Lola Jean Albright (born July 20, 1925, Akron, Ohio) is an
American singer and actress.
Albright worked as a model before moving to Hollywood. She began
her motion picture career with a bit part in the 1948 film The
Pirate, and followed it with an important role in the acclaimed
1949 hit Champion. For the next ten years, she appeared in
secondary roles in over twenty films, including several 'B'
Westerns. Albright also acted in guest roles on several
television series.
In 1958, she won the role of Edie Hart on Peter Gunn, a
television detective series produced by Blake Edwards and
directed by Robert Altman, with the theme music that made Henry
Mancini famous. Albright played a nightclub singer who was the
romantic interest of Peter Gunn, played by Craig Stevens. In
1959 she was nominated for an Emmy Award for Best Supporting
Actress (Continuing Character) in a Dramatic Series. Her role
required singing and led to the 1957 release of her music album
Lola Wants You, as well as her album 1959 Dreamsville, in which
her songs were accompanied by Henry Mancini and his
orchestra.[citation needed]
Albright's popularity led to several major film roles, including
Elvis Presley's 1962 film, Kid Galahad; the 1964 French film Les
Felins by director René Clément; and the epic western The Way
West.[citation needed]
Later in 1964 she appeared as Duff Daniels in the episode
"Sticks and Stones Can Break My Bones" with her former Peter
Gunn co-star Craig Stevens in his short-lived CBS drama Mr.
Broadway.
Later in 1965 she appeared in Bonanza episode The Search as Ann.
In 1966, she won the Silver Bear for Best Actress award at the
16th Berlin International
Film Festival for her role in Lord Love a Duck.[2]
In 1968, Albright appeared in The Impossible Years, with David
Niven and Christina Ferrare, and in Where Were You When the
Lights Went Out? with Doris Day. She also appeared in the NBC
medical drama The Eleventh Hour.
Albright temporarily replaced Dorothy Malone as Constance
Mackenzie on the hit primetime soap opera Peyton Place, when
Malone had to undergo emergency surgery. Albright continued to
perform both in films and as a television guest actor until her
retirement in the early 1980s.
The beautiful and blonde Albright
worked as a model before heading to Hollywood where she made her
motion picture debut with a bit part in 1948's The Pirate
following which she had a secondary but important role in the
acclaimed 1949 hit film, Champion. However, this was the era of many blondes, notably
Marilyn Monroe, and for the next ten years Lola Albright
continued to work primarily in secondary roles in more than
twenty films including several 'B' Westerns. As well, she acted
in guest roles on a number of television series.
In 1958 Lola Albright earned the part of 'Edie Hart' in the
trend-setting
Peter Gunn television series produced by Blake Edwards and
directed by Robert Altman with theme music that made Henry
Mancini famous. in it, she played a nightclub singer who was the
romantic interest of the "super-cool" private detective 'Peter
Gunn' played by Craig Stevens. in 1959, she was nominated for an
Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actress (Continuing Character) in
a Dramatic Series. Her role called for singing, something she
had been doing since childhood, and her celebrity led to the
releasing of her 1959 music album "Dreamsville" in which
her songs were backed by Mancini and his orchestra.
Lola Albright's popularity as a
result of the "Peter Gunn" series led to a number of major film
roles including
Elvis Presley's 1962 film,
Kid Galahad, with Alain Delon and Jane Fonda in the 1964
French film
Les Felins by renowned director René Clément, and the epic
western
The Way West. She continued to perform both in film and as a
guest actor on a number of television series until her
retirement in the early 1980s.
The "super-cool" private detective Peter Gunn is an inspiration to anyone who dreams of a career in law enforcement or even a job as a tough personal injury attorney Los Angeles. Gunn always drove a cool car and had a reputation as a trustworthy and outstanding investigator |
