Linda Lawson (born Linda Gloria Spaziani;[2] January 14, 1936 – May 18, 2022) was an American actress and singer.[3]
Early life and career
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 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
In 1960, Lawson recorded Introducing Linda Lawson. The music was conducted and arranged by Marty Paich.[9]
^ ab"Obituary Notices: Lawson, Linda". Los Angeles Times. June 5, 2022. p. B10. ProQuest2678080371. 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. ProQuest2349698352. 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.
