Barbara Jean McNair
was an American singer and theater, television, and film actress. McNair's career spanned over five decades in television, film, and stage. McNair's professional career began in music during the late 1950s, singing in the nightclub circuit. In 1958, McNair released "Till There Was You", her debut single for Coral Records, which was a commercial success. McNair performed all around the world, touring with Nat King Cole and later appearing in his Broadway stage shows I'm with You and The Merry World of Nat King Cole in the early 1960s.
By the 1970s, McNair had switched to acting in films and television; she played Sidney Poitier's character’s wife in They Call Me Mister Tibbs! and its sequel The Organization. In her later years, McNair returned to performing in nightclubs and on cruise ships. She died of throat cancer on February 4, 2007, at the age of 72.