Biography
Olga James was an American singer and actress. She trained as an opera singer at the Juilliard School in New York and made her professional debut in 1952 in Paris, performing in the opera Four Saints in Three Acts.
James is best known for playing Cindy Lou, the fiancée of Harry Belafonte’s character, in Otto Preminger’s film Carmen Jones (1954). In 1956 she made her only Broadway appearance in the musical Mr. Wonderful, originating the role of Ethel Pearson opposite Sammy Davis Jr. She later had a recurring role on the television series The Bill Cosby Show (1969–1971) and provided a voice for the animated series Sealab 2020 (1972).
In 1962 she married jazz saxophonist Julian “Cannonball” Adderley; the marriage lasted until his death in 1975. She later married singer and activist Len Chandler in 1990; he died in 2023. James died in Los Angeles on 25 January 2025.
