American songwriter *

Hal Dixon (biochemist) Henry Berkeley Franks Dixon D.Sc. (16 May 1928 – 30 July 2008) was an Irish biochemist and Life Fellow of King's College, Cambridge. Born in Dublin, the youngest son of Henry Horatio Dixon, he was interested in science from a young age; his ...

(1928–2008), Irish biochemist *

Hal Duncan Hal Duncan (born 21 October 1971, real name Alasdair) is a Scottish science fiction and fantasy writer. His works have been listed in the New Weird genre, but he prefers not to ascribe his writings to any genre. Life Hal Duncan was born in Kil ...

(born 1971), Scottish writer * Hal Geer (1916–2017), American film producer * Hal Gibney (1911–1973), American broadcast announcer *

Hal Gill Harold Priestley Gill III (born April 6, 1975) is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman who played 16 NHL seasons with six different teams, winning the Stanley Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2009. He also played for the B ...

(born 1975), American ice hockey player * Hal Goldsmith (1930–2004), American fencer * Hal Gurnee (born 1935), American TV director * Hal Halvorsen, military officer * Hal Helgeson (1931–2007), American geochemist *

Hal Holbrook Harold Rowe Holbrook Jr. (February 17, 1925 – January 23, 2021) was an American actor, television director, and screenwriter. He first received critical acclaim in 1954 for a one-man stage show that he developed called '' Mark Twain Tonight!'' ...

(1925–2021), American actor * Hal Hunter (disambiguation) *

Hal Ketchum Hal Michael Ketchum (April 9, 1953November 23, 2020) was an American country music singer and songwriter. He released eleven studio albums from 1986 to 2014, including nine for divisions of Curb Records. Ketchum's 1991 album '' Past the Point of ...

(1953–2020), American singer *

Hal Linden Hal Linden (born Harold Lipshitz, March 20, 1931) is an American stage and screen actor, television director and musician. Linden began his career as a big band musician and singer in the 1950s. After a stint in the United States Army, he began ...

(born 1931), American actor *

Hal Lindsey Harold Lee Lindsey (born November 23, 1929) – known as Hal Lindsey – is a best-selling American evangelical writer. He is a Christian Zionist, a dispensationalist and a television host. He wrote a series of popular apocalyptic books – be ...

(born 1929), American evangelist *

Hal McRae Harold Abraham McRae (; born July 10, 1945) is a former left fielder in Major League Baseball who played for the Cincinnati Reds (1968, 1970–72) and Kansas City Royals (1973–87). Utilized as a designated hitter for most of his career, McRae ...

(born 1945), American baseball player *

Hal Moore Harold Gregory Moore Jr. (February 13, 1922 – February 10, 2017) was a United States Army lieutenant general and author. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, the U.S. military's second-highest decoration for valor, and was the firs ...

(1922–2017), U.S. Army general * Hal Moore (wrestler) (1923–2003), American *

Hal Needham Hal Brett Needham (March 6, 1931 – October 25, 2013) was an American stuntman, film director, actor, writer, and NASCAR team owner. He is best known for his frequent collaborations with actor Burt Reynolds, usually in films involving fast ...

(1931–2013), American stunt performer *

Hal Newhouser Harold Newhouser (May 20, 1921 – November 10, 1998), nicknamed "Prince Hal," was an American professional baseball player. In Major League Baseball (MLB), he pitched 17 seasons on the Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Indians, from 1939 through ...

(1921–1998), American baseball pitcher *

Hal Porter Harold Edward "Hal" Porter (16 February 1911 – 29 September 1984) was an Australian novelist, playwright, poet and short story writer. Biography Porter was born in Albert Park, Victoria, grew up in Bairnsdale, and worked as a journalist, te ...

(1911–1984), Australian novelist * Hal Prewitt (born 1954), American racing driver *

Hal Prince Harold Smith Prince (born Harold Smith; January 30, 1928 – July 31, 2019), commonly known as Hal Prince, was an American theatre director and producer known for his work in musical theatre. One of the foremost figures in 20th century America ...

(1928–2019), American theatrical producer *

Hal Roach Harry Eugene "Hal" Roach Sr.Randy Skretvedt, Skretvedt, Randy (2016), ''Laurel and Hardy: The Magic Behind the Movies'', Bonaventure Press. p.608. (January 14, 1892 – November 2, 1992) was an American film and television producer, director, a ...

(1892–1992), American film producer * Hal Roach (comedian) (1927–2012), Irish *

Hal Robson-Kanu Thomas Henry Alex "Hal" Robson-Kanu (born 21 May 1989) is a Welsh inactive professional footballer who last played as a forward for West Bromwich Albion and the Wales national team. Although he initially played primarily on the wing, he was us ...

(born 1989), Welsh footballer *

Hal Rogers Harold Dallas Rogers (born December 31, 1937) is an American lawyer and politician serving his 21st term as the U.S. representative for , having served since 1981. He is a member of the Republican Party. Upon Don Young's death in 2022, Rogers ...

(born 1937), American politician *

Hal Singer Harold Joseph Singer (October 8, 1919 – August 18, 2020), also known as Hal "Cornbread" Singer, was an American R&B and jazz bandleader and saxophonist. Early life Harold Joseph Singer was born in Greenwood, an African American district ...

(1919–2020), American musician *

Hal Smith (disambiguation) Hal Smith may refer to: Baseball players *Hal Smith (pitcher) (1902–1992), American in MLB between 1932 and 1935 *Hal W. Smith (1930–2020), American in MLB between 1955 and 1964 * Hal R. Smith (1931–2014), American in MLB between 1956 and 19 ...

Hal Sparks Hal Harry Magee Sparks III (born September 25, 1969) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, musician, political commentator, television and radio host and television personality. He made contributions to VH1, hosting E!'s '' Talk Soup'', and ...

(born 1969), American actor *

Hal Steinbrenner Harold Steinbrenner (born December 3, 1969) is an American businessman best known as the Chairman and Managing General Partner of Yankee Global Enterprises, which owns the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball and minority shares of Americ ...

(born 1969), American businessman *

Hal Sutton Hal Evan Sutton (born April 28, 1958) is an American professional golfer, currently playing on the PGA Tour Champions, who achieved 14 victories on the PGA Tour, including a major championship, the 1983 PGA Championship, and the 1983 Tournament ...

(born 1958), American golfer *

Hal B. Wallis Harold Brent Wallis (born Aaron Blum Wolowicz; October 19, 1898 – October 5, 1986) was an American film producer. He is best known for producing '' Casablanca'' (1942), ''The Adventures of Robin Hood'' (1938), and '' True Grit'' (1969), along w ...

(1898–1986), American film producer *

Hal Williams Halroy Candis Williams (born December 14, 1938) is an American actor, best known for his recurring roles as Police Officer Smith ("Smitty") on ''Sanford and Son'' (1972–1976), Harley Foster on ''The Waltons'' (1973-1980), and as the patriarch Le ...

(born 1934), American actor *

Hal Willis (ice hockey) Harold Willis (born June 8, 1946) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman. Career During the 1972–73 season, Willis played 74 games in the World Hockey Association (WHA) with the New York Raiders, and during the 1973–74 ...

(born 1946), Canadian *

Hal Willis (singer) Hal Willis (born Léonald Francis Gauthier; July 15, 1933 – September 4, 2015) was a Canadian country singer who lived in Nashville, Tennessee, USA. He was born in Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec the youngest son of Alfred and Evelina Gauthier. Career ...

(1933–2015), Canadian * Hal Willis, pseudonym of English writer Charles Robert Forrester (1803–1850) * Jean Ven Robert Hal (born 1970), Italian composer

Fictional characters

Prince Hal Prince Hal is the standard term used in literary criticism to refer to Shakespeare's portrayal of the young Henry V of England as a prince before his accession to the throne, taken from the diminutive form of his name used in the plays almost ex ...

, later Henry V of England *

HAL 9000 HAL 9000 is a fictional artificial intelligence character and the main antagonist in Arthur C. Clarke's '' Space Odyssey'' series. First appearing in the 1968 film '' 2001: A Space Odyssey'', HAL ( Heuristically programmed ALgorithmic compute ...

, a computer in Arthur C. Clarke's fiction * Dr. Hal Emmerich (''

Otacon , nicknamed , is a fictional character from Kojima's ''Metal Gear'' series. Created by Hideo Kojima and designed by Yoji Shinkawa, Otacon was introduced in the series in ''Metal Gear Solid''. In ''Metal Gear Solid'', Otacon, an ArmsTech employee ...

''), ''Metal Gear'' video games * Hal Hunt, in children's novels * Hal Incandenza, in the novel ''

Infinite Jest ''Infinite Jest'' is a 1996 novel by American writer David Foster Wallace. Categorized as an encyclopedic novel, ''Infinite Jest'' is featured in ''TIME'' magazine's list of the 100 best English-language novels published between 1923 and 2005. ...

'' *

Hal Jordan Harold "Hal" Jordan, one of the characters known as Green Lantern, is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created in 1959 by writer John Broome and artist Gil Kane, and first appeared in ...

(''Green Lantern''), in DC Comics * Hal Willis, in the

87th Precinct The 87th Precinct is a series of police procedural novels and stories by American author Ed McBain (a writing pseudonym of Evan Hunter). McBain's 87th Precinct works have been adapted, sometimes loosely, into movies and television on several occa ...

series * Hal Yorke, in UK TV series ''Being Human'' * Hal (Malcolm in the Middle), in the TV series * Hal (A Series of Unfortunate Events), in the film * Hal the Dog, in ''

Nature Cat ''Nature Cat'' is an educational animated children's television series that premiered on November 25, 2015 on PBS Kids and is aimed at children aged 3–8. The series follows the adventures of four main characters: Nature Cat, Hal the Dog, Squee ...

'' * Hal Stewart, in ''

Megamind ''Megamind'' is a 2010 American computer-animated superhero comedy film produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Paramount Pictures. Directed by Tom McGrath from a screenplay by Alan Schoolcraft and Brent Simons, the film stars t ...

'' * Hal Turner, in ''

24 (TV series) ''24'' is an American action drama television series created by Joel Surnow and Robert Cochran for Fox. The series stars Kiefer Sutherland as counter-terrorist agent Jack Bauer. Each season covers 24 consecutive hours in Bauer's life usin ...

'' * Hal, a green

boomerang A boomerang () is a thrown tool, typically constructed with aerofoil sections and designed to spin about an axis perpendicular to the direction of its flight. A returning boomerang is designed to return to the thrower, while a non-returning b ...

toucan bird in the ''

Angry Birds ''Angry Birds'' is a Finnish action-based media franchise created by Rovio Entertainment. The game series focuses on the eponymous flock of angry birds who try to save their eggs from green-colored pigs. Inspired by the game '' Crush the Castl ...

'' franchise * Hal, in the cartoon '' Dot.'' * Hal, a cockroach in ''

WALL-E ''WALL-E'' (stylized with an interpunct as ''WALL·E'') is a 2008 American computer animation, computer-animated science fiction film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It was directed and co-written by ...

'' * Hal, a minor character in the novel series ''Warriors'' * Hal, a character from the video game ''

Minecraft Dungeons ''Minecraft Dungeons'' is a dungeon crawler video game developed by Mojang Studios and Double Eleven and published by Xbox Game Studios. It is a spin-off of the sandbox video game ''Minecraft'' and was released for Microsoft Windows, Nintendo ...

'' {{given name English masculine given names Hypocorisms Lists of people by nickname