Inger Stevens (born Ingrid Stensland; October 18, 1934 – April 30, 1970) was a Swedish-American film, stage and Golden Globe-winning television actress.

Early life

Inger Stevens was born in Stockholm, Sweden, the eldest child of Per Gustaf and Lisbet Stensland. When she was six years old, her mother abandoned the family, taking her youngest son Peter with her. Soon after, Stevens' father moved to the United States, leaving Stevens and her brother Ola in the custody of the family maid and then later with an aunt in Lidingö, near Stockholm. In 1944, Stevens and her brother moved to the United States and lived with their father and his new wife in New York City where he was completing his PhD in Education at

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

. At age 13, Stevens moved with her family to

Manhattan, Kansas Manhattan is a city and county seat of Riley County, Kansas, United States, although the city extends into Pottawatomie County. It is located in northeastern Kansas at the junction of the Kansas River and Big Blue River. As of the 2020 c ...

, where her father taught at Kansas State University. Stevens attended Manhattan High School. At 15, Stevens fled to Kansas City, where she worked in burlesque shows. At 18, she returned to New York City, where she worked as a

chorus girl A chorus line is a large group of dancers who together perform synchronized routines, usually in musical theatre. Sometimes, singing is also performed. Chorus line dancers in Broadway musicals and revues have been referred to by slang terms su ...

and in the Garment District while taking classes at the Actors Studio.

Career

Stevens appeared on television series, in commercials and in plays until she received her big break in the film '' Man on Fire'', starring Bing Crosby. Roles in major films followed, including a starring role opposite

Harry Belafonte Harry Belafonte (born Harold George Bellanfanti Jr.; March 1, 1927) is an American singer, activist, and actor. As arguably the most successful Jamaican-American pop star, he popularized the Trinbagonian Caribbean musical style with an interna ...

in 1959's '' The World, the Flesh and the Devil'', but she achieved her greatest success in the television series '' The Farmer's Daughter'' (1963–1966) with

William Windom William Windom (May 10, 1827January 29, 1891) was an American politician from Minnesota. He served as U.S. Representative from 1859 to 1869, and as U.S. Senator from 1870 to January 1871, from March 1871 to March 1881, and from November 1881 ...

. Previously, Stevens had appeared in episodes of '' Bonanza'', '' Route 66'', ''

The Alfred Hitchcock Hour ''Alfred Hitchcock Presents'' is an American television anthology series created, hosted and produced by Alfred Hitchcock, aired on CBS and NBC between 1955 and 1965. It features dramas, thrillers and mysteries. Between 1962 and 1965 it was re ...

'', '' The Eleventh Hour'', ''

Sam Benedict ''Sam Benedict'' is an American legal drama that aired on NBC from September 1962 to March 1963. The series was created and executive produced by E. Jack Neuman. The character Sam Benedict is based on real-life lawyer Jake Ehrlich, who served as t ...

'', ''

The Aquanauts ''The Aquanauts'' (later known as ''Malibu Run'') is an American adventure/drama series that aired on CBS in the 1960–1961 season. The series stars Keith Larsen, Jeremy Slate and Ron Ely, who later replaced Larsen on midseason. Synopsis The h ...

'' and ''

The Twilight Zone ''The Twilight Zone'' is an American media franchise based on the anthology television series created by Rod Serling. The episodes are in various genres, including fantasy, science fiction, absurdism, dystopian fiction, suspense, horror, sup ...

''. Following the cancellation of ''The Farmer's Daughter'' in 1966, Stevens appeared in several films: ''

A Guide for the Married Man ''A Guide for the Married Man'' is a 1967 American bedroom-farce comedy film starring Walter Matthau, Robert Morse, and Inger Stevens. It was directed by Gene Kelly. It features many cameos, including Lucille Ball, Jack Benny, Terry-Thomas ...

'' (1967), ''

Hang 'Em High ''Hang 'Em High'' is a 1968 American DeLuxe Color revisionist Western film directed by Ted Post and written by Leonard Freeman and Mel Goldberg. It stars Clint Eastwood as Jed Cooper, an innocent man who survives a lynching; Inger Stevens ...

'', '' 5 Card Stud'' and ''

Madigan ''Madigan'' is a 1968 American neo-noir crime drama thriller film directed by Don Siegel (as Donald Siegel) and starring Richard Widmark, Henry Fonda and Inger Stevens The screenplay—originally titled ''Friday, Saturday, Sunday''—wa ...

''. At the time of her death, Stevens was attempting to revive her television career with the detective drama series '' The Most Deadly Game''.

Personal life

Stevens's first husband was her agent Anthony Soglio, to whom she was married from 1955 to 1957. In January 1966, she was appointed to the advisory board of the

UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute The Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior is a research institute of the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA). It includes a number of centers, including the "Center for Neurobehavioral Genetics", which uses DNA sequencing, g ...

by California governor Edmund G. "Pat" Brown. She also was named chairman of the California Council for Retarded Children. Her aunt was Karin Stensland Junker, author of ''The Child in the Glass Ball''. After Stevens's death, Ike Jones, the first black person to graduate from UCLA's School of Theater, Film and Television, revealed that he had secretly married Stevens in 1961 in Mexico. Some doubted Jones's claim because of the lack of a marriage license, the maintenance of separate homes and the filing of tax documents as single people. However, when Stevens's estate was being settled, her brother Carl O. Stensland confirmed in court that Stevens had hidden her marriage to Jones "out of fear for her career." Los Angeles Superior Court Commissioner A. Edward Nichols ruled in Jones's favor and named him administrator of her estate. A photo exists of the two attending a banquet together in 1968.

Death

On the morning of April 30, 1970, Stevens's roommate and companion Lola McNally found Stevens on the kitchen floor of their Hollywood Hills home. According to McNally, Stevens opened her eyes, lifted her head and tried to speak but was unable to utter any sound. McNally told police that she had spoken to Stevens the previous night and had seen no signs of trouble. 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 fresh blood oozing from a cut that appeared to have been a few hours old. Los Angeles County coroner Dr.

Thomas Noguchi is the former Chief Medical Examiner-Coroner for the County of Los Angeles. Popularly known as the "coroner to the stars", Noguchi determined the cause of death in many high-profile cases in Hollywood during the 1960s and 1970s. He performed a ...

attributed Stevens's death to "acute barbiturate poisoning" and the death was eventually ruled a suicide.

Filmography

Film

*'' Man on Fire'' (1957) — Nina Wylie *'' Cry Terror!'' (1958) — Mrs. Joan Molner *'' The Buccaneer'' (1958) — Annette Claiborne *'' The World, the Flesh and the Devil'' (1959) — Sarah Crandall *''

The New Interns ''The New Interns'' is a 1964 American drama film directed by John Rich, and the sequel to the 1962 film '' The Interns'', itself based on the novel of the same name by Richard Frede. It stars Michael Callan and Dean Jones. For his performance, ...

'' (1964) — Nancy Terman *''

The Borgia Stick ''The Borgia Stick'' is a 1967 American made-for-television crime drama film starring Don Murray and Inger Stevens. It featured Fritz Weaver, Barry Nelson, Barnard Hughes, Conrad Bain, and Sorrell Booke in supporting roles, and was directed by ...

'' (1967, TV) — Eve Harrison *''

'' (1967) — Ruth Manning *'' A Time for Killing'' (1967) — Emily Biddle *''

Firecreek ''Firecreek'' is a 1968 American Western film directed by Vincent McEveety and starring James Stewart and Henry Fonda in his second role as an antagonist that year alongside Sergio Leone's '' Once Upon a Time in the West''. The film is similar ...

'' (1968) — Evelyn Pittman *''

'' (1968) — Julia Madigan *'' 5 Card Stud'' (1968) — Lily Langford *''

'' (1968) — Rachel Warren *''

House of Cards A house of cards (also known as a card tower or card castle) is a structure created by stacking playing cards on top of each other, often in the shape of a pyramid. "House of cards" is also an expression that dates back to 1645 meaning a structu ...

'' (1968) — Anne de Villemont *'' A Dream of Kings'' (1969) — Anna

Television

Rod Serling Inger Stevens Serling model airplane collection 1960

*'' Kraft Television Theatre'' (1 episode, 1954) *''

Robert Montgomery Presents ''Robert Montgomery Presents'' is an American dramatic television series which was produced by NBC from January 30, 1950, until June 24, 1957. The live show had several sponsors during its eight-year run, and the title was altered to feature the ...

'' (1 episode, 1955) *'' Studio One'' (3 episodes, 1954–1955) — Lucy Henderson / Mary / Sue Ellen *''Crunch and Des'' (1 episode, 1956) — The Actress *''

Matinee Theatre ''Matinee Theater'' is an American anthology series that aired on NBC during the Golden Age of Television, from October 31, 1955, to June 27, 1958. Its name is often seen as ''Matinee Theatre''. The series, which ran daily from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. E ...

'' (1 episode, 1956) *''Crusader'' as Alicia in "The Girl Across the Hall" (CBS, 1956) — Alicia *''

Conflict Conflict may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Conflict'' (1921 film), an American silent film directed by Stuart Paton * ''Conflict'' (1936 film), an American boxing film starring John Wayne * ''Conflict'' (1937 film) ...

'' (1 episode, 1956) — Lady Arabella *''The

Joseph Cotten Joseph Cheshire Cotten Jr. (May 15, 1905 – February 6, 1994) was an American film, stage, radio and television actor. Cotten achieved prominence on Broadway, starring in the original stage productions of '' The Philadelphia Story'' and '' Sab ...

Show'', or ''On Trial'' (1 episode, "Law Is for the Lovers", 1956) — Ruth *'' The Millionaire'' (1 episode, 1956) — Betty Perkins *'' Alfred Hitchcock Presents'' (1 episode, 1957) — Laura Ross *''

Climax! ''Climax!'' (later known as ''Climax Mystery Theater'') is an American television anthology series that aired on CBS from 1954 to 1958. The series was hosted by William Lundigan and later co-hosted by Mary Costa. It was one of the few CBS progra ...

'' (1 episode, 1957) — Marge *'' Playhouse 90'' (2 episodes, 1956–1959) — Gail Lucas / Johanna — Chambermaid *'' Bonanza'' (1 episode, 1959) — Emily Pennington *''Sunday Showcase'' (1 episode, 1959) — Nina Kay *''

Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre ''Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre'' is an American Western anthology television series that was broadcast on CBS from October 5, 1956, until September 20, 1962. Format Many episodes were based on novels by Zane Grey, to all of which Four Star ...

'' (1 episode, 1960) — Beth Watkins *''Moment of Fear'' (1 episode, 1960) *'' Checkmate'' (1 episode, 1960) — Betty Lyons *''

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...

'' (1 episode, 1960) — Joan Blakely *''

'' **In " The Hitch-Hiker" Season 1 Episode 16 (CBS, 1960) — Nan Adams **In " The Lateness of the Hour", Season 2 Episode 8 (CBS, 1960) — Jana *'' Route 66'' (2 episodes, 1960–1961) — Julie Brack / Wendy Durant *''The DuPont Show of the Month'' (1 episode, 1961) — Princess Flavia *'' Adventures in Paradise'' (1 episode, 1961) — Dr. Britta Sjostrom *''

'' (1 episode, 1961) — Margot Allison *'' The Detectives'' (1 episode, 1961) — Thea Templeton *'' Follow the Sun'' (2 episodes, 1961) — Lisa Mannheim / Abby Ellis *'' The Eleventh Hour'' (1 episode, 1962) — Christine Warren *''

'' (1 episode, 1962) — Theresa Stone *''

The Dick Powell Show ''The Dick Powell Show'' is an American television anthology series that ran on NBC from September 26, 1961, until September 17, 1963, primarily sponsored by the Reynolds Metals Company. Overview The series was an anthology of various dramas ...

'' (2 episodes, 1962–1963) — Adele Hughes / Anna Beza *''

Your First Impression ''Your First Impression'' is an NBC daytime game show which aired from January 2, 1962, to June 26, 1964. A panel of three celebrities tried to guess the identity of mystery guests from clues supplied by the host. Bill Leyden was the MC of the pr ...

'' (1963) — Herself *''

'' (1 episode, 1963) — Karen Wilson *'' The Nurses'' (1 episode, 1963) — Clarissa Robin *''

Empire An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...

'' (1 episode, 1963) — Ellen Thompson *'' The Farmer's Daughter'' (102 episodes, 1963–1966) — Katy Holstrum / Katy Morley / Ann Carpenter *''

The Danny Kaye Show ''The Danny Kaye Show'' was an American variety show, hosted by the stage and screen star Danny Kaye, which aired on Wednesday nights from September 25, 1963, to June 7, 1967, on the CBS television network. Directed by Robert Scheerer, it premi ...

'' (1 episode, 1966) — Herself *''

The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour ''The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour'' was an American comedy and variety show television series hosted by the Smothers Brothers and initially airing on CBS from 1967 to 1969. The series was a major success, especially considering it was sc ...

'' (1 episode, 1967) — Eve Harrison *''

The Mask of Sheba ''The Mask of Sheba'' is a 1970 American made-for-television adventure film starring Walter Pidgeon, Inger Stevens, Eric Braeden, William Marshall and Stephen Young. It is directed by David Lowell Rich and was first broadcast on NBC on March 9, ...

'' (1970) — Sarah Kramer *'' Run, Simon, Run'' (1970) — Carroll Rennard *'' The Most Deadly Game'' (1 episode, 1970) — Vanessa Smith

Broadway credits

*''Debut'' (1956) *''Roman Candle'' (1960) *''Mary, Mary'' (1962)

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Stevens, Inger 1934 births 1970 deaths 1970 suicides Actresses from Kansas Actresses from Stockholm American film actresses American stage actresses American television actresses Best Musical or Comedy Actress Golden Globe (television) winners Drug-related suicides in California Barbiturates-related deaths People from Manhattan, Kansas Swedish emigrants to the United States 20th-century American actresses Female suicides 20th-century Swedish women