Star of ‘A Shot in the Dark’ and ‘The Wrecking Crew,’ Dies at 85

Elke Sommer, Star of ‘A Shot in the Dark’ and ‘The Wrecking Crew,’ Dies at 85

Elke Sommer, the German-born actress whose Hollywood career included A Shot in the Dark, The Prize and The Wrecking Crew, has died at 85.

Sommer died on October 28 at her home in Bel Air, Los Angeles, her stepson Sebastian Walther told German newspaper Bild. Her death came just days before her 86th birthday on November 5.

Known for her glamour and comic timing, Sommer became a familiar presence in 1960s cinema, appearing alongside leading stars including Paul Newman, Peter Sellers and Dean Martin. Her career connected European filmmaking with Hollywood at a time when international performers were finding increasingly prominent roles in American movies.

Born Elke Schletz in Berlin in 1940, she began her acting career in Europe before establishing herself in English-language films. Her performance opposite Newman in the 1963 thriller The Prize earned her a Golden Globe as most promising newcomer.

One of her best-known roles followed in A Shot in the Dark, in which she starred opposite Sellers’s Inspector Clouseau. She later appeared in the Dean Martin spy comedy The Wrecking Crew, adding another enduring title to a filmography closely associated with the era’s comedies and espionage adventures.

Her screen partnerships also included James Garner and Dick Van Dyke in The Art of Love and Bob Hope in Boy, Did I Get a Wrong Number! Beyond films, her television appearances included Fantasy Island and The Love Boat.

Sommer’s creative interests extended beyond acting. In later years, she devoted increasing attention to painting while continuing to take selected screen roles. She also provided the German-language voice of Yzma in Disney’s The Emperor’s New Groove.

Her death followed that of her husband, German hotelier Wolf Walther, who died in July. The couple had shared more than three decades together.