'Shot in the Dark,' 'The Prize' Actress Was 85
The Hollywood Reporter • • entertainment
Key Points:
- Elke Sommer, a German actress renowned for her roles in 1960s Hollywood films such as A Shot in the Dark and The Prize, died at age 85 from heart failure at her Bel-Air home.
- Sommer gained fame for starring in caper and espionage films alongside notable actors like Glenn Ford, Dean Martin, and Peter Sellers, earning a Golden Globe for best female newcomer for her role in The Prize.
- After her Hollywood career declined, she appeared in European films, including Italian horror movies by Mario Bava, and was fluent in five languages, having worked extensively in Italy, France, Spain, England, and Germany.
- Beyond acting, Sommer was a cabaret singer, painter, and race-car enthusiast, and she won a $3.3 million libel suit against Zsa Zsa Gabor in 1993.
- She was married twice, first to Hollywood columnist Joe Hyams and later to German hotelier Wolf Walther, with whom she remained until his death; she had no children.
