Linda Lawson (actress)
Linda Lawson | |
|---|---|
 Lawson in Adventures in Paradise. | |
| Born | Linda Gloria Spaziani January 14, 1936 |
| Died | May 18, 2022 (aged 86) |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, singer |
| Years active | 1955–2005 |
| Spouse(s) | John Foreman (m. 1961; died 1992) |
| Children | 2, including Amanda Foreman |
Linda Lawson (born Linda Gloria Spaziani;[2] January 14, 1936 – May 18, 2022) was an American actress and singer.[3]
Early life and career[edit]
The first of three children born to Italian immigrants Maria Cataldi and Edward Spaziani, she was five years old when her family moved from Michigan to Fontana, California. After graduating from Chaffey High School,[1] she began her 50-year acting career in 1955 with a short film for the U.S. government. On May 5, 1955, Lawson was dubbed "Miss Cue"[4][5] in reference to a series of nuclear tests conducted by the US military under "Operation Teapot," and publicized as "Operation Cue" in a short film distributed by the US Federal Civil Defense Administration.[6]
She appeared in several television series, including Alfred Hitchcock Presents; The Alfred Hitchcock Hour; Maverick starring James Garner, as Clint Eastwood's "other woman" in the episode "Duel at Sundown"; James Michener's Adventures in Paradise, as recurring character "Renee" in six episodes; Don't Call Me Charlie!, in which she portrayed "Pat Perry" for eighteen episodes; Ben Casey, seen as "Laura Fremont" for nine episodes; M Squad; Overland Trail, and Wagon Train, co-starring with Raymond Massey as the princess of a lost Aztec settlement.
Lawson also appeared in two episodes of Bonanza, It Takes a Thief, ER; The Virginian, Mr. Lucky, Perry Mason, The Real McCoys, The Aquanauts, Sea Hunt; Tales of Wells Fargo, 77 Sunset Strip; Hawaiian Eye; Border Patrol, Colt .45, Peter Gunn, Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer and The Tall Man among many others.
She also appeared in several movies, including Sometimes a Great Notion. She co-starred opposite Dennis Hopper in Night Tide (1961).
Personal life[edit]
She was married to film producer John Foreman. Amanda Foreman and Julie Foreman, both actresses, are their daughters. She died in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles on May 18, 2022, at the age of 86. Her death was announced 2 weeks later.[7][8]
Music[edit]
In 1960, Lawson recorded Introducing Linda Lawson. The music was conducted and arranged by Marty Paich.[9]
Tracks:
- Are You With Me (H. Levin, D. Robinson)
- Where Flamingos Fly (J. Kennedy, M. Spoliansky)
- But Beautiful (J. Burke, J. VanHeusen)
- Me And My Shadow (B. Rose, A. Jolson, D. Dreyer)
- You Don't Know What Love Is (Raye, DePaul)
- Easy To Love (Cole Porter)
- Meaning of the Blues (Bobby Troup, Leah Worth)
- Mood Indigo (D. Ellington, I. Mills, A. Bigard)
- Like Young (P. F. Webster, A. Previn)
- Hi-Lili, Hi-Lo (H. Deutsch, B. Kaper)
- Make The Man Love Me (D. Fields, A. Schwartz)
- Up Pops Love (R. Faith, C. Kehner)
Filmography[edit]
Film[edit]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | The Threat | Gerri | |
| 1961 | Night Tide | Mora | |
| 1964 | Apache Rifles | Dawn Gillis | |
| 1966 | Let's Kill Uncle | Justine | |
| 1970 | Sometimes a Great Notion | Jan Stamper | |
| 2005 | The Tenants | Anna |
Television[edit]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1958 | Tales of the Texas Rangers | Dolores | Season 3 Episode 4: "Edge of Danger" |
| 1958 | Peter Gunn | Lynn Martel | Season 1 Episode 7: "Lynn's Blues" |
| 1958 | Man with a Camera | Carmen | Season 1 Episode 10: "Six Faces of Satan" |
| 1959 | Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer | Kathy Dean | Season 2 Episode 33: "Wedding Mourning" |
| 1959 | Maverick | Lily | Season 2 Episode 19: "Duel at Sundown" |
| 1959 | Five Fingers | Princess Tucomcari | Season 1 Episode 3: "The Moment of Truth" |
| 1959 | Border Patrol | Anna | Season 1 Episode 30: "Hare and Hounds" |
| 1959 | The Millionaire | Marcia Littleton | Season 6 Episode 10: "Millionaire Sergeant Matthew Brogan" |
| 1959 | 77 Sunset Strip | Doris | Season 1 Episode 20: "Lovely Alibi" (uncredited) |
| 1959-61 | Adventures in Paradise | Renee | 5 episodes (Recurring role) |
| 1960 | 77 Sunset Strip | Jeanne | Season 2 Episode 18: "Ten Cents a Death" |
| 1960 | Colt .45 | Barbara | Season 3 Episode 12: "Impasse" |
| 1960 | Tombstone Territory | Jeannie Magraw | Season 3 Episode 17: "No Widow for Tombstone" |
| 1960 | Mr. Lucky | Angie | Season 1 Episode 18: "The Parolee" |
| 1960 | Overland Trail | Ruby, Saloon Girl | Season 1 Episode 4: "The High Bridge" |
| 1960 | M Squad | Delores Faye | Season 3 Episode 31: "Man with the Ice" |
| 1960 | Alfred Hitchcock Presents | Georgia | Season 5 Episode 31: "I Can Take Care of Myself" |
| 1960 | Richard Diamond, Private Detective | Nola Carter | Season 4 Episode 2: "And Whose Little Baby Are You?" |
| 1960 | Alcoa Presents: One Step Beyond | Joyce Chapman | Season 3 Episode 6: "Moment of Hate" |
| 1960 | Wagon Train | Princess Lia of the Aztecs | Season 4 Episode 6: "Princess of a Lost Tribe" |
| 1960 | Hawaiian Eye | Tiki | Season 1 Episode 21: "Fatal Cruise" |
| 1960 | Hawaiian Eye | Mona Lynn | Season 2 Episode 10: "Girl on a String" |
| 1960 | Tales of Wells Fargo | Kate Fallon | Season 5 Episode 13: "Escort to Santa Fe" |
| 1960 | Bonanza | Melinda Bowers | Season 2 Episode 11: "The Trail Gang" |
| 1960 | Sea Hunt | Nancy Stewart | Season 3 Episode 7: "Counterfeit" |
| 1960 | Sea Hunt | Rita Julien | Season 3 Episode 15: "The Living Fossil" |
| 1961 | Sea Hunt | Jill Marzack | Season 4 Episode 2: "River Treasure" |
| 1961 | Stagecoach West | Stella Smith | Season 1 Episode 21: "The Root of Evil" |
| 1961 | The Aquanauts | Wilva | Season 1 Episode 19: "The Defective Tank Adventure" |
| 1961 | The Aquanauts | Wilva | Season 1 Episode 20: "The Jeremiah Adventure" |
| 1961 | The Rifleman | Vashti Croxton | Season 3 Episode 26: "Assault" |
| 1961 | Perry Mason | Erin Mooney | Season 5 Episode 10: "The Case of the Injured Innocent" |
| 1962 | Target: The Corruptors! | Carolyn | Season 1 Episode 16: "One for the Road" |
| 1962-63 | Don't Call Me Charlie! | Pat Perry | 18 episodes (Main role) |
| 1963 | The Real McCoys | Betty Lockwood | Season 6 Episode 20: "Luke in the Ivy League" |
| 1963 | The Real McCoys | Betty Lockwood | Season 6 Episode 33: "Luke Grows a Beard" |
| 1964 | Kraft Suspense Theatre | Gracia Hernandez | Season 2 Episode 9: "Threepersons" |
| 1964 | The Alfred Hitchcock Hour | Lucille Brown | Season 2 Episode 12: "Three Wives Too Many" |
| 1965 | The Alfred Hitchcock Hour | Fiona McNiece | Season 3 Episode 25: "The World's Oldest Motive" |
| 1965 | Bonanza | Maria Hackett | Season 6 Episode 29: "To Own the World" |
| 1965 | Ben Casey | Laura Fremont | 9 episodes (Recurring role) |
| 1966 | The Virginian | Becky Ellis | Season 4 Episode 19: "Chaff in the Wind" |
| 1968 | It Takes a Thief | Jean | Season 2 Episode 11: "Glass Riddle" |
| 1994 | Saved by the Bell: The New Class | Mrs. Farrel | Season 2 Episode 2: "All Play and No Work" |
| 2000 | Another Woman's Husband | Agnes | TV film |
| 2000-01 | That's Life | Mrs. Paganini | 9 episodes (Recurring role) |
| 2002 | Without a Trace | Mrs. Janey | Season 1 Episode 9: "In Extremis" |
| 2005 | Dr. Vegas | Flossie | Season 1 Episode 9: "Babe in the Woods" |
| 2005 | ER | Aunt Eileen | Season 11 Episode 20: "You Are Here" |
References[edit]
- ^ a b "Obituary Notices: Lawson, Linda". Los Angeles Times. June 5, 2022. p. B10. ProQuest 2678080371.
She was born Linda Spaziani on January 11, 1936, the youngest of three children to Italian immigrant parents, Maria Cataldi and Edward Spaziani. When she was five years old, her family drove west from Michigan and settled in Fontana, California, where she attended Chaffey Union High School as a teenager. Upon graduation, Linda followed her sister Diana Spaziani to Las Vegas.
- ^ "TV TIME—ANSWER MAN". Elmira Star-Gazette. November 10, 1962. p. 39. ProQuest 2349698352.
Linda's real name is Linda Gloria Spaziani, but she changed the last one to Lawson on the advice of Louella Parsons and songwriter Jimmy McHugh when she won an audition as a singer in Las Vegas.
- ^ "Linda Lawson profile". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. 2016. Archived from the original on March 10, 2016. Retrieved September 7, 2015.
- ^ "Miss Cue or "Miss Atomic Bomb"" (PDF). doe.gov. August 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 3, 2012. Retrieved May 11, 2014.
- ^ "Photograph of Linda Lawson as Miss-Cue". Archived from the original on September 21, 2013. Retrieved July 30, 2013.
- ^ "Copa Girl crowned "Miss Cue"".
- ^ "Linda Lawson Obituary (2022) Los Angeles Times". Legacy.com. Retrieved June 5, 2022.
- ^ "Linda Lawson, Actress in 'Night Tide,' Dies at 86". The Hollywood Reporter. June 5, 2022.
- ^ "Introducing Linda Lawson". Fresh Sounds Records. Retrieved November 9, 2014.
External links[edit]
- Linda Lawson at IMDb
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