Actress Elke Sommer Dies at 85 After Decades in Film

Elke Sommer died on Wednesday, Oct. 28, at her home in the Bel Air neighborhood of Los Angeles. She was 85. Family sources confirmed the death followed a period of declining health. The Hollywood Reporter and Deadline first reported the news.

Sommer is best known for starring opposite Peter Sellers in “A Shot in the Dark,” the 1964 sequel to “The Pink Panther.” Her performance in the 1963 thriller “The Prize” alongside Paul Newman and Edward G. Robinson earned her a Golden Globe for Most Promising Newcomer Actress in 1964.

Born Elke Schletz in Berlin in 1940, she was the daughter of a Lutheran minister. She worked as an au pair in England before establishing a career in European films and moving to Hollywood. Her leading men included Bob Hope in “Boy, Did I Get a Wrong Number!” and Dean Martin in “The Wrecking Crew,” which also featured Sharon Tate.

Her filmography extended beyond comedies to include horror films “Baron Blood” and “Lisa and the Devil” directed by Mario Bava. She also appeared in the British comedy series “Carry On Behind.” In 1979, she reunited with Sellers for “The Prisoner of Zenda.” Television audiences saw her on “The Dean Martin Show” and as a panelist on “Hollywood Squares.”

Sommer recorded albums and turned to painting as her acting work slowed. Her husband, German hotelier Wolf Walther, died of cancer three months before her. Family plans call for her burial beside Walther in Marloffstein, Germany, where her parents are interred.