‘Pink Panther’ Actress Elke Sommer Dies at 85
Sandra Rhodes · Oct 29, 2026 · 1 min read
German actress Elke Sommer, who starred opposite Peter Sellers in "A Shot in the Dark" from the Pink Panther series, has died.
She was 85.
Sommer died Oct. 28 at her home in the Bel Air section of Los Angeles, her stepson Sebastian Walther told the German news outlet Bild.
"Elke passed away peacefully around 10 p.m. Now she can finally be with her beloved husband again," Walther said.
The '60s actress died of heart failure after an extended period of illness. She would have turned 86 on Nov. 5.
Sommer was a Golden Globe winner and international sex symbol. She became one of Germany's best-known Hollywood stars in the '60s, in a career that included film, television and theater.
She was born Elke Schletz in Berlin in 1940 and initially hoped to become an interpreter.
However, a beauty contest during a vacation in Italy changed her trajectory and helped open the door to acting.
Her performance in the 1963 film "The Prize" opposite Paul Newman earned her a Golden Globe in 1964. She won in the new star of the year, actress category.