Elke Sommer, the German-born actress who starred opposite Peter Sellers in the Pink Panther sequel A Shot in the Dark, has died at 85. Her career took her from European films to Hollywood comedies, thrillers and a Golden Globe win.
Sommer died October 28 at her home in Bel Air, Los Angeles, according to Bild. The newspaper reported that she died of heart failure after an extended period of being bedridden.
Photographer Erwin Schneider, her longtime friend, confirmed her death to German broadcaster BR24. She would have turned 86 on November 5.
Her husband, hotelier Wolf Walther, died of cancer on July 22 at 77, approximately three months before her death.
Sommer and Walther Married in 1993
Sommer and Walther became a couple in 1989 and married in August 1993. Both had been married before. Sommer’s first husband was American journalist Joe Hyams.
They spent years dividing their time between California and Marloffstein, near Erlangen in Germany. They later settled in Los Angeles while Walther received treatment, according to t-online.
Walther’s son Sebastian helped care for Sommer during her final months, Bild reported. Schneider told the newspaper that she died peacefully.
A Trip to Italy Led to Her Acting Career
Born Elke Schletz in Berlin, Sommer grew up in Franconia after her family left the capital during World War II. Before acting, she worked as an au pair in London and hoped to become a translator.
A beauty contest during an Italian holiday changed her plans. Publicity from the contest caught the attention of Vittorio De Sica, who invited her to Rome, according to German film database Filmportal.
She began working in European films in the late 1950s. Her early credits included Das Totenschiff, released in 1959, before she moved into American and other international productions in the following decade.
The Prize and A Shot in the Dark Established Her in Hollywood
Sommer appeared alongside Paul Newman and Edward G. Robinson in the 1963 thriller The Prize. The performance earned her the 1964 New Star of the Year award in the actress category, according to the Golden Globes.
She then played Maria Gambrelli in Blake Edwards’ A Shot in the Dark, released in 1964. Her character, a maid suspected of murder, becomes the focus of Inspector Clouseau’s investigation as Sellers’ detective insists she is innocent.
The film brought Clouseau back after The Pink Panther. The American Film Institute records that Edwards reworked a stage adaptation to make it a vehicle for Sellers’ character.
Her Later Work Included Horror Films, Theater and Painting
Sommer’s credits included The Art of Love with James Garner and Dick Van Dyke, The Wrecking Crew with Dean Martin, and Mario Bava’s horror films Baron Blood and Lisa and the Devil.
She also worked onstage and appeared on television, including The Love Boat. Filmportal credits her with more than 70 feature films and notes that she directed some of her stage work in Germany.
As her screen appearances became less frequent, Sommer devoted more time to painting, working under the name E. Schwartz. Her later film credits included Dani Levy’s Das Leben ist zu lang in 2010 and a voice role in the animated short A Thousand Kisses in 2017.