Edward Albert(1951-2006)
- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Producer
The only son of
Green Acres (1965) star
Eddie Albert and Mexican
actress/dancer Margo, Edward Laurence
Albert managed to come out from under his father's strong shadow and
make a gallant showing of his own as a gifted thespian. Born in Los
Angeles on February 20, 1951, Edward's multi-cultural heritage and
talented gene pool allowed him to become a man of many talents:
songwriter, drummer, singer, photographer and, most importantly,
activist.
Growing up, he inherited an early interest in music and the performing
arts. He made an auspicious film debut at the age of 14 in
The Fool Killer (1965)
co-starring as a young runaway who teams up with a tormented Civil War
veteran (Anthony Perkins), a
teaming that leads to murder. A strong, mature role for such a
youngster, his next film appearance wouldn't come about until seven
years later. In the meantime Edward attended Oxford University and was
studying psychology at UCLA when offered the breakthrough of a
lifetime.
Signed up to play the difficult role of blind Don Baker--played on
Broadway by Keir Dullea--who yearns for
freedom away from his domineering mom (Oscar winner
Eileen Heckart) and finds it in the arms
of a liberated lass named Jill (Goldie Hawn)
in
Butterflies Are Free (1972),
Edward easily captured the hearts of millions with his tender,
life-affirming performance. Edward walked home with the cinema's Golden
Globe Award as "Male Newcomer of the Year." A confident, intelligent
actor with a serene handsomeness and 1000-watt smile who just happened
to possess the most magnetic pale eyes this side of
Meg Foster, Edward was on a seemingly
strong path to film stardom. Although he never found a comparable
success to "Butterfly," he did follow it up with another theater comedy
favorite, 40 Carats (1973), in which he
had a dalliance with older actress
Liv Ullmann. He also played
Charlton Heston's military son in
Midway (1976), followed by highly visible
roles in
The Domino Principle (1977)
and The Greek Tycoon (1978).
When film stardom did not pan out, Edward saw TV as a welcoming medium
and made up for his sudden lack of star power with wonderful turns in
major TV minimovies, notably
The Last Convertible (1979).
By the 1980s he had started making the rounds in formula low-budget
action films and usually fared best when his flashy villainous side
came into view. While such obvious movie titles as
The House Where Evil Dwells (1982),
Fist Fighter (1988),
Demon Keeper (1994) and
Stageghost (2000) pointed out the lack
of quality in his offerings, it did provide a steady income and
visibility. He also made frequent guest appearances on such shows as
Falcon Crest (1981),
L.A. Law (1986),
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993)
and
Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman (1993)
that kept him in the public eye. A solid regular as both good guy and
bad guy on series TV, he gave his life (and, it seems, his paycheck) to
the Beast after three seasons on
Beauty and the Beast (1987)
and, in contrast, played the dastardly Dr. Bennett Devlin on the
daytime soap Port Charles (1997)
for its first three seasons. Edward also used his vocal talents in
animation involving such superhero icons as
The Fantastic Four (1978),
Spider-Man: The Animated Series (1994) and "The Power
Rangers".
From his father and mother Edward developed a deep love and
appreciation for the land and the diversity of cultures. As such, he
divided his time between acting work and activism just as his father
had done. Having owned a ranch in Malibu for over 30 years, he was a
strong, positive influence and passionate spokesperson when it came to
environmental and cultural affairs. In recent years he served on the
California Coastal Commission and California Native American Heritage
Commission.
Long married to lovely British-born actress
Katherine Woodville, the couple's
daughter, Thais, continued the family musical tradition as a
singer/songwriter for the rock group Sugar in Wartime. Following his
mother's passing from brain cancer in 1985, Edward became a selfless
caregiver to his aging father, who began to develop early signs of
Alzheimer's disease in the 1990s. His father lived for more than a
decade in declining health, dying in May 2005. In early 2005, Edward
discovered he too was seriously ill after being diagnosed with lung
cancer. He died surrounded by family on September 22, 2006, at the
relatively young age of 55.
Green Acres (1965) star
Eddie Albert and Mexican
actress/dancer Margo, Edward Laurence
Albert managed to come out from under his father's strong shadow and
make a gallant showing of his own as a gifted thespian. Born in Los
Angeles on February 20, 1951, Edward's multi-cultural heritage and
talented gene pool allowed him to become a man of many talents:
songwriter, drummer, singer, photographer and, most importantly,
activist.
Growing up, he inherited an early interest in music and the performing
arts. He made an auspicious film debut at the age of 14 in
The Fool Killer (1965)
co-starring as a young runaway who teams up with a tormented Civil War
veteran (Anthony Perkins), a
teaming that leads to murder. A strong, mature role for such a
youngster, his next film appearance wouldn't come about until seven
years later. In the meantime Edward attended Oxford University and was
studying psychology at UCLA when offered the breakthrough of a
lifetime.
Signed up to play the difficult role of blind Don Baker--played on
Broadway by Keir Dullea--who yearns for
freedom away from his domineering mom (Oscar winner
Eileen Heckart) and finds it in the arms
of a liberated lass named Jill (Goldie Hawn)
in
Butterflies Are Free (1972),
Edward easily captured the hearts of millions with his tender,
life-affirming performance. Edward walked home with the cinema's Golden
Globe Award as "Male Newcomer of the Year." A confident, intelligent
actor with a serene handsomeness and 1000-watt smile who just happened
to possess the most magnetic pale eyes this side of
Meg Foster, Edward was on a seemingly
strong path to film stardom. Although he never found a comparable
success to "Butterfly," he did follow it up with another theater comedy
favorite, 40 Carats (1973), in which he
had a dalliance with older actress
Liv Ullmann. He also played
Charlton Heston's military son in
Midway (1976), followed by highly visible
roles in
The Domino Principle (1977)
and The Greek Tycoon (1978).
When film stardom did not pan out, Edward saw TV as a welcoming medium
and made up for his sudden lack of star power with wonderful turns in
major TV minimovies, notably
The Last Convertible (1979).
By the 1980s he had started making the rounds in formula low-budget
action films and usually fared best when his flashy villainous side
came into view. While such obvious movie titles as
The House Where Evil Dwells (1982),
Fist Fighter (1988),
Demon Keeper (1994) and
Stageghost (2000) pointed out the lack
of quality in his offerings, it did provide a steady income and
visibility. He also made frequent guest appearances on such shows as
Falcon Crest (1981),
L.A. Law (1986),
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993)
and
Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman (1993)
that kept him in the public eye. A solid regular as both good guy and
bad guy on series TV, he gave his life (and, it seems, his paycheck) to
the Beast after three seasons on
Beauty and the Beast (1987)
and, in contrast, played the dastardly Dr. Bennett Devlin on the
daytime soap Port Charles (1997)
for its first three seasons. Edward also used his vocal talents in
animation involving such superhero icons as
The Fantastic Four (1978),
Spider-Man: The Animated Series (1994) and "The Power
Rangers".
From his father and mother Edward developed a deep love and
appreciation for the land and the diversity of cultures. As such, he
divided his time between acting work and activism just as his father
had done. Having owned a ranch in Malibu for over 30 years, he was a
strong, positive influence and passionate spokesperson when it came to
environmental and cultural affairs. In recent years he served on the
California Coastal Commission and California Native American Heritage
Commission.
Long married to lovely British-born actress
Katherine Woodville, the couple's
daughter, Thais, continued the family musical tradition as a
singer/songwriter for the rock group Sugar in Wartime. Following his
mother's passing from brain cancer in 1985, Edward became a selfless
caregiver to his aging father, who began to develop early signs of
Alzheimer's disease in the 1990s. His father lived for more than a
decade in declining health, dying in May 2005. In early 2005, Edward
discovered he too was seriously ill after being diagnosed with lung
cancer. He died surrounded by family on September 22, 2006, at the
relatively young age of 55.