Top 10 Incredible Facts about Claudine Longet

Claudine Longet Photo sourced from Wikimedia

Top 10 Incredible Facts about Claudine Longet

Claudine Georgette Longet who was born on 29th January 1942 in Paris, France, is a Franco-American singer, actress, dancer, and recording artist popular during the 1960s and 1970s. Born in Paris, France, Longet was married to American singer and television entertainer Andy Williams from 1961 until 1975.

She has maintained a private profile since 1977, following her conviction for negligent homicide in connection with the shooting death of her boyfriend, former Olympic skier Spider Sabich, with whom she was involved with after she divorced her husband. Let’s take a look at some of the most incredible facts about her;

1.Longet began dancing on stage for tourists at 17

Claudine Longet Photo sourced from Wikimedia

Born on January 29, 1942, in Paris, France, Claudine Georgette Longet dreamt of becoming an entertainer from an early age. She began dancing on stage for tourists at 17 before club owner Lou Walters spotted her on French television and decided to give her a shot. That could be her way to stardom and she never looked back as she became a sensation after this. 

Longet found herself dancing at the Tropicana Hotel & Resort in Las Vegas in 1961.Her story to fame became one of the most intriguing things that ever happened, though she is currently out if the sportlight, she left a mark in the entertainment industry in her country. 

2.Herb Alert helped kickstart her career

Williams told his friend, Herb Alpert of the very popular brass band Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass, about the reaction. “I called him and told him what had happened after the show aired,” Williams recalled in his book. “‘I’d like to hear that song,’ Herb said, so I sent him a tape of the show.

He loved Claudine’s sound and immediately he heard her sing and signed her to his label.”She could go on to become one of the greatest stars in that time. Through Alpert’s A&M Records label, Longet released five albums full of what Williams described as “easy-listening songs in that distinctive breath and very sexy accent.

3.She was a very good friend to the family of slain US senator Robert Kennedy 

Slain US senator Robert Kennedy giving a speech Photo sourced from Wikimedia

Longet befriended the likes of Robert Kennedy and his wife and became very good friends with the family of the later slain US senator. Longet was even present at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles when Kennedy was assassinated in 1968. They had planned to have dinner after his ill-fated speech.

Longet and her husband Williams eventually joined Kennedy’s family and friends at Good Samaritan Hospital where doctors labored to save the senator’s life. They stayed at the hospital 24 hours. After Kennedy died during the early morning hours of 6 June, Longet and Williams went into his hospital room and saw Ethel Kennedy asleep near the body of her late husband.Longet later attended Kennedy’s funeral at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City on 8 June.

4.Longet has been married twice in her life 

Claudine Longet and her husband Andy Williams photo sourced from Wikimedia

Longet has been married twice in her life, first to Andy Williams who she met in Las Vegas in 1960 while she was dancing lead in the Folies Bergère revue at the Tropicana Resort & Casino. Longet was having trouble with her car and had pulled to the side of the road. Driving by, Williams stopped to offer assistance. She was 18 and he was 32. They married on 15 December 1961 in Los Angeles.

They legally separated in 1970 and divorced in January 1975 and she was later married to Ron Austin who she married on 1st June 1985–present. She has three children all by her former husband William: Noëlle (born on 24 September 1963), Christian (born on 15 April 1965), and Robert (“Bobby”) (born on 1 August 1969). 

5.Longet and her then husband named one of of their children after senator Robert Kennedy

Following their 1961 marriage, Claudine Longet and Andy Williams found themselves running with a high-profile, showbiz crowd that included the likes of singer Barbra Streisand, astronaut John Glenn, and Senator Robert F. Kennedy.Longet and Williams were among Kennedy’s staunchest supporters during his 1968 Democratic presidential campaign — even though Williams was a Republican.

The couple even had plans to meet up with the politician the night he was fatally shot, on June 5, 1968, per Variety. According to The Los Angeles Times, Williams sang “Battle Hymn of the Republic” at Kennedy’s funeral, which he called “the hardest thing I ever did.” Williams and Longet named their youngest son, Robert, after the late politician the following year.

6.She was arrested and tried for murder 

Claudine Longet Photo sourced from Wikimedia

Longet was arrested and tried for murder after the fatally shooting her boyfriend, Olympic skier Vladimir “Spider” Sabich, at his home in Aspen, Colorado, on 21 March 1976,which she continuously stated was an accident. At her trial, Longet said the gun discharged accidentally as Sabich was showing her how it worked.

Williams publicly supported Longet throughout the trial, paid for her legal defense team, and escorted her to and from the courthouse. After the four-day trial, jurors deliberated for a few hours before finding her guilty of criminally negligent homicide.She was sentenced to 30 days of her choosing in prison and a $250 fine. The case was finally settled out of court with the family of the diseased. 

7.She released several songs,albums and also made appearances in several films

Longet has released several songs and albums in her career over the years including songs like: Love is Blue in 1968, The Look of Love in 1967, Hello Hello in 1967,Who Blood Your Heart in 1993,God Only Knows 1972, Until Its Time For You To Go in 1967, Small Talk in 1968,  A Man and A Woman in 1968 and Meditation in 1967.

She also released several albums including; Claudine in 1967,Love is Blue in 1968, The Look of Love in 1967,Colors in 1968,Sugar Me in 1993,Hello Hello : The Best of Claudine Longet in 2005.She has also made appearances in several films including; Party in 1968,How to Steal an Airplane, McHale’s in 1964,Massacre Harbour 1968,The Andy Williams Christmas Show and many more. 

8.Longet also had cameos in episode of high profile TV programs

Longet also had a number of roles in episodes of high profile TV programs such as Combat! (1962), Hogan’s Heroes (1965), Dr. Kildare (1961), Mr. Novak (1963), and 12 O’Clock High (1964). Claudine also landed the role of Michele Monet in the Blake Edwards film The Party (1968), these appearances made her one of the best actresses of that time. 

 She also had four hits reach the US top 100 singles chart including “Love is Blue” and “Hello Hello”. After switching to the Barnaby label, she released another two albums, “We’ve Only Just Begun” and “Let’s Spend the Night Together”. A third album, “Sugar Me”, recorded in 1974, had to wait almost 20 years before it was finally released. Standout songs included the title track, a cover of the Lynsey de Paul hit, as well as “Guess Who I Saw in Paris” by Buffy Sainte-Marie.

9.She has never performed again after the criminal trial

Longet has never performed again after the criminal trial, and the Sabich family initiated civil proceedings to sue Longet. The case was eventually settled out of court for a large monetary settlement, with the proviso that Longet never tell or write about her story.She has since been out of the limelight and her career stopped though she had left a legacy. 

They also demanded that Claudine withdraw from public circulation her recording of “Bang Bang, My Baby Shot Me Down.” After the trauma of losing a loved one and constant media harassment, Ms Longet vanished from the public eye as quickly as she had arrived, deciding instead to concentrate on raising her children, but leaving behind a wonderful mark which is her music.

10.Longet got married to Austin, her lawyer in that case and remain married to date

Longet married Austin her former lawyer in the murder case, in 1985 and they still remain married to date and live in a mountain house in Aspen, Colorado, not far from where Longet’s previous partner and boyfriend Sabich whom she reportedly shot died.

Longet retreated into life as a private figure, not recording any music in more than four decades, while Austin is a slightly more public presence if not a pillar of the local community. He still practices law in Colorado, a named partner in the Aspen-based firm of Austin, Peirce & Smith, which focuses on real estate, business, and administrative law.