Elke Sommer dead: German-born star of ‘A Shot in the Dark’ was 85
Los Angeles Times • • entertainment
Key Points:
- Elke Sommer, a prominent German-born actress known for her roles in 1960s Hollywood comedies and espionage films such as “The Prize” and “A Shot in the Dark,” has died at age 85 at her home in Bel-Air.
- Sommer began her career in European cinema after being discovered during a trip to Italy, later transitioning to Hollywood where she won a Golden Globe for Most Promising Newcomer for her role in “The Prize.”
- Throughout her career, she worked with major stars including Paul Newman, Peter Sellers, and Bob Hope, and appeared in a variety of genres from comedies to horror films, before shifting focus to painting in the 1990s.
- She was involved in a notable legal feud with Zsa Zsa Gabor in the early 1990s, resulting in Gabor and her husband being ordered to pay Sommer $3.3 million for defamation.
- Sommer valued movie star glamour over the label of sex symbol, emphasizing the importance of energy and extraordinary presence on screen rather than mere physical appearance.
