R.I.P. Elke Sommer, A Shot In The Dark star
German-born international star Elke Sommer, who played maid Maria Gambrelli opposite Peter Sellers' Inspector Clouseau, was 85.
Elke Sommer, the German actress best known for her role as Maria Gambrelli in the Pink Panther franchise, has died at the age of 79 from heart failure at her Los Angeles home. Sommer's career took off in the 1960s, with her breakout role as the foreign-accented love interest of leading men such as James Garner, Dick Van Dyke, Bob Hope, and Dean Martin.
She went on to star in notable films like The Prize (1963), The Prize (1963), The Prize (1963), and The Wicked Dreams Of Paul Schultz (1968), for which she won the Golden Globe for Most Promising Newcomer Actress. Sommer's most famous role came in 1964's A Shot In The Dark, where she played the innocent murder suspect alongside Peter Sellers' Inspector Clouseau.
This character cemented her position as a sex symbol in America, and she appeared in Playboy several times. Sommer ventured into television during the 1980s, hosting shows about painting and race cars. She also collaborated with Peter Sellers once more in 1979's The Prisoner Of Zenda. Sommer's Hollywood career eventually slowed down, and she focused on her passions for painting and racing cars before passing away in her Bel Air home.
Her stepson Sebastian Walter revealed that Sommer had passed away peacefully in her sleep, now finally at peace with her beloved husband.
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