Elke Sommer, 1940 – 2026

German-born blonde bombshell Elke Sommer, 85, died on Oct. 28 in Los Angeles. Sommer (she, Mai Britt, and Britt Ekland could have done the “Triplets” number from The Bandwagon) was discovered by Vittorio De Sica while vacationing in Italy, and from 1959 till her semi-retirement around 2000, she appeared in more than 100 films and TV shows. Sadly, few if any were much good: The Prize, A Shot in the Dark, The Money Trap, The Oscar (one of her worst), Boy Did I Get a Wrong Number!, The Venetian Affair, The Wicked Dreams of Paula Schultz, The Wrecking Crew, Zeppelin, Ten Little Indians (one of her better films), Carry On Behind, The Prisoner of Zenda; Sommer also appeared frequently  on TV. Though she still acted as recently as 2017, in later years she concentrated on painting (“I'd rather be known as a painter who acts than as an actress who paints”), and on theatrical work.  She was married to gossip columnist Joe Hyams and hotelier Wolf Walther. Sommer said that “I've had a wonderful career. I've made all kinds of films and played everything from a hooker to a nun. I know I've become quite a fine actress through my stage work and taking my job seriously—and just living longer.”