German-born Hollywood star Elke Sommer dies at 85

Elke Sommer, the German-born actress who rose to fame in 1960s Hollywood comedies and spy thrillers, has died. She was 85. Her stepson, Sebastian Walther, confirmed the death to the German newspaper Bild, stating that Sommer died at her home in the Bel Air district of Los Angeles on Wednesday.

The Los Angeles Police Department confirmed it responded to the death of an 85-year-old woman on Sommer’s block on Wednesday night. Sommer was born Elke Schletz in Berlin on November 5, 1940, during World War II. Her family evacuated to southern Germany in 1942. Her father, a Protestant pastor, died when she was 14. She had intended to study languages but entered the film industry in 1958 after a trip to Italy with her mother, where she was cast in her first movie, 'The Friend of the Jaguar.'

She adopted the surname Sommer and worked throughout Europe, including in Italy, Spain, and England. Her breakthrough in Hollywood came when producer Pandro S. Berman cast her in 'The Prize,' opposite Paul Newman. The role earned her the Golden Globe for most promising newcomer. Variety noted that while her part was not complex, her appearance made the character memorable.

Sommer gained wider recognition in Blake Edwards’ 'A Shot in the Dark,' where she played Maria Gambrelli, a maid framed for murder. She appeared alongside Peter Sellers in the film. She also worked with James Garner, Dick Van Dyke, Bob Hope, Dean Martin, and Sharon Tate during the 1960s. In 1964, she married photographer Joe Hyams, who captured her for Playboy Magazine. They divorced in 1981.

Her career continued in the 1970s and 1980s with European productions, including the World War I film 'Zeppelin' and an Agatha Christie adaptation. By the 1990s, she shifted her focus to painting while occasionally appearing in film and television. She voiced the character Yzma in the German version of 'The Emperor’s New Groove.' In 1993, she married German hotelier Wolf Walther, who died in July at age 77.

Sommer was also known for a public dispute with actress Zsa Zsa Gabor. The conflict began in 1984 on the television show 'Circus of the Stars.' In 1990, Gabor and her husband, Frédéric Prinz von Anhalt, made critical comments about Sommer’s finances and appearance in German media. Sommer filed a defamation suit seeking $10 million. In 1993, a jury ordered Gabor and her husband to pay Sommer $3.3 million.

In a 2014 interview with Film Talk, Sommer addressed her reputation as a sex symbol, stating that the label was essentially meaningless. She explained that she brought energy to her roles rather than relying solely on her looks. 'My whole life, I have been directed, I have been produced, I spoke the lines written for the character,' she said. She emphasized that she believed in the importance of glamour on screen, telling a reporter in 1967 that movie stars should be extraordinary and above normal.

The next scheduled public acknowledgment of her death is expected from her estate. No formal memorial service has been announced.