Elke Sommer died at her Bel Air home on October 28, her stepson Sebastian Walther told German newspaper Bild. She was 85. Born Elke Schletz in Berlin in 1940, she endured wartime displacement and lost her father at 14. Money was scarce, and she once milked cows to help support her family. A trip to Italy in 1958 unexpectedly opened the door to acting, setting her on a path toward international recognition.
In Hollywood, Sommer starred opposite Paul Newman in The Prize, earning a Golden Globe for Most Promising Newcomer. Her performance alongside Peter Sellers in A Shot in the Dark helped secure her lasting place in film history. She also worked with Dean Martin, James Garner and Dick Van Dyke. Her husband, Wolf Walther, died in July. According to the report, Sommer wanted burial in her family’s grave in Marloffstein, Germany—a final return to the country where her story began.
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