Elaine Stewart (born Elsy Henrietta Maria Steinberg; May 31, 1930 – June 27, 2011) was an American actress and model.

Life

Stewart was born in Montclair, New Jersey, the daughter of Maria Hedwig (Hänssler) and Ulrich E. Steinberg. Her father's family, which was largely Frisian, was from Aurich, Niedersachsen and her mother was from Göppingen, Baden-Württemberg. She was one of five children born to German immigrant parents. Her father was a police sergeant. She was a teenager when she signed a contract with the Conover modeling agency and changed her name. Soon after, the movie producer Hal Wallis offered her $200 a week to play a nurse in the Dean Martin-Jerry Lewis comedy ''Sailor Beware''. She beat out hundreds of young models in 1952 to earn a photo layout in ''See Magazine'', winning the title of “Miss See.” Stewart was a Democrat who was supportive of

Adlai Stevenson Adlai Stevenson may refer to: * Adlai Stevenson I (1835–1914), U.S. Vice President (1893–1897) and Congressman (1879–1881) * Adlai Stevenson II (1900–1965), Governor of Illinois (1949–1953), U.S. presidential candida ...

's campaign during the 1952 presidential election. Elaine Stewart by Eric Carpenter, c

In 1961, she married actor Bill Carter. They divorced in 1964, and she married television producer Merrill Heatter on December 31, 1964. They had a son, Stewart, and a daughter, Gabrielle.

Modeling

Stewart made her debut by winning Miss See in ''See Magazine'' in 1952, with measurements 34–25–36. She was in many magazines such as '' Playboy'' and ''

Photoplay ''Photoplay'' was one of the first American film (another name for ''photoplay'') fan magazines. It was founded in 1911 in Chicago, the same year that J. Stuart Blackton founded '' Motion Picture Story,'' a magazine also directed at fans. For mo ...

''.

Film

Stewart had a supporting role in '' The Bad and the Beautiful'' (1952), as Lila, a starlet who has a romantic fling with a producer played by

Kirk Douglas Kirk Douglas (born Issur Danielovitch; December 9, 1916 – February 5, 2020) was an American actor and filmmaker. After an impoverished childhood, he made his film debut in ''The Strange Love of Martha Ivers'' (1946) with Barbara Stanwyck. Do ...

. She was featured as Julie, the love interest of Sgt Ryan, played by Richard Widmark, in ''

Take the High Ground! ''Take the High Ground!'' is a 1953 American war film directed by Richard Brooks and starring Richard Widmark and Karl Malden as drill sergeants who must transform a batch of everyday civilians into soldiers during the Korean War. Plot In May 195 ...

'' (1953) and co-starred with

Mickey Rooney Mickey Rooney (born Joseph Yule Jr.; other pseudonym Mickey Maguire; September 23, 1920 – April 6, 2014) was an American actor. In a career spanning nine decades, he appeared in more than 300 films and was among the last surviving stars of the ...

in a 1953 comedy, ''

A Slight Case of Larceny ''A Slight Case of Larceny'' is a 1953 comedy film directed by Don Weis, written by Jerry Davis, and starring Mickey Rooney, Eddie Bracken, Elaine Stewart, Marilyn Erskine, Douglas Fowley and Robert Burton. It was released on June 5, 1953, by Met ...

''. She appeared in other films, such as '' Brigadoon'', '' Night Passage'', '' Code Two'', '' The Rise and Fall of Legs Diamond'', and '' The Adventures of Hajji Baba''. Stewart had a small but key role, as Anne Boleyn, in 1953's '' Young Bess''. She co-starred with Jeff Chandler in the film noir '' The Tattered Dress'' (1957), with Victor Mature in the western ''

Escort West ''Escort West'' is a 1959 American Western film directed by Francis D. Lyon, and starring Victor Mature, Faith Domergue, and Elaine Stewart. The movie is set after the U.S. Civil War, when a former Confederate officer, played by Victor Mature, a ...

'' (1958) and shared top billing with

John Derek John Derek (born Derek Delevan Harris; August 12, 1926 – May 22, 1998) was an American actor, director, screenwriter, producer and photographer.High Hell ''High Hell'' is a 1958 American film set in the Canadian Rockies. It was a British B-movie intended for North American audiences, with exteriors filmed in the Swiss Jungfrau and interiors on a British sound stage. Plot Craig Rhodes and Frank D ...

'', before turning to television.

Television

Stewart guest-starred in TV series such as '' Bat Masterson'' and '' Burke's Law'', both starring Gene Barry. In her last acting appearance on TV, she played Irene Grey in the '' Perry Mason'' episode "The Case of the Capering Camera" in 1964. Stewart was a co-hostess on two 1970s game shows, '' Gambit'' with Wink Martindale and the nighttime edition of '' High Rollers'' with

Alex Trebek George Alexander Trebek (; July 22, 1940 – November 8, 2020) was a Canadian-American game show host and television personality. He is best known for hosting the syndicated general knowledge quiz game show ''Jeopardy!'' for 37 season ...

, both produced by her husband, Merrill Heatter.

Death

On June 27, 2011, Stewart died at her home in Beverly Hills, California, at the age of 81. She was survived by her husband and two children. Upon her death, she was promptly cremated.

Filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Stewart, Elaine 1930 births 2011 deaths 20th-century American actresses Actresses from New Jersey Female models from New Jersey American film actresses American television actresses American television personalities American women television personalities Actors from Montclair, New Jersey American people of German descent Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer contract players New Jersey Democrats California Democrats 21st-century American women