Inger Stevens

Born: 1934-10-18

Inger Stevens (born Ingrid Stensland; October 18, 1934 – April 30, 1970)[1] was a Swedish–American film, television, and stage actress. 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 afterwards 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, she and her brother moved to the United States and lived with their father and his new wife in New York City where he was teaching at Columbia University. At age 13, Stevens moved with her family to Manhattan, Kansas, where her father taught at Kansas State University. Stevens attended Manhattan High School. At 16, she ran away from home to Kansas City, and worked in burlesque shows. At 18, she left Kansas City 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. 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 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. Previously, Stevens had appeared in episodes of Bonanza, Route 66, The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, The Eleventh Hour, Sam Benedict The Aquanuts (1960 TV series) and The Twilight Zone. Following the cancellation of The Farmer's Daughter in 1966, Stevens appeared in several films: 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. At the time of her death, Stevens was attempting to revive her television career with the detective drama series The Most Deadly Game. Her 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 by then-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. On the morning of April 30, 1970, Stevens's sometime roommate and companion, Lola McNally, found her on the kitchen floor of her Hollywood Hills home. According to McNally, when she called Stevens's name, she 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 and had seen no sign 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 attributed Stevens's death to "acute barbiturate poisoning" that was eventually ruled a suicide.


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Hang 'em High

as Rachel Warren
Released: 1968-04-12

Marshall Jed Cooper survives a hanging, vowing revenge on the lynch mob that left him dangling....

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The World, the Flesh and the Devil

as Sarah Crandall
Released: 1959-05-01

Ralph Burton is a miner who is trapped for several days as a result of a cave-in. When he...

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5 Card Stud

as Lily Langford
Released: 1968-07-28

The players in an ongoing poker game are being mysteriously killed off, one by one.

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A Dream of Kings

as Anna
Released: 1969-12-15

A Greek American father of a dying boy decides to take his son to Greece to breathe the clean...

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A Time for Killing

as Emily Biddle
Released: 1967-08-01

During the Civil War, Confederate soldiers escape from a Union prison and head for the Mexican...

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Firecreek

as Evelyn Pittman
Released: 1968-01-24

A peace-loving, part-time sheriff in the small town of Firecreek must take a stand when a gang...

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Madigan

as Julia Madigan
Released: 1968-03-29

NYPD detectives Bonaro and Madigan lose their guns to fugitive Barney Benesch. As compensation,...

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A Guide for the Married Man

as Ruth Manning
Released: 1967-05-25

A man gives his friend a series of lessons on how to cheat on one's wife without being caught.

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The Buccaneer

as Annette Claiborne
Released: 1958-12-11

During the War of 1812 against Britain: General Andrew Jackson has only 1,200 men left to defend...

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Cry Terror!

as Joan Molner
Released: 1958-05-02

A mad bomber holds an innocent family hostage.

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Eloise

as Joanna
Released: 1956-11-22

It's not so much that Eloise is a mischievous child, but the darnedest things do happen when...

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The New Interns

as Nancy Terman
Released: 1964-06-01

Young doctors mix romance with their careers in a big-city hospital.

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The Borgia Stick

as Eve Harrison
Released: 1967-02-25

A suburban couple discovers that they are pawns for a powerful crime syndicate. They try to...

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House of Cards

as Anne de Villemont
Released: 1968-09-16

In 1960s Paris, an American boxer stumbles upon an international fascist conspiracy that aims to...

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Run, Simon, Run

as Carroll Rennard
Released: 1970-12-01

A Papago Indian returns to his reservation after a prison term and searches for his brother's...

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Man on Fire

as Nina Wylie
Released: 1957-08-22

Bitter over their divorce, a wealthy businessman prevents his ex-wife from seeing their child....

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The Mask of Sheba

as Sarah Kramer
Released: 1970-03-09

Intrigue, romance, and the customary angry natives are the major elements in this tale of a hunt...

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Bonanza

as Emily Pennington
First aired: 1959-09-12

The High-Sierra adventures of Ben Cartwright and his sons as they run and defend their ranch...

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The Twilight Zone

as Nan Adams
First aired: 1959-10-02

A series of unrelated stories containing drama, psychological thriller, fantasy, science...

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The Twilight Zone

as Jana
First aired: 1959-10-02

A series of unrelated stories containing drama, psychological thriller, fantasy, science...

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Climax!

as Marge
First aired: 1954-10-07

Climax! is an American anthology series that aired on CBS from 1954 to 1958. The series was...

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The Merv Griffin Show

as Self
First aired: 1962-10-01

The Merv Griffin Show is an American television talk show, starring Merv Griffin. The series ran...

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Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre

as Beth Watkins
First aired: 1956-10-05

Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre, sometimes simply called Zane Grey Theatre, is an American...

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Matinee Theater

as uncredited
First aired: 1955-10-31

Matinee Theater is an American anthology series that aired on NBC during the Golden Age of...

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Route 66

as uncredited
First aired: 1960-10-07

Route 66 is an American TV series in which two young men traveled across America in a Chevrolet...

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Studio One

as Sue Ellen
First aired: 1948-11-07

An American radio–television anthology series, created in 1947 by Canadian director Fletcher...

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Studio One

as Mary
First aired: 1948-11-07

An American radio–television anthology series, created in 1947 by Canadian director Fletcher...

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Studio One

as Lucy Henderson
First aired: 1948-11-07

An American radio–television anthology series, created in 1947 by Canadian director Fletcher...

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The Alfred Hitchcock Hour

as Karen Wilson
First aired: 1962-09-20

A continuation of the anthology series “Alfred Hitchcock Presents”, hosted by the master of...

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Robert Montgomery Presents

as uncredited
First aired: 1950-01-30

Robert Montgomery Presents is an American dramatic television series which was produced by NBC...

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The Ed Sullivan Show

as Self on stage and in film clip
First aired: 1948-06-20

The Ed Sullivan Show is an American TV variety show that originally ran on CBS from Sunday June...

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Hawaiian Eye

as uncredited
First aired: 1959-10-07

Private Eyes Tom Lopaka and Tracy Steele are based out of Hawaiian Village Resort where they...

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The Millionaire

as Betty Perkins
First aired: 1955-01-19

An anthology series that explored the ways sudden and unexpected wealth changed life for better...

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Adventures in Paradise

as Dr. Britta Sjostrom
First aired: 1959-10-05

Adventures in Paradise is an American television series created by James Michener which ran on...

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Alfred Hitchcock Presents

as Laura Ross
First aired: 1955-10-02

A television anthology series hosted by Alfred Hitchcock featuring dramas, thrillers, and mysteries.

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The Detectives

as uncredited
First aired: 1959-10-16

The Detectives is an American crime drama series which ran on ABC during its first two seasons,...

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Armstrong Circle Theatre

as uncredited
First aired: 1950-06-06

Armstrong Circle Theatre is an American anthology drama television series which ran from 1950 to...

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The Dick Powell Show

as Anna Beza
First aired: 1961-09-26

The Dick Powell Show is an American anthology series that ran on NBC from 1961- 1963, primarily...

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Sam Benedict

as uncredited
First aired: 1962-09-15

Sam Benedict is an American legal drama that aired on NBC from September 1962 to March 1963. The...

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The Danny Kaye Show

as Self
First aired: 1963-09-25

The Danny Kaye Show is an American variety show hosted by Danny Kaye that aired on CBS from 1963...

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The Aquanauts

as Margot Allison
First aired: 1960-09-14

The Aquanauts is an American adventure/drama series that aired on CBS in the 1960-1961 season....

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The Farmer's Daughter

as Katy Holstrum
First aired: 1963-09-20

The Farmer's Daughter is an American situation comedy series that was produced by Screen Gems...

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