Elke Sommer
Acting • Born 1940-11-05
Biography
Elke Sommer, born Elke von Schletz, is a German actress, entertainer and artist, who has starred in many Hollywood films. She was spotted by film director Vittorio De Sica while on holiday in Italy, and began appearing in films there in 1958. Also that year, she changed her surname from Schletz to Sommer, which was easier to pronounce for a non-German audience. She quickly became a noted sex symbol and moved to Hollywood in the early 1960s. She also became one of the most popular pin-up girls of the time, and posed for several pictorials in Playboy magazine, including the September 1964 and December 1967 issues. Sommer became one of the top film actresses of the 1960s. She made just shy of 100 film and television appearances between 1959 and 2005, including A Shot in the Dark with Peter Sellers, The Art of Love with James Garner and Dick Van Dyke, The Oscar with Stephen Boyd, Boy Did I Get a Wrong Number! with Bob Hope, the Bulldog Drummond extravaganza Deadlier Than the Male, The Wrecking Crew with Dean Martin, and The Wicked Dreams of Paula Schultz. In 1964, she won a Golden Globe award as Most Promising Newcomer Actress for The Prize, a film in which she co-starred with Paul Newman and Edward G. Robinson. A frequent guest on television, Sommer sang and participated in comedy sketches on episodes of The Dean Martin Show and on Bob Hope specials, made 10 appearances on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, and was a panelist on the Hollywood Squares game show many times between 1973 and 1980, when Peter Marshall was its "Square-Master", or host. Sommer's films during the 1970s included the thriller Zeppelin, in which she co-starred with Michael York, and a remake of Agatha Christie's frequently filmed murder mystery Ten Little Indians. In 1972, she starred in two Italian horror films directed by Mario Bava: Baron Blood and Lisa and the Devil. The latter was subsequently re-edited (with 1975 footage inserted) to make a different film called House of Exorcism. Sommer went back to Italy to act in additional scenes for Lisa and the Devil, which its producer inserted into the film to convert it to House of Exorcism, against the wishes of the director. In 1975, Peter Rogers cast her in the British comedy Carry On Behind as the Russian Professor Vrooshka.[2] She became the Carry On films' joint highest-paid performer, at £30,000; this was an honor that she shared with Phil Silvers (who starred in Follow That Camel). Most of her movie work during the decade came in European films. After the 1979 comedy The Prisoner of Zenda, which reunited her with Sellers, the actress did virtually no more acting in Hollywood films, concentrating more on her artwork. She provided the voice for Yzma in the German release of The Emperor's New Groove. Sommer also performed as a singer, recording and releasing several albums. Description above from the Wikipedia article Elke Sommer, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Filmography
156 credits
A Shot in the Dark
Movie • 1964
Maria Gambrelli
Alles nur Tarnung
Movie • 1996
Jutta
The Victors
Movie • 1963
Helga
The Wrecking Crew
Movie • 1968
Linka Karensky
The Prisoner of Zenda
Movie • 1979
Countess Montparnasse
The Prize
Movie • 1963
Inger Lisa Andersson
And Then There Were None
Movie • 1974
Vera Clyde
Baron Blood
Movie • 1972
Eva Arnold
Lisa and the Devil
Movie • 1973
Lisa Reiner
Deadlier Than the Male
Movie • 1967
Irma Eckman
Niemand weint für immer
Movie • 1984
Lou Parker
Frontier Hellcat
Movie • 1964
Annie Dillman
Elke Sommer erzählt...
Movie • 2010
Self
The Swiss Conspiracy
Movie • 1976
Rita Jensen
The Money Trap
Movie • 1965
Lisa Baron
Boy, Did I Get a Wrong Number!
Movie • 1966
Didi
That's Carry On!
Movie • 1977
Professor Anna Vooshka (archive footage)
Zeppelin
Movie • 1971
Erika Altschul
The Dolls
Movie • 1965
Ulla (segment "Il Trattato di Eugenetica")
Carry On Behind
Movie • 1975
Professor Anna Vooshka
The Fantastic Seven
Movie • 1979
Rebecca Wayne
The Oscar
Movie • 1966
Kay Bergdahl
Percy
Movie • 1971
Helga
Percy's Progress
Movie • 1974
Clarissa
The Double McGuffin
Movie • 1979
Prime Minister Kura
Howlers of the Dock
Movie • 1960
Giulia Giommarelli
Bahía de Palma
Movie • 1962
Olga
US Against the World
Movie • 1977
Self
A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square
Movie • 1980
Miss Pelham
Training Your Best Friend
Movie • 1989
Self
The Art of Love
Movie • 1965
Nikki Dunnay
Lily in Love
Movie • 1984
Alicia Braun
They Came to Rob Las Vegas
Movie • 1968
Ann Bennett
The Astral Factor
Movie • 1978
Chris Hartman
Hotel der toten Gäste
Movie • 1965
Herself
Meet Him and Die
Movie • 1976
Perrone's Secretary
Who Stole the Body?
Movie • 1963
Brigitte
Ewig rauschen die Gelder
Movie • 2005
Mrs. von Korff
Death Stone
Movie • 1987
Kris Patterson
The Net
Movie • 1975
Christa Sonntag
Probe
Movie • 1972
Heideline 'Uli' Ullman
Sweet Ecstasy
Movie • 1962
Elke
Twisted Sex Vol. 5
Movie • 1993
(archive)
One or the Other of Us
Movie • 1974
Miezi
The Curious Case of Inspector Clouseau
Movie • 2002
self
Daniella by Night
Movie • 1961
Daniella
The Last Days of Sharon Tate
Movie • 1999
Don't Bother to Knock
Movie • 1961
Ingrid
Jenny's War
Movie • 1985
Eva Gruenberg
… denn die Musik und die Liebe in Tirol
Movie • 1963
Singer
Geliebte Hochstaplerin
Movie • 1961
Barbara Shadwell
The Day the Rains Came
Movie • 1959
Ellen
The Venetian Affair
Movie • 1967
Sandra Fane
Flashback
Movie • 2000
Frau Lust
The House of Exorcism
Movie • 1975
Lisa Reiner
The Journey to Vienna
Movie • 1973
Toni Simon
Ship of the Dead
Movie • 1959
Mylène Loureau
I Miss You, Hugs and Kisses
Movie • 1978
Magdalene Kruschen
Himmelsheim
Movie • 1989
Helga Münzel
Der Mann im Pyjama
Movie • 1981
Frau Lachmann
Himmel, Amor und Zwirn
Movie • 1960
Eva
Lampenfieber
Movie • 1960
Evelyne
Und sowas nennt sich Leben
Movie • 1961
Britta
Das Mädchen und der Staatsanwalt
Movie • 1962
Renate Hecker
Café Oriental
Movie • 1962
Sylvia
Tausend Takte Übermut
Movie • 1965
Herself
Auf Wiedersehen
Movie • 1961
Suzy Dalton
Seduction by the Sea
Movie • 1963
Eva
The Wicked Dreams of Paula Schultz
Movie • 1968
Paula Schultz
The Corrupt Ones
Movie • 1967
Lilly Mancini
The Warrior Empress
Movie • 1960
Nicht mit uns
Movie • 2000
Andrea Paretti
La Pica sul Pacifico
Movie • 1959
Rossana
Love, the Italian Way
Movie • 1960
Greta
The Jack Benny Hour
Movie • 1965
Elke Sommer / Maria Poppenini
Un chien dans un jeu de quilles
Movie • 1962
Ariane
Reblaus
Movie • 2005
Maria Rüppel
Severed Ties
Movie • 1992
Helena Harrison
Life Is Too Long
Movie • 2010
Alfis Mutter
Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous: The World's Most Exotic Vacation Resorts
Movie • 1988
Self
Nachts ging das Telefon
Movie • 1962
Mabel Meyer
Hollywood Ghost Stories
Movie • 1986
Herself
Doppeltes Spiel mit Anne
Movie • 1999
Frau Lorenz
One Away
Movie • 1976
Elsa
The Invincible Six
Movie • 1970
Zari
Perlico - Perlaco
Movie • 1971
Nicht von gestern
Movie • 1977
Billie Dawn
L'amico del giaguaro
Movie • 1959
Greta
Jamaican Gold
Movie • 1979
Ursula
Le Chien
Movie • 1962
Elle
The Jukebox Kids
Movie • 1959
Giulia Cesari
Men and Noblemen
Movie • 1959
Caterina
Albert Speer und der Traum von Hollywood
Movie • 2021
Self (archive footage)
Sunset Boulevard - 27 Meilen Amerika
Movie • 1997
Self - Actress
Mario Bava: Operazione paura
Movie • 2004
Self
What's a Carry On?
Movie • 1998
Professor Anna Vooshka (archive footage) (uncredited)
Mondo Hollywood
Movie • 1967
St. Elsewhere
TV • 1982
Natasha
Heut' abend
TV • 1980
Self
Münchner Bilderbogen
TV • 1970
Self
Schnick-Schnack
TV • 1975
Self
Zwischenstation
TV • 1964
Self
Showgeschichten
TV • 1986
Self
The Muppet Show
TV • 1976
Self - Special Guest Star
Hallmark Hall of Fame
TV • 1951
The Princess
The Oscars
TV • 1953
Self
The Winds of War
TV • 1983
Happy Holiday
TV • 1993
Isabella Scattini
Florian III
TV • 1994
Sonja Carpenter
Stars in the Ring
TV • 1959
Self
Die Harald Schmidt Show
TV • 1995
Self
Dalli Dalli
TV • 1971
Self
Lafer! Lichter! Lecker!
TV • 2006
Self
Wetten, dass..?
TV • 1981
Self
Gisbert
TV • 1999
Peter the Great
TV • 1986
Charlotte
The Bob Hope Show
TV • 1950
Self
Krimistunde
TV • 1982
The Six Million Dollar Man
TV • 1974
Dr. Ilse Martin
Miss Universe
TV • 1955
Host
Bio’s Bahnhof
TV • 1978
Self
Dalli Dalli
TV • 1971
Self - Candidate
Na siehste!
TV • 1987
Self
Verstehen Sie Spaß?
TV • 1980
Self
Schmidteinander
TV • 1990
Destiny Ridge
TV • 1993
Anna Hansen
Musik aus Studio B
TV • 1961
Self
Die Pyramide
TV • 1979
Self - Musician
Bambi
TV • 1948
Self
Wer weiß denn sowas?
TV • 2015
Self
Der goldene Schuß
TV • 1964
Self
ZDF-Fernsehgarten
TV • 1986
Self
Filmlegenden. Deutsch
TV • 2006
Self
alfredissimo! Kochen mit Bio
TV • 1994
Self
Menschen der Woche
TV • 2000
Self
The Love Boat
TV • 1977
Benita James
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
TV • 1962
Self
Cinépanorama
TV • 1956
Self
The Dick Cavett Show
TV • 1968
Self - Guest
NDR Talk Show
TV • 1979
Self
Je später der Abend
TV • 1973
Self
Jenny's War
TV • 1985
Eva Gruenberg
Wünsch dir was
TV • 1969
Self
Der große Preis
TV • 1974
Self
Nachtcafé
TV • 1987
Self
Die WIB-Schaukel
TV • 2001
self
The Danny Kaye Show
TV • 1963
Self
Anastasia - The Mystery of Anna
TV • 1986
Isabel Von Hohenstauffen
Reflets de Cannes
TV • 1954
Self
Tietjen und Bommes
TV • 1997
Self
Dinah!
TV • 1974
Self
The Bobby Darin Show
TV • 1973
Wir in Bayern
TV • 2003
Self
Inside the Third Reich
TV • 1982
Magda Goebbels
Unsere kleine Show - Musik zur blauen Stunde
TV • 1969
Self
Top of the Hill
TV • 1980
Eva Heggener