Linda Lawson born 14 January 1936

Linda Lawson (January 14, 1936* – May 18, 2022) was an American actress and singer. 

Born Linda Gloria Spaziani, she was 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, Linda was named Miss Fontana of 1953. She then followed her sister Diana Spaziani to Las Vegas. Linda 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" 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. 

She won an audition as a singer and changed her last name to Lawson on the advice of Louella Parsons and songwriter Jimmy McHugh. She turned professional and began her music career at the top, and was hired to sing in the lounge at The Sands Hotel in 1957, where she opened for stars such as Lena Horn and Frank Sinatra. Linda went on to perform as a singer and dancer in the larger floor shows, also making singles for the Verve label with an orchestra arranged and conducted by no less than Henry Mancini. She often referred to her time in Las Vegas as some of the most cherished years of her life. 

                                   

Her rising profile led to Introducing Linda Lawson, her debut album as a singer. Recorded in 1960, with an orchestra arranged and conducted by the gifted Marty Paich and packed with the finest West Coast jazz talent, her performance suggested that a successful career in music was hers for the taking. But acting remained her first love and these recordings are the only examples of her notable musical ability. In them she combined the highly complementary skills of singing and acting, splendidly uniting them to tackle the range of high-quality and demanding material chosen for these sessions. That she did it with persuasive aplomb is abundantly clear from the results.

She seemed set to make a considerable impact in music, but instead decided to focus on an acting career. Linda moved to Los Angeles several years later and got got a job working as a studio messenger at MGM when she was "discovered" in an elevator and given a screen test. Her singing and her memorably dark, voluptuous good looks, coupled with some natural acting ability, led to Lawson getting roles 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 and Telly Savalas in Bonanza

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. Movie appearances included Sometimes a Great Notion, but her best screen role was in her second film, as the doomed, tormented Mora in Curtis Harrington's hauntingly beautiful Night Tide (1961) where she co-starred opposite Dennis Hopper. 

Lawson with Dennis Hopper

She remained busy throughout the 1960s, including a regular role on Adventures in Paradise for one season, and on series such as The Virginian, interspersed with occasional feature-film work, and she married producer John Foreman (1925-1992), who subsequently became business partners with actor Paul Newman. After the birth of her two daughters, Linda set her career aside to stay home and devote her time to them. Linda and John were known for throwing lively and extravagant parties, which were regularly attended by some of the most fascinating people in Hollywood. Her last major screen role in Newman's Sometimes a Great Notion (1971). 

Lawson was seen again onscreen in the made-for-television feature Another Woman's Husband (2000) and in a 2005 episode of ER. Animals were Linda's lasting passion and influenced her decision to become a vegetarian and to donate to animal charities as often as she could.  She died from natural causes at the Motion Picture and Television Retirement Home in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles on May 18, 2022, at the age of 86. Her death was announced 2 weeks later. 

(Edited from Wikipedia, AllMusic, Los Angeles Times & Fresh Sound Records) (* other sources state 11^th January as birth date)