Julie London

American breathy blues singer and actress. In the 1950s, London had a string of five albums and the hit single, "Cry Me a River." She had a minor film career including "On Stage Everybody," 1945 and "Task Force" in 1949.

The daughter of vaudevillians who had a photography studio for their day-job, Julie made her singing radio debut at age three. The family moved to California where they sang on a local radio station. Julie hated school and dropped out when they moved to Los Angeles in 1941. She lied about her age to get work in a department store at 15. Agent Sue Carol spotted her and struck by her beauty, suggested that the girl come to her office. A screen test was arranged and over the next four years, Julie appeared in bit parts. Her roles were so minor that she kept her $19-a-week department store job.

In 1947 she married actor Jack Webb, another minor actor. When he struck it big with the "Dragnet" series three years later, she retired to play housewife and mother to two daughters. When they divorced in November 1953, she returned to the screen.

London met songwriter and jazz musician Bobby Troup in 1954 who helped her work on her sorely lacking self-confidence. She finally agreed to sing at a supper club and it became the scene of her first success. In short order she became a recording and movie star, cutting her first album in 1956, "Julie is Her Name." She specialized in blues and torch songs in a husky, sultry voice.

On 31 December 1959, London married Bobby Troup. They later co-starred in the TV series "Emergency."

In 1995 London suffered a stroke from which she never fully recovered and died on 18 October 2000 in Encino, California.