This is the scene I’d show anyone who asks why Elke Sommer was the sex symbol of 1968. As Paula Schultz in The Wicked Dreams of Paula Schultz, she makes her escape at the Berlin Wall under the eyes of the border guards, runs through tall reeds in a tiny bikini and dives into a pond. Bikini only, no nudity.
Elke Sommer in her most famous bikini scene, The Wicked Dreams of Paula Schultz (1968).
Elke Sommer, the German-born actress who played Peter Sellers’ leading lady in the Pink Panther film A Shot in the Dark and became one of the great screen sex symbols of the 1960s, has died at 85. German newspaper Bild reported on October 29, 2026 that she died around 10 p.m. on Wednesday, October 28, at her home in Bel Air, Los Angeles. She would have turned 86 on November 5.
Her career in clips: all 17 of her sexiest film scenes, from Sweet Violence (1962) to Carry On Behind (1975), plus photos, her story and an FAQ. Open the Elke Sommer hub →
What we know
- When and where: Wednesday, October 28, 2026, around 10 p.m., at her home in Bel Air, Los Angeles (Bild, t-online).
- Cause: heart failure, after being bedridden for a long time, according to Bild.
- Who broke the news: Bild said it learned of her death from her closest circle. Munich photographer Erwin Schneider, a friend for decades, told the paper he was informed overnight; the news reached him through her best friend, who had heard it from her stepson Sebastian Walther. Page Six attributes the account to Sebastian Walther (Page Six).
- Her husband: Wolf Walther, whom she married in 1993, died on July 22, 2026, at 77 (Bild). t-online reported he died of prostate cancer.
- Her wish: to be buried in the family grave in Marloffstein, Bavaria, where her father, the Lutheran pastor Peter Schletz, and her mother Renate are buried, Bild reported. Marloffstein is also where she and Wolf married.
“Elke fell asleep peacefully around 10 p.m. Now she can soon finally be with her beloved husband again.”
Erwin Schneider to Bild, Oct. 29, 2026 (translated from German: „Elke ist friedlich gegen 22 Uhr eingeschlafen. Jetzt kann sie bald endlich wieder bei ihrem geliebten Ehemann sein.“)
After Wolf’s death in July she said her heart was broken, t-online recalled. In a November 2025 interview with Bunte she had already said she had lost her joy in life and was not afraid of death.
From Miss Viareggio to Hollywood
She was born Elke Schletz in Berlin on November 5, 1940, the only child of a pastor, and grew up in Erlangen. She wanted to be an interpreter and spoke six languages. On a holiday in Italy in 1958 she was crowned Miss Viareggio; her photos reached director Vittorio De Sica, who gave the 18-year-old her first film roles (FAZ).
Hollywood came fast. In The Prize (1963) she starred with Paul Newman and Edward G. Robinson and won a Golden Globe as most promising newcomer. In A Shot in the Dark (1964) she was Maria Gambrelli, the maid accused of murder who wins over Inspector Clouseau. Then came The Art of Love, The Oscar, Boy, Did I Get a Wrong Number! with Bob Hope, Deadlier Than the Male, The Wrecking Crew with Dean Martin and The Wicked Dreams of Paula Schultz. Later she made two horror films with Mario Bava, Baron Blood and Lisa and the Devil, and Carry On Behind (1975) in Britain. In all she had more than 100 film and TV roles, recorded albums, and painted from the mid-1960s on (FAZ).
She was also one of the pin-ups of the decade, with Playboy pictorials in September 1964 and December 1967. In 1969 she told the National Police Gazette she liked to paint in the nude on a hill above her Beverly Hills home: “It’s the best way to get a tan all over” (as quoted by Page Six).
Watch: Elke Sommer in Carry On Behind (1975)
Carry On Behind (1975) gives us Elke Sommer as Professor Anna Vooshka, the Russian archaeologist, in a cream silk nightie inside her caravan. She leans toward the camera with a wide-eyed look that’s pure Carry On innuendo. Lots of cleavage and lingerie, and a reminder why she was the series’ big star signing. No nudity.
Watch: poolside in The Invisible Strangler (1976)
Poolside in The Invisible Strangler (1976). Elke Sommer plays Chris Hartman in a pink halter bikini, slipping off her sunglasses and chatting with a man in tinted glasses by the water. She’s in her mid-thirties here and still a total knockout. Pink bikini and cleavage, no nudity in this clip.
My take
Some stars are sexy because of what they show. Elke Sommer was sexy because of how she carried herself: the big blonde hair, the laugh, that look straight down the lens that told you she was in on the joke. She could go toe-to-toe with Peter Sellers, steal a scene from Paul Newman and make a bikini comedy about pole-vaulting over the Berlin Wall look like the most natural thing in the world. That is a rare talent.
What gets me is the ending. Her husband of more than three decades died in July, and three months later she followed him. The people who knew her are saying she simply did not want to live without him. For a woman the world knew as a 1960s bombshell, that is a very tender last chapter. Rest well, Elke.
The reaction on X
The news spread from German-language outlets first: FOCUS online and ORF Breaking News posted it on the afternoon of October 29 (Bangkok time), followed by Page Six and California Post: “‘Pink Panther’ star Elke Sommer dies a week before 86th birthday.”
Elke Sommer photos
All 17 clips and more photos are on the Elke Sommer hub.
FAQ
When did Elke Sommer die?
On Wednesday, October 28, 2026, around 10 p.m., at her home in Bel Air, Los Angeles, according to Bild. She was 85.
How did Elke Sommer die?
Bild reported that she died of heart failure after being bedridden for a long time.
How old was Elke Sommer?
85. She was born in Berlin on November 5, 1940, and would have turned 86 a week after her death.
Who was Elke Sommer’s husband?
Hotelier Wolf Walther, whom she married in 1993. He died in July 2026. She was earlier married to Hollywood columnist Joe Hyams from 1964 to 1981.
What is Elke Sommer best known for?
A Shot in the Dark (1964) with Peter Sellers, The Prize (1963) with Paul Newman, which won her a Golden Globe, The Wicked Dreams of Paula Schultz (1968), Carry On Behind (1975) and her Playboy pictorials in 1964 and 1967.
Where will Elke Sommer be buried?
Bild reported that her last wish was to be buried in the family grave in Marloffstein, Bavaria.
Clips: The Wicked Dreams of Paula Schultz (1968), Carry On Behind (1975) and The Invisible Strangler (1976), short excerpts for news reporting and commentary. Photos: NBC Television 1965, Coppertone 1965, The Prize poster (1963) and 1959 film stills, public domain; Willy Pragher / Landesarchiv Baden-Württemberg (CC BY 4.0); A.k.zehnnullzwo (CC BY-SA 4.0); via Wikimedia Commons. Film stills from the films named.
