The beautiful and blonde Albright worked as a model before heading to Hollywood where she made her motion picture debut with a bit part in 1948's The Pirate following which she had a secondary but important role in the acclaimed 1949 hit film, Champion. However, this was the era of many blondes, notably Marilyn Monroe, and for the next ten years Lola Albright continued to work primarily in secondary roles in more than twenty films including several 'B' Westerns. As well, she acted in guest roles on a number of television series.

In 1958 Lola Albright earned the part of 'Edie Hart' in the trend-setting Peter Gunn television series produced by Blake Edwards and directed by Robert Altman with theme music that made Henry Mancini famous. In it, she played a nightclub singer who was the romantic interest of the "super-cool" private detective 'Peter Gunn' played by Craig Stevens. In 1959, she was nominated for an Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actress (Continuing Character) in a Dramatic Series. Her role called for singing, something she had been doing since childhood, and her celebrity led to the releasing of her 1959 music album "Dreamsville" in which her songs were backed by Mancini and his orchestra.

Lola Albright's popularity as a result of the "Peter Gunn" series led to a number of major film roles including Elvis Presley's 1962 film, Kid Galahad, with Alain Delon and Jane Fonda in the 1964 French film Les Felins by renowned director René Clément, and the epic western The Way West. She continued to perform both in film and as a guest actor on a number of television series until her retirement in the early 1980s.