Inger Stevens
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| Inger Stevens | |
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| Born | Inger Stensland October 18, 1934 Stockholm, Sweden |
| Died | April 30, 1970 (aged 35) Hollywood, California USA |
| Cause of death | Drug-related suicide |
| Resting place | Cremated; ashes scattered into the Pacific Ocean |
| Years active | 1954–1970 |
| Spouse(s) | Anthony Soglio (1955–1958; divorced) Ike Jones (November 18, 1961 – April 30, 1970; her death) |
Inger Stevens (October 18, 1934 – April 30, 1970[1]) was a Swedish-American movie and TV actress.
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Early life[edit]
Inger Stevens was born Ingrid Stensland in Stockholm, Sweden. As a child she was often ill. When she was nine, her parents divorced and she moved with her father to New York City.[citation needed] At age 13 she and her father moved to Manhattan, Kansas, where she attended Manhattan High School. At 16 she worked in burlesque shows in Kansas City, Missouri. At eighteen, she left Kansas to return to New York City, where she worked as a chorus girl and in the Garment District while taking classes at the Actors Studio.
Career[edit]
Stevens appeared on television series, commercials and in plays until she got her big break in the movie Man on Fire starring Bing Crosby.
Roles in major films followed, but she achieved her greatest success in the ABC television series The Farmer's Daughter with William Windom. Previously, Stevens appeared in episodes of Bonanza, Route 66, The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, The Eleventh Hour, Sam Benedict and The Twilight Zone.
Following the cancellation of The Farmer's Daughter in 1966, Stevens appeared in several movies: A Guide for the Married Man (1967) with Walter Matthau, Hang 'Em High with Clint Eastwood, 5 Card Stud with Dean Martin and Robert Mitchum, and Madigan with Henry Fonda and Richard Widmark, all in 1968. Stevens was attempting to revive her television career with the detective drama series The Most Deadly Game when she died.
Personal life[edit]
Her first husband was her agent, Anthony Soglio, to whom she was married from 1955 to 1957. From 1961 until her death she was secretly married to Ike Jones, an African American actor. In addition to these marriages she had been romantically linked to Bing Crosby, Anthony Quinn, Dean Martin, Clint Eastwood, Harry Belafonte, Mario Lanza, and Burt Reynolds[citation needed].
Death[edit]
On the morning of April 30, 1970, Stevens' sometime roommate and companion, Lola McNally, found Stevens on the kitchen floor of her Hollywood Hills home. According to McNally when she called Stevens' name, Stevens opened her eyes, lifted her head and tried to speak, but was unable to make any sound. McNally told police that she had spoken to Stevens the previous night without any sign that anything was wrong. Stevens died in the ambulance on the way to the hospital. On arrival, medics removed a small bandage from her chin that revealed a small amount of what appeared to be fresh blood oozing from a cut which appeared to have been a few hours old. Los Angeles County Coroner Dr. Thomas Noguchi attributed Stevens' death to "acute barbiturate poisoning".[2]
Filmography[edit]
- Man on Fire (1957)
- Cry Terror! (1958)
- The Buccaneer (1958)
- The World, the Flesh and the Devil (1959)
- The New Interns (1964)
- The Borgia Stick (1967, TV)
- A Guide for the Married Man (1967)
- A Time for Killing (1967)
- Firecreek (1968)
- Madigan (1968)
- 5 Card Stud (1968)
- Hang 'Em High (1968)
- House of Cards (1968)
- A Dream of Kings (1969)
Television[edit]
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Theatre[edit]
- Debut (1956)
- Roman Candle (1960)
- Mary, Mary (1962)
Awards and nominations[edit]
| Year | Result | Award | Category | Series |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1958 | Nominated | Laurel Awards | Top New Female Personality | — |
| 1968 | Nominated | Best Family Comedy Series | A Guide for the Married Man | |
| 1964 | Won | Golden Globes | Best TV Star – Female | The Farmer's Daughter |
| 1962 | Nominated | Emmy Award | Outstanding Single Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role | The Dick Powell Show |
| 1964 | Nominated | Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actress in a Series (Lead) | The Farmer's Daughter |
References[edit]
- ^ "Inger S Stevens". California Death Index, 1940–1997. Ancestry.com. Retrieved July 1, 2011. "Name: Inger S Stevens; Social Security #: 511200818; Sex: Female; Birth Date: 18 Oct 1934; Birthplace: Sweden; Death Date: 30 Apr 1970; Death Place: Los Angeles"(subscription required)
- ^ Austin, John. Hollywood's Babylon Women, S.P.I. Books, 1994, accessed at Google Books, July 1, 2011.
External links[edit]
- Inger Stevens at the Internet Movie Database
- Inger Stevens at Find a Grave
- The Inger Stevens Memorial Site.
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- 1934 births
- 1970 deaths
- American film actors
- American television actors
- Drug-related suicides in California
- Alcohol-related deaths in California
- People from Stockholm
- People from Manhattan, Kansas
- People from New York City
- People from Los Angeles, California
- Swedish emigrants to the United States
- American people of Swedish descent
- 20th-century American actors
- Analysands of Ralph Greenson
