(source: an official press release from Witt-Thomas Productions in 1989.)

Edward Albert portrays Elliot Burch, self-made real estate tycoon and former suitor of Catherine, in “Beauty and the Beast,” the hour-long fantasy-drama filled with action, suspense and romance, airing Wednesday nights at 8:00 PM (ET) on the CBS Television Network.

A gifted actor and accomplished musician, Albert rose to fame at the age of 21, when he starred opposite Goldie Hawn in the highly successful feature “Butterflies Are Free.” The role brought him national recognition and a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor.

Since that time, Albert has worked practically non-stop on stage, screen, and television. He has enjoyed a wide range of starring roles in such recent features as Touchstone Films’ “The Rescue,” the phsychological thriller “Mind Games,” and the free-wheeling comedy “Night School.” Among his other film credits are “The Domino Principle,” “Forty Carats,” “Midway,” “The Greek Tycoon,” “When Time Ran Out” and “The Squeeze.” Fluent in Spanish, Italian and French, he has starred in motion pictures all over the world, and his work has been recognized with several prestigious international awards, including two Golden Eagles and a Golden Palm.

On television, he has appeared in a number of movies and miniseries, including “Walking Tall,” “Kung Fu,” “Blood Feud,” “The Last Convertible” and “Black Beauty,” and was a series regular on “Falcon Crest,” “Brothers” and “The Yellow Rose.” In addition, he starred in the Emmy Award-winning AfterSchool special, “Daddy Can’t Read,” which dealt with the problem of adult illiteracy.

Born Edward Laurence Albert, he was named after his famed actor father, Eddie Albert, and godfather, Sir Laurence Olivier. After making his acting debut at age 11 with a starring role opposite Hal Holbrook in the film “The Fool Killer,” Albert spent his formative years developing his skills as a musician. He went on to study Shakespeare on scholarship, both at Oxford and Stratford-on-Avon, and enrolled at UCLA as a psychology major upon his return to California. During this time, he supported himself working as a session drummer for Ry Cooder, Aretha Franklin, Joni Mitchell, Kris Kristofferson, Joan Baez and Booker T., before landing his role in “Butterflies Are Free.”

For almost 20 years, Albert has made his home on a ranch with a panoramic view of the Pacific, far from the madding crowd of Hollywood. He and his wife, English actress Kate Woodville, and their daughter Thais, share their land with a menagerie of animals. recently, they launched Hawks Ranch Sport Horses, a combined breeding, showing and training facility run by Kate. Edward contributes a significant amount of time to fundraising activities, notably Plaza De La Raza, a bi-lingual cultural center for Hispanic children, started by his late mother, famed Hispanic actress Margo.