Departures of note

Elke Sommer was a German actress who became an international star in the 1960s, winning a Golden Globe as Most Promising Newcomer in 1964. Born in Berlin in November 1940, she was discovered after winning the Miss Viareggio beauty contest in 1958 and was spotted by director Vittorio De Sica, leading to roles in Italian and German films. Her Hollywood breakthrough came with The Prize, starring Paul Newman, and she is best remembered as maid Maria Gambrelli in A Shot in the Dark, the second Pink Panther film, opposite Peter Sellers as Inspector Clouseau. She also appeared in The Oscar and The Wrecking Crew with Dean Martin. Her career spanned some 58 years, with her final credited role in 2017. She died of heart failure at her Bel Air home in Los Angeles in October 2026, a week before her 86th birthday.