Elke Sommer: key obituary facts
Is Elke Sommer dead? Yes. Elke Sommer died on October 28, 2026, at age 85.
Cause of death: Elke Sommer's cause of death has not been publicly confirmed.
What was Elke Sommer known for?
She was a German actress (born 1940).
More about Elke Sommer
Born: 5 November 1940.
Place of birth: Berlin.
Place of death: Bel Air.
Gender: female.
Occupation: actor, singer, model, painter.
Nationality: Germany.
Awards: Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year – Actress, Bavarian Order of Merit.
Spouse: Joe Hyams.
Career began: 1959.
Career ended: 2026.
Occupations: Actress, singer.
Years active: 1959–2026.
Elke Sommer, a German actress whose screen career included comedies, mysteries and international productions, died October 28, 2026, aged 85.
Born Elke Schletz in Berlin on November 5, 1940, she began her career in 1959 and worked as an actress, singer, model and painter. Her film credits included The Prize, the Pink Panther sequel A Shot in the Dark (1964), and the Bob Hope comedy Boy, Did I Get a Wrong Number!
(1966). She also appeared in Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None (1974) and the British comedy Carry On Behind (1975), among numerous films made during the 1960s and 1970s. Sommer was German-born and later described as an American actress. Her honors included the Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year – Actress and the Bavarian Order of Merit. In 1964, she married Hollywood columnist Joe Hyams in Las Vegas. Hyams filed for divorce in 1981, saying in the filing that their years together had been the best of his life and that Sommer needed independence to be happy. Her professional career continued through 2026.