Elke Sommer, the German-born actress best known for roles in the Pink Panther film 'A Shot in the Dark' and the early 1970s Agatha Christie adaptation 'And Then There Were None', has died at the age of 85. German tabloid Bild reported that Sommer died in Los Angeles of heart failure.
Sommer emerged as a prominent screen presence in the 1960s and 1970s, becoming one of the handful of German performers to cross over into Hollywood and English-language cinema in the postwar era. Her linguistic skills, along with the bombshell image cultivated by the studios at the time, helped secure parts opposite leading international names including Peter Sellers, Dick Van Dyke and Paul Newman.
Career and crossover
Part of a broader movement of European actors who found success abroad following the rise of new wave and other postwar European cinema, Sommer worked across genres, from comedy to suspense. Her filmography included British comedy like 'Carry On Behind' as well as mainstream American and international productions, making her a familiar face to audiences on both sides of the Atlantic.
Sommer's death marks the passing of an actor whose career illustrated the mid-20th century trend of transnational stardom, when European performers increasingly moved into English-language film markets. Details beyond the account from Bild have not been reported publicly, and further confirmation from family or representatives was not immediately available.