German‑born actress Elke Sommer dies at 85 in Los Angeles

The German‑born star of 1960s Hollywood comedies died at her Bel Air home, with family and police confirming the death.

By Felo News Desk · Published Thu, 29 Oct 2026 20:58:25 GMT

German‑born actress Elke Sommer died at age 85 on Wednesday at her home in Bel Air, Los Angeles, according to her stepson and police reports.

What happened

Sommer was found dead on her Bel Air block on Wednesday night. The Los Angeles Police Department said it responded to a call about an 85‑year‑old woman’s death at the address. Her stepson, Sebastian Walther, told the German newspaper Bild that she had died at home.

What the reports add

The Los Angeles Police Department’s response was confirmed by the Associated Press, as reported by independent.co.uk.
The Guardian noted that Bild said Sommer died of heart failure.
Independent.co.uk added that Sommer’s second husband, German hotelier Wolf Walther, had died in July at age 77.
Both outlets highlighted her collaborations with Paul Newman, Peter Sellers, Dean Martin and other Hollywood stars.

What was said

"She was 85," Sebastian Walther told Bild, as cited by independent.co.uk.

Bild reported that Sommer died of heart failure, according to the Guardian.

"My whole life, I have been directed, I have been produced, I spoke the lines written for the character," Sommer said in a 2014 Film Talk interview, quoted by independent.co.uk.

How it came about

Sommer, born Elke Schletz in Berlin on 5 November 1940, fled with her family to Bavaria in 1942. After winning a beauty‑contest in Italy in 1958, she was spotted by Vittorio de Sica and began a European film career before breaking into Hollywood with the 1962 film The Prize. Her later work included the Pink Panther sequel A Shot in the Dark, the Agatha Christie adaptation And Then There Were None, and a Playboy Magazine photo shoot during the 1960s. She married writer Joe Hyams in November 1964; they divorced in 1981. In 1993 she married hotelier Wolf Walther, who died in July 2026. Sommer was a joint winner of the Golden Globe for most promising newcomer for her role in The Prize. She also appeared in films such as The Art of Love, Boy, Did I Get a Wrong Number!, and the cult horror titles Baron Blood and Lisa and the Devil.

Key facts

Elke Sommer died at age 85 in her Bel Air home on Wednesday. (independent.co.uk)
Her stepson Sebastian Walther told Bild about her death. (independent.co.uk)
The Los Angeles Police Department responded to the death call, confirming the incident. (independent.co.uk)
Bild reported the cause of death as heart failure. (theguardian.com)