Claudine Longet

Claudine Longet was born in Paris, France on 29th January 1941. Not much is known about her parents or early life.

She married pop singer Andy Williams in 1961 and had three children with him. They divorced in 1975. She mostly led a private life after the homicide of her boyfriend Vladimir Sabich. She later married Ronald Duane Austin, her defense attorney, in 1985. They couple has been together since then.

Claudine Longet made her television debut in 1963 with a role in two episodes of the comedy series ‘McHale’s Navy’. Over the next few years, she was seen in episodes of many other TV shows, such as ‘Twelve O’clock High Combat!’, ‘The Rat Patrol’ and ‘Hogan’s Heroes’. She later started appearing in ‘The Andy Williams Show’. The show was hosted by the well-known singer Andy Williams, with whom she eventually tied the knot.

She began her singing career with Andy Williams’ 1964 album ‘The Wonderful World of Andy Williams’. Two years later, she released her debut single ‘Meditation’. Her debut album ‘Claudine’ was released in 1967. It peaked on the US Billboard pop albums chart at the 11th position and sold more than 500,000 copies.

She later played the main role in the 1968 film ‘The Party’. Directed by Blake Edwards, the film was a commercial success. It was based on a story by Edwards himself. Her next album ‘Look of Love’ was also a success, reaching the 33rd position on the US pop albums chart. Other albums released by her include ‘Colours’ (1968) and ‘Run Wild, Run Free’ (1970). She also made an appearance in the album ‘The Little Prince’. It won the Grammy Award for ‘Best Children’s Album.’ In 2000, a complication album named ‘The Very Best of Claudine Longet’ was released.

In 1976, Claudine Longet was arrested and charged for fatally shooting her boyfriend Vladimir Sabich, who was an Olympic skier. She stated at her trial that the gun discharged accidently when he was teaching her to operate it. Her former husband supported her throughout the trial and even paid her legal fees. She was eventually found guilty of negligent homicide and was sentenced to a small fine along with 30 months in prison.