Albert Salmi (March 11, 1928 – April 22, 1990) was an American actor of stage, film, and television. He was a noted as a character actor and appeared in over 150 film and television productions. Salmi died of a self inflicted gunshot, after first shooting dead his estranged second wife, Roberta.

Biography

Salmi met actress Peggy Ann Garner while the two were performing in the National Company touring production of Bus Stop in 1955. They were married on May 18, 1956 in New York City. Their only child, Catherine Ann "Cas" Salmi, was born on March 30, 1957 (Catherine died in 1995 of heart disease at the age of thirty-eight). Salmi and Garner separated in 1961 and divorced on March 13, 1963.

Salmi married Roberta Pollock Taper in 1964. The couple had two daughters, Elizabeth and Jennifer. The family moved from Los Angeles to Spokane, Washington in 1983 where Salmi went into semi-retirement only taking the occasional acting role. He later taught acting and appeared in regional theater.

In early February 1990, Albert and Roberta Salmi separated. He moved into a nearby condominium while Roberta Salmi remained in the family home. She filed for divorce on February 6, 1990. According to court documents, Roberta Salmi claimed that her husband was an alcoholic who physically abused her when he drank. She also claimed that Salmi threatened her on several occasions and she was fearful that he might kill her. Roberta Salmi later took out a restraining order against her husband. Salmi denied physically abusing Roberta and blamed their split on her emotional issues.