Elke Sommer, the German-born actress who starred in movies like “A Shot in the Dark,” “Boy, Did I Get the Wrong Number,” “And Then There Were None” and more ’60s and ’70s Hollywood films, died Wednesday at her home in Los Angeles, her stepson Sebastian Walther confirmed to German outlet Bild. She died just three months after her husband, Wolf Walther, died of cancer. Sommer was born in Berlin on November 5, 1940, while it was under Nazi occupation.
Her family fled the capital during World War II and relocated to the small town of Niederndorf. In 1957, Sommer moved to London and became an au pair for the family of actress Vicki Michelle. While on holiday in Italy, Sommer was noticed by director Vittorio De Sica and soon started appearing in films.
She moved to Hollywood in the early ’60s and became a popular pin-up model. Sommer starred in major 1960s films like “The Prize” with Paul Newman; the “Pink Panther” sequel “A Shot in the Dark” with Peter Sellers; “The Art of Love” with James Garner and Dick Van Dyke; “The Oscar” with Stephen Boyd; “Boy, Did I Get a Wrong Number!” with Bob Hope; “Deadlier Than the Male”; “The Wrecking Crew” with Dean Martin and Sharon Tate; and “The Wicked Dreams of Paula Schultz.” In 1964, Sommer won a Golden Globe for most promising newcomer actress for “The Prize.” In the ’70s, her films included “Zeppelin” with Michael York, the Agatha Christie adaptation of “Ten Little Indians,” “Baron Blood,” “Lisa and the Devil” and the British comedy “Carry On Behind.”
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