Elke Sommer: German-Born Star of A Shot in the Dark and The Prize Dies a

Elke Sommer was a German-born actress and painter. Born Elke Schletz on November 5, 1940, in Berlin, she intended to study languages, but during a 1958 trip to Italy she was cast in her first film, The Friend of the Jaguar, and was soon working across Europe under the surname Sommer.

She won the Golden Globe for most promising newcomer for The Prize opposite Paul Newman and played Maria Gambrelli opposite Peter Sellers in the Pink Panther film A Shot in the Dark. Her other films included The Art of Love, Boy, Did I Get a Wrong Number!, The Wrecking Crew, Zeppelin and And Then There Were None. From the 1990s she focused on painting.

Her stepson Sebastian Walther told the German outlet Bild that she died at her home in Bel Air, Los Angeles, on October 28, 2026, at age 85. No cause of death was reported.

Achievements: Golden Globe Award for most promising newcomer.

Birth: November 5, 1940 - Berlin, Germany.

Profession: Actress, painter.

Interesting Facts: In 1993 a jury ordered Zsa Zsa Gabor and her husband to pay her 3.3 million dollars in a libel case.