Art Lund

Art Lund (April 1, 1915 – May 31, 1990) was an American baritone singer, stage actor, television performer, and film actor born in Salt Lake City, Utah. Before pursuing a career in entertainment, Lund worked as a high school mathematics teacher in Kentucky while playing music on the side. He initially performed under the name Art London and toured with Jimmy Ray and his band before finding work as a vocalist with clarinetist Jimmy Joy.

Lund's profile rose considerably when he joined Benny Goodman's orchestra, recording several tracks including "Blue Skies," "On the Alamo," and two duets with Peggy Lee, "Winter Weather" and "If You Build a Better Mousetrap." He also sang and recorded with trumpeter Harry James. Lund held a graduate degree in aerological engineering from the United States Naval Academy and had previously earned his undergraduate degree from Eastern Kentucky University.

In 1946 Lund launched a solo recording career, and the following year his recording of "Mam'selle" reached number one on the U.S. Billboard chart and earned a gold disc. Additional charting recordings included "(I'd Like to Get You on a) Slow Boat to China," "What'll I Do," "You Call Everybody Darlin'," and "Peg o' My Heart," along with recordings of "My Blue Heaven" and "Mona Lisa." He also recorded the theme song for the 1965 television series Branded, starring Chuck Connors.

Lund's Broadway career spanned from 1956 onward, beginning with a lead role in the musical The Most Happy Fella. He subsequently took on lead roles in Destry Rides Again in 1959, stepping in as a replacement for the villain role originated by Scott Brady, followed by the comedy Donnybrook! in 1961, Fiorello! in 1962, and Sophie in 1963. He also appeared in The Wayward Stork. Two additional productions connected Lund to Broadway without reaching scheduled openings: We Take the Town in 1962, in which he served as standby for Robert Preston, and Breakfast at Tiffany's in 1966, which closed before its official premiere.

Lund's film work included The Molly Maguires (1970), Black Caesar (1973), The Last American Hero (1973), Bucktown (1975), Baby Blue Marine (1976), The Private Files of J. Edgar Hoover (1977), and It's Alive III: Island of the Alive (1987). On television, he appeared in a 1962 episode of the Western series Gunsmoke, playing a gambler named Heber in the episode "False Front."

Lund was married to Kathleen Virginia Bolanz-Lund from 1940 until her death on October 16, 1969, when she was killed in an automobile accident near Sacramento Metropolitan Airport. He later married Janet Burris Chytraus in the final year of his life. At the time of his death on May 31, 1990, in Utah at age 75, he was survived by his wife Janet, a daughter, a son, a sister, a grandson, and two granddaughters. Lund was a member of the Mormon faith. He holds a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6126 Hollywood Boulevard.