Actress Elke Sommer, star of "The Pink Panther", has died
German-born Hollywood actress Elke Sommer has died in Los Angeles at the age of 85. She gained wider fame in 1964 with her role in the comedy "The Pink Panther".
German-born actress Elke Sommer (1940–2026), who worked in Hollywood for almost six decades, has died in Los Angeles. She became widely known for playing Maria Gambrelli in the 1964 film "The Pink Panther". She died a week before her 86th birthday.
According to her foster son Sebastian Walter, who spoke to the German newspaper Bild, Sommer died on Wednesday at her home in the Beverly Crest area of Los Angeles. The cause was heart failure. Only three months earlier, her husband Wolf Walter had died after a difficult battle with cancer.
Career
Born in Berlin, Sommer gained recognition through "The Pink Panther", in which she appeared alongside actor Peter Sellers. She later worked in films of various genres, including comedies, detective films and dramas.
Her filmography includes "Boy, Did I Get It Wrong Number!", "And Then There Were None", "Carry On Behind" and "The Prisoner of Zenda". On screen she appeared opposite James Garner, Dick Van Dyke, Paul Newman and Edward G. Robinson.
Sommer also took part in television series and TV films, among them "The Six Million Dollar Man", "St. Elsewhere" and "Inside the Third Reich".
