Elke Sommer, a German actor who became a prominent figure in postwar Hollywood cinema, has passed away at 85. She emerged during a period when European actors were crossing over into American productions, joining contemporaries like Ingrid Bergman and Sophia Loren in achieving international recognition.
Sommer’s Hollywood career began in the late 1950s after winning a beauty contest in Italy led to her film debut. Her early work in European productions caught the attention of major studios, culminating in her appearance opposite Paul Newman in MGM’s The Prize in 1963, which earned her a Golden Globe for most promising newcomer. She became known for her roles in light comedies and spy films throughout the 1960s, collaborating with major comedic talents including Dick Van Dyke, Bob Hope, and Dean Martin.
Her most celebrated role came as Maria Gambrelli in the 1964 film A Shot in the Dark, where she starred opposite Peter Sellers’ Inspector Clouseau. The film showcased her comedic timing and screen presence opposite Sellers’ improvisational style. She also appeared in the 1966 spy-comedy film Deadlier Than the Male, which years later was cited by filmmaker Quentin Tarantino as the first movie he saw in a cinema during his childhood.
As her Hollywood roles became increasingly limited to glamorous supporting parts, Sommer transitioned toward European productions and other creative pursuits. She appeared in horror films directed by Mario Bava and continued working in television, theater, and music. An accomplished painter since her teens, she hosted a television series about painting and also presented programming about high-performance automobiles. Fluent in seven languages, Sommer had originally intended to pursue careers as an interpreter or classical language teacher before her success in film.
Sommer was married twice: first to Hollywood gossip columnist Joe Hyams from 1964 to 1981, and subsequently to German hotelier Wolf Walther from 1993 onward. In 1993, she successfully sued socialite Zsa Zsa Gabor for libel over comments made in a magazine article about her career trajectory.
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