Lola Jean Albright (July 20, 1924 – March 23, 2017) was an American singer and actress.

Early years

Albright was born in Akron, Ohio, to John Paul and Marion (née Harvey) Albright, both of whom were gospel music singers. She attended King Grammar School and West High School. She worked as a model before moving to Hollywood, studied piano for 20 years and worked as a receptionist at radio station WAKR in Akron, beginning when she was age 15. At age 18, she moved to Cleveland and was a stenographer at WTAM radio. Her first radio performance came on WJW in Cleveland.

Film

Albright's motion picture career began with a small role in the musical comedy The Unfinished Dance (1947), and gained notice in the film noir Champion (1949). For the next several years, she appeared in secondary roles in over 20 films, including several 'B' Westerns.

Albright's roles in major films included Elvis Presley's musical Kid Galahad (1962), the French film Joy House (director René Clément), and the Western epic The Way West (1967).

Television

Albright first appeared on television in "Inside Story", an episode of Lux Video Theatre. She made guest appearances on such television series as Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Thin Man, Gunsmoke, Rawhide, The Dick Van Dyke Show, My Three Sons, The Beverly Hillbillies, Bonanza, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Medical Center, Kojak, Columbo, McMillan & Wife, Quincy, M.E., Starsky & Hutch and The Incredible Hulk.

In 1958, she was cast on Peter Gunn, the television detective series produced by Blake Edwards and scored by Henry Mancini. Albright played Edie Hart, a nightclub singer and the romantic interest of Peter Gunn (Craig Stevens).

In 1964, she appeared again with Stevens on his short-lived CBS drama Mr. Broadway (episode "Sticks and Stones Can Break My Bones").

When Dorothy Malone had to undergo emergency surgery in 1966, Albright filled for her as Constance Mackenzie on the prime-time soap opera Peyton Place. At the time, Albright called this role "one of the biggest challenges of my theatrical career."

Albright continued to perform both in films and television guest appearances until her retirement in the mid-1980s.

Music

Albright's role on Peter Gunn directly led to her music albums accompanied by Henry Mancini and his orchestra, including Lola Wants You (1957) and Dreamsville (1959).[5] Columbia Records signed her as a vocalist.

Recognition

In 1959, Albright was nominated for the Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actress (Continuing Character) in a Dramatic Series for her work on Peter Gunn. 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.

Family life

Albright married and divorced three times, having no children. Her first marriage, to Warren Dean, occurred in 1944. They divorced in 1949. Her second husband was actor Jack Carson (1951 to 1958). (Another source says that they married August 1, 1952, and divorced November 10, 1958.) Her third marriage was to Bill Chadney (1961-1975), who played Emmett, the piano player on Peter Gunn.

She died on March 23, 2017, aged 92.