Edward Albert

Edward Laurence Heimberger (February 20, 1951 – September 22, 2006), known professionally as Edward Albert, was an American film and television actor. The son of actor Eddie Albert and Mexican actress Margo, he is best remembered for his breakout starring role in Butterflies Are Free (1972) opposite Goldie Hawn, for which he won the Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year and was nominated for Best Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy. He starred in over 130 films and television series, including Midway, The Greek Tycoon, Galaxy of Terror, The House Where Evil Dwells, The Yellow Rose, Falcon Crest, and Power Rangers Time Force.

Early life

Edward Laurence Heimberger was born in Los Angeles, California, to actor Eddie Albert (1906–2005), and Mexican actress Margo (1917–1985).

Career

Albert made his motion picture debut in a 1965 drama, The Fool Killer, as a runaway orphan who crossed paths with a disturbed Civil War veteran, played by Anthony Perkins. He is best known for his work in the film Butterflies Are Free (1972), in which he played a blind man, starring opposite Goldie Hawn. In addition to winning the New Star of the Year – Actor award, Albert was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy.

The following year, he starred opposite Liv Ullmann in the film adaptation of the play 40 Carats. Albert appeared as a U.S. Navy fighter pilot in the epic 1976 film Midway, portraying the son of a famous (and fictitious) naval captain (played by Charlton Heston). Later in 1976 he made a guest appearance in an episode of the NBC dramatic series Gibbsville. He also was featured in the Gene Hackman suspense film The Domino Principle (1977) and the drama The Greek Tycoon (1978) opposite Anthony Quinn and Jacqueline Bisset. In 1981, he starred opposite Ray Walston and Erin Moran in Roger Corman's cult SF horror film, Galaxy of Terror.

During the 1983–1984 TV season he co-starred as Quisto Champion on the NBC series The Yellow Rose along with Sam Elliott, Cybill Shepherd and David Soul. He also had a recurring role in the late 1980s television series Beauty and the Beast, in which he played Elliot Burch, the millionaire New York developer who loved series heroine, Catherine Chandler (played by Linda Hamilton). He also played Mr. Collins, father to Wesley Collins, the Red Ranger from Power Rangers Time Force. Albert also voiced the blind superhero Daredevil in two episodes of Spider-Man: The Animated Series in the 1990s. Albert also appeared in the 1987 film The Underachievers.

In The Ice Runner (1992), he played a betrayed and threatened agent arrested in Russia, who wants to escape from his prison. In 1993, he made a guest appearance in the television show Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman (season 2, episodes 6 & 7, "Where the heart is" Parts 1 & 2) as Dr. William Burke, the Boston doctor competing with Sully for Dr. Mike's attention. In Guarding Tess (1994), he played the grandson of former First Lady Tess Carlisle (Shirley MacLaine).

Personal life

Albert was a prominent advocate of both the environment and the heritage and rights of Native Americans, especially the local Chumash tribe, and served on both the California Coastal Commission and the California Native American Heritage Commission. Because of his work, the Escondido Canyon has been renamed in his honor as the Edward Albert Escondido Trail and Waterfalls.

Albert was engaged to actress Kate Jackson in the mid-1970s, during which time they lived together. He married actress Katherine Woodville, in 1978, and had one child, daughter Thaïs "Tai" Carmen Albert.

In his last years, Albert cared for his father, who suffered from Alzheimer's disease and died at the age of 99 in 2005. The younger Albert was diagnosed with lung cancer in early 2005. He died on September 22, 2006 at the age of 55, surviving his father by only sixteen months.