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 international career included A Shot in the Dark, The Prize and The Wrecking Crew, died on October 28 at her home in Bel Air, Los Angeles. She was 85.
Her stepson, Sebastian Walther, confirmed her death to the German newspaper Bild. Heart failure was reported as the cause. Sommer died eight days before her 86th birthday.
Born Elke Schletz in Berlin on November 5, 1940, Sommer grew up in Germany before an encounter with the film industry during a trip to Italy in 1958 opened an unexpected career path. She began working in European productions, eventually making the transition to Hollywood.
Her performance opposite Paul Newman in The Prize brought her a Golden Globe as most promising newcomer. She subsequently became familiar to international audiences through a succession of comedies, thrillers and espionage films.
Among her best-known roles was Maria Gambrelli in A Shot in the Dark, playing the maid suspected of murder who captures the attention of Peter Sellers’ Inspector Clouseau. She also appeared alongside Dean Martin and Sharon Tate in The Wrecking Crew, cementing her association with the era’s stylish spy adventures.
Her film credits also included The Art of Love, Deadlier Than the Male and the British comedy Carry On Behind, in which she portrayed Professor Anna Vooshka. Those appearances brought her work to audiences across several countries and different traditions of screen comedy.
Sommer maintained an extensive television career, appearing in The Love Boat, Fantasy Island and St. Elsewhere. She was also a guest on The Muppet Show and a frequent presence on The Dean Martin Show. Her interests beyond acting found an outlet in the PBS series Painting With Elke Sommer.
In later years, she devoted more of her time to painting, gradually stepping away from acting. Her husband of more than three decades, hotelier Wolf Walther, died during the summer of 2026, just months before her own death.
