And he never overacted; he always was a bit underplaying. Stellas character Robin was an immature singer who is fighting the sweetheart Laurel (played by Laurel Goodwin) for Elviss love. It was a miserable six days of filming, she said, due to the temper of director Norman Taurog, though she said Presley was nice. In Girls! She was 84. Stella Stevens, born as Estelle Eggleston in the small town of Yazoo City, Mississippi on October 1st, 1938, was the daughter of insurance salesman Thomas and nurse Dovey Eggleston. She was 84. Stevens modelled for Playboy multiple times and was Playmate of the Month in January 1960. Stevens also appeared in Lil Abner that year. Desperate to impress her, he concocts a potion to transform himself into a charismatic hunk. Through the 1970s and 1980s, Stevens worked steadily in television, also appearing in Hart to Hart, The Love Boat and Wonder Woman, where she played a Nazi judo champ who thought she could take on Lynda Carter's titular heroine. But even on TV, I had a classic role in the series Bonanza [1959-1973], playing a silent mute, in a segment called Silent Thunder [1960], which was directed by Robert Altman. Girls! with Elvis Presley, which she only agreed to do because she was promised to a Montgomery Clift movie if she did it. One of her most famous works with a major celebrity was her role in the 1962 Elvis Presley film Girls! Stella Stevens, a prominent leading lady in 1960s and 70s comedies perhaps best known for playing the object of Jerry Lewiss affection in The Nutty Stevens career wound down in the 1990s as she settled down with the life of her life. Stella Stevens, a prominent leading lady in 1960s and 70s comedies perhaps best known for playing the object of Jerry Lewis's affection in "The Nutty Professor," has died. He was just one of the sweetest and brightest young old men. Born Estelle Caro Eggleston in Yazoo City, Mississippi in 1938, she married at 16 and gave birth to her first and only child, actor/producer Andrew Stevens in 1955 when she was 17, and divorced two years later. Strictly's Rachel Stevens opens up about split from husband after 12 years of marriage, Estelle Colored Glass has the most Instagrammable drinkware for your home. Stella Stevens, a prominent leading lady in 1960s and 70s comedies perhaps best known for playing the object of Jerry Lewiss affection in The Nutty Professor, has died. Born on October 1, 1938, in Yazoo City, MS, Stevens was also a steady presence on television, appearing in dozens of TV movies and guest-starring in more than 40 series. There Arent Enough Electricians. Later the studio dropped her, but she was signed by Paramount. Basically, everybody was helping me to teach me to make a film back then. It turned into John Cassavetes Too Late Blues, with Bobby Darrin. Photo by Silver Screen Girls! in 1963. And when he was 81, I worked with him one more time on an episode of the TV series Hec Ramsey [1972]. Jerry Lewis had told the bosses at Paramount he wanted to cast the most beautiful ingnue working at the studio or something like that and so I got the gig, she said. Begin typing your search above and press return to search. Bobby was a very fine actor, but as you can imagine, he was no Montgomery Clift. Stella Stevens, a prominent leading lady in 1960s and 70s comedies perhaps best known for playing the object of Jerry Lewiss affection in The Nutty Professor, has died. Stella Stevens, who starred with Elvis Presley in Girls! and with Jerry Lewis in The Nutty Professor, has died at the age of 84, family members say. Beyond the Dash Home; Stella Stevens, a prominent leading lady in 1960s and 70s comedies perhaps best known for playing the object of Jerry Lewiss affection in The Nutty Professor, has died. It was a very exciting time.". But she wanted to Home. and The Secret of My Success. Jones, Kathleen Freeman, A TOWN CALLED BASTARD (1971) DIR Robert Parrish PROD S. Benjamin Fisz SCR Richard Aubrey, S. Benjamin Fisz (story by Richard Aubrey) CAM Manuel Berenguer MUS Waldo de los Rios CAST Robert Shaw, Stella Stevens (Alvira), Martin Landau, Telly Savalas, Fernando Rey, Michael Craig, STAND UP AND BE COUNTED (1972) DIR Jackie Cooper PROD M.J. Frankovich SCR Bernard Slade CAM Fred J. Koenekamp ED Harold F. Kress MUS Ernie Wilkins CAST Jacqueline Bisset, Stella Stevens (Yvonne Kellerman), Steve Lawrence, Gary Lockwood, Lee Purcell, Loretta Swit, Hector Elizondo, Dr. Joyce Brothers, Nancy Walker, Kathleen Freeman, Jackie Cooper, Jessica Rains, SLAUGHTER (1972) DIR Jack Starrett PROD Monroe Sachson SCR Mark Hanna, Don Williams CAM Rosalio Solano ED Renn Reynolds MUS Luchi De Jess CAST Jim Brown, Stella Stevens (Ann), Rip Torn, Cameron Mitchell, Don Gordon, Marlene Clark, Robert Phillips, Marion Brash, THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE (1972) DIR Ronald Neame PROD Irwin Allen SCR Wendell Mayes, Stirling Silliphant (novel The Poseidon Adventure [1969] by Paul Gallico) CAST Gene Hackman, Ernest Borgnine, Red Buttons, Carol Lynley, Roddy McDowall, Stella Stevens (Linda Rogo), Shelley Winters, Jack Albertson, Pamela Sue Martin, Arthur OConnell, ARNOLD (1973) DIR Georg Fenady PROD Andrew J. Fenady SCR Jameson Brewer, John Fenton Murray CAM William B. Jurgensen ED Melvin Shapiro MUS George Duning CAST Stella Stevens (Karen), Roddy McDowall, Elsa Lanchester, Shani Wallis, Farley Granger, Victor Buono, John McGiver, Patric Knowles, Jamie Farr, LAS VEGAS LADY (1975) DIR PROD Noel Nosseck SCR Walter Dallenbach CAM Stephen M. Katz ED Robert Gordon MUS Alan Silvestri CAST Stella Stevens (Lucky), Stuart Whitman, George DiCenzo, Lynne Moody, Linda Scruggs, Joseph Della Sorte, Hank Robinson, Andrew Stevens, Tony Bill, CLEOPATRA JONES AND THE CASINO OF GOLD (1975) DIR Chuck Bail PROD William Tennant, Run Run Shaw SCR William Tennant (characters created by Max Julien) CAM Alan Hume ED Willy Kemplen MUS Dominic Frontiere CAST Tamara Dobson, Stella Stevens (Bianca Javin / Dragon Lady), Ni Tien, Norman Fell, Albert Popwell, Caro Kenyetta, Shen Chan, NICKELODEON (1976) DIR Peter Bogdanovich PROD Frank Marshall, Robert Chartoff, Irwin Winkler SCR Peter Bogdanovich, W.D. He was a writer-director, and thats who I liked to work witha writer-director. Stella Stevens, a prominent leading lady in 1960s and '70s comedies who is perhaps best known for playing the object of Jerry Lewis affection in The Nutty Professor, has died. Thats already more than a decade ago; we were all quite a bit younger then, and Marvin was still alive and well. I want to be like this man. She said the support she got from other teams was 'overwhelming. 2023 Deadline Hollywood, LLC. Stella Stevens, a prominent leading lady in 1960s and 70s comedies perhaps best known for playing the object of Jerry Lewiss affection in The Nutty In one of her most memorable roles, 1963 sci-fi comedy The Nutty Professor, Stevens played a student of Jerry Lewis' socially awkward university lecturer. Bobby was a very fine actor, but as you can imagine, he was no Montgomery Clift, she said. Stella Stevens, a prominent leading lady in 1960s and 70s comedies perhaps best known for playing the object of Jerry Lewiss affection in The Nutty Professor, has died. Stevens, a prominent leading lady in 1960s and '70s comedies who is perhaps best known for playing the object of Jerry Lewiss affection in The Nutty Professor, died Friday. Stevens estate said she died Friday in Los Angeles after a long illness. I wanted to be like my favorite actresses: Greta Garbo and Marlene Dietrich. For two seasons in the early 80s, she starred in the primetime soap Flamingo Road and later had recurring roles in Santa Barbara and General Hospital. Stevens, a prominent leading lady in 1960s and '70s comedies who is perhaps best known for playing the object of Jerry Lewiss affection in The Nutty Professor, died Friday. First, I didnt want to do this film, but I was under contract to Hal Wallis to do one more film. Girls! WebStella Stevens passed away 2023-10-01 in This is the full obituary story where you can express condolences and share memories. Next came "The Nutty Professor" as Lewis' student, Stella Purdy, who he is infatuated with. Born Estelle Caro Eggleston in Yazoo City, Mississippi in 1938, she married at 16 and gave birth to her first and only child, actor/producer Andrew Stevens in 1955 when she was 17, and divorced two years later. (Jack Kanthal/AP). It was the first thing he had ever done for television in color. Stella Stevens, Hollywood Bombshell Who Yearned for More, Dies at 84 She starred alongside the likes of Elvis Presley and Jerry Lewis. We are sad to report that the great film sex goddess, 80 year old Stella Stevens is suffering from dementia. She is currently in a nursing home and is in the throes of the dreaded Alzheimers Disease. Stella ironically had co-starred with Jerry Lewis in The Nutty Professor (and reportedly had an affair with the comic. Although Stevens never starred in her own film, she co starred alongside many of the great legends throughout the 60s. Girls!. Erik Pedersen contributed to this report. Thats what he taught me. ', Death toll keeps rising in Greece's deadliest train crash. Actress Stella Stevens and son, Andy, at the Memphis airport in June 1961. Mel Torm, Skip Ward, Michael Dante, Robert Evans, Hugh O'Brian, Buddy Bregman, Warren Beatty and Jerry Lewis: Divorce: Noble Herman Stephens: Net Worth: $10 Million: Salary: $400k: Eye Color: Blue: Hair Color: Blonde: Stevens' talents excelled not only through acting alongside superstars that included the King of Rock 'n Roll, but also in comedy, directing, producing, and writing. Girls! While I truly wish I could have done more for her toward the latter years of her career and shared in her frustration as she so wanted to make the leap from a triple threat American icon to producer her wish, never realized, was to have three original Western scripts produced. Press Esc to cancel. She was predeceased by her longtime partner, rock musician Bob Kulick. Did you learn anything from him on the set of Too Late Blues? with Elvis Presley, which she only agreed to do because she was promised to a Montgomery Clift movie if she did it. She was 84. When Stella turned four, the Eggleston family moved to Memphis, Tennessee. My favorite was Vincente Minnelli. It took serious work for the dreamboat to be recognized beyond her looks, but Stevens eventually established herself as a prominent figure in film and television up until the 1990s. So thats three classics [laughs]. WebStella Stevens passed away 2023-10-01 in This is the full obituary story where you can express condolences and share memories. Hollywood casting agent Marvin Paige, film-wise my partner in crime for many years, had introduced me to Ms. Stevens in 2006 when this interview was conducted at her Beverly Hills home. "We all tried to make the characters he had created in the script special, wonderful, unique - and if you ask me, I do believe that's why the film still holds up after all those years.". She was modeling in her hometown of Memphis, Tennessee, when she was discovered, ultimately leading her to roles in the 1962 music comedy Girls! Titles The Nutty Professor. Well, he was nice; he was someone you could talk to. Leemage. Girls! She also directed two films - The American Heroine (1979) and The Ranch (1989), starring her son. In 2017, she'd say that her favorite director that she worked with was Vincente Minnelli on "The Courtship of Eddie's Father," from 1963. Girls! (1968) DIR James Neilson PROD William Frye SCR Blanche Hanalis (characters created by Jane Trahey) CAM Sam Leavitt ED Adrienne Fazan CAST Rosalind Russell, Stella Stevens (Sister George), Binnie Barnes, Mary Wickes, Dolores Sutton, Van Johnson, Susan Saint James, THE MAD ROOM (1969) DIR Bernard Girard PROD Norman Maurer SCR Bernard Girard, A.Z. Stevens worked steadily in television in the 1970s and 80s, appearing in the pilots for Wonder Woman, Hart to Hart and The Love Boat and in series like Night Court, Murder She Wrote and Magnum, P.I.. She also directed a pair of films: The Ranch (1989) and The American Heroine (1979). Girls! He was sort of my mentor, and later, he introduced me to Jerry Lewis. I want to go on forever. Anyone who knew himwhich is nearly the entire motion picture industryhas great memories and wonderful stories to tell about him. It was a very exciting time. Girls! [1962] your first introduction to a major audience? 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