Elke Sommer, the German-born actress known for her beauty, European style, and playful humor, was one of Hollywood's most popular international stars in the 1960s. She died on October 28, 2026, at her home in Bel Air, California, at age 85. Her family and longtime friends said she died of heart failure after a long period of declining health, just three months after her husband, Wolf Walther, passed away. She was just days away from her 86th birthday on November 5.
By Allan R. Ellenberger
Sommer's platinum-blonde hair, blue eyes, and German accent helped her stand out when she arrived in Hollywood, a time when American studios were eager to cast European actresses. But she was more than just a glamorous image for photographers and magazines. She was intelligent, spoke several languages, and was very independent. She had a real talent for comedy and later became a successful painter. Her life also included a unique Hollywood ghost story involving a Benedict Canyon home she once shared with her first husband.
Elke Sommer was born Elke Schletz on November 5, 1940, in Berlin, Germany. She was the only child of Peter Schletz, a Lutheran minister, and Renate Topp. During World War II, her family moved to Franconia and later settled near Erlangen, where she grew up. When her father died at age fourteen, the family faced financial struggles, but she stayed focused on her studies and was especially good with languages. She first wanted to be an interpreter and went to London as a teenager to work as an au pair and improve her English. Acting was not part of her original plans.
Everything changed during a 1958 vacation in Viareggio, Italy, when she entered and won a local beauty contest. The attention from the contest led to roles in Italian films, and soon she was acting in German movies too. Some of her early films were The Death Ship (1959) with Horst Buchholz and The Girl and the State Attorney (1962). She took the stage name Elke Sommer and quickly became well known in European cinema. Hollywood noticed her talent, and by the early 1960s, she was traveling to the United States to start an international career.
Her big break in America came when she starred with Paul Newman and Edward G. Robinson in the suspense film The Prize (1963), playing a mysterious Swedish assistant involved in international intrigue. This role won her the 1964 Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Newcomer—Female. That same year, she played one of her most famous roles opposite Peter Sellers in Blake Edwards' A Shot in the Dark (1964). As Maria Gambrelli, the maid Inspector Clouseau refuses to believe is guilty of murder, Sommer was a perfect match for Sellers' comic style. The film became a classic and kept her image alive for generations of movie fans.
Throughout the remainder of the decade, Sommer worked steadily with some of Hollywood's biggest names. She acted with James Garner in The Art of Love (1965), Frank Sinatra in The Money Trap (1965), and Stephen Boyd in The Oscar (1966). She starred with Bob Hope in Boy, Did I Get a Wrong Number! (1966) and played in the British spy film Deadlier Than the Male (1967). In The Wrecking Crew (1968), she appeared with Dean Martin and Sharon Tate. Some critics saw her as just another beautiful European actress, but Sommer's comic talent and professionalism helped her career last long after her looks were no longer the main focus.
During the 1970s, her international career continued with Zeppelin (1971), Mario Bava's atmospheric horror films Baron Blood (1972) and Lisa and the Devil (1973), and the Agatha Christie mystery And Then There Were None (1974). She poked fun at her glamorous image in the British comedy Carry On Behind (1975) and reunited with Peter Sellers for The Prisoner of Zenda (1979). Television appearances included The Love Boat, Fantasy Island, and The Muppet Show. Although Hollywood roles became less frequent, she remained active in European productions, theater, and cabaret, building a career that included about 100 film and television appearances.
Outside of acting, Sommer became very interested in painting and eventually showed her colorful, creative work in exhibitions around the world. Inspired by Marc Chagall, she sometimes signed her paintings as E. Schwartz and built a reputation as an artist separate from her fame as an actress. Painting gave her a freedom that Hollywood could not—she could create whenever she felt inspired, without waiting for producers or casting calls. In her later years, she often chose the peace of her studio over the unpredictability of film work.
Sommer's personal life sometimes drew nearly as much attention as her acting. She married Hollywood journalist and author Joe Hyams in Las Vegas on November 19, 1964. Their marriage ended in divorce in 1981, but it included a strange chapter about a house in Benedict Canyon that they believed was haunted. Hyams wrote about these experiences in the July 2, 1966, issue of The Saturday Evening Post, and the story later appeared in the Journal of Borderland Research.
Sommer developed a passion for painting, creating works exhibited around the world.
Sommer pictured with her first husband, author and Hollywood journalist Joe Hyams.
Sommer and Hyams, outside their reportedly haunted Benedict Canyon home,
Hyams said the strange events started in July 1964, soon after they moved into the house. A German journalist visiting them, Edith Dahlfeld, said she saw a heavyset stranger in a doorway, but when Sommer checked, no one was there. Later, Sommer's mother claimed she saw a similar figure by her bed. They heard odd noises, like chairs scraping on the floor, and doors and windows seemed to open on their own. A pool attendant also said he saw an unfamiliar man inside the house. Hyams, who was skeptical at first, set up recording equipment and talked to paranormal investigators. They even held séances, but the mystery was never solved. Whether it was a real haunting or just a series of odd events, the story became part of Hollywood's supernatural legends.
After her divorce, Sommer stayed outspoken and defended her reputation. She had a bitter feud with Zsa Zsa Gabor, which started with comments made during a television show and ended in a well-known defamation lawsuit. In 1993, a Santa Monica jury awarded Sommer about $3.3 million in damages. By that time, she had found happiness with German hotelier Wolf Walther, whom she met in 1989. They married on August 29, 1993, in Marloffstein, Bavaria, and split their time between Southern California and Germany. Sommer did not have children of her own but became part of Walther's family.
In later life, Sommer largely withdrew from acting, preferring painting, travel, her animals, and the companionship of her husband. Her final feature film appearance came in the German production Life Is Too Long (2010). Walther's death from cancer on July 22, 2026, at age 77, devastated her. According to friends, her already fragile health deteriorated further during the following months. Her stepson, Sebastian Walther, remained close and helped care for her until her death on October 28.
Sommer wanted to be buried in the family grave at Marloffstein, Bavaria, where her parents are also buried. Plans are being made for her ashes and her husband's to be buried together in Germany, but the transfer could take several months. No funeral or memorial date has been announced.
Elke Sommer was part of a group of international actresses who brought unique glamour to Hollywood in the 1960s. At first, audiences loved her for her looks, but it was her intelligence, humor, versatility, and independence that truly shaped her career.
From her comic role in A Shot in the Dark to the strange events in her Benedict Canyon home, her life was full of stories fit for Hollywood movies. She leaves behind a memorable film career, an artistic legacy, and the image of someone who found life's greatest joys beyond the movie set.
From her unforgettable performances in A Shot in the Dark to the mysterious haunting of her Benedict Canyon home, Elke Sommer lived a fascinating life both on and off the screen. What are your favorite memories of this glamorous Hollywood star? Please share your thoughts in the comments, rate my obituary tribute, and share it with fellow classic film fans as we remember her remarkable life and career.
Add comment
Comments