Stella Stevens died at the age of 84. She was an actress whose career was so long and successful that she had lead roles in movies like “The Nutty Professor” and “The Poseidon Adventure.”
The information was confirmed by Deadline’s son Andrew Stevens and her longtime friend John O’Brien. According to sources, the actress died suddenly after a lengthy battle with Alzheimer’s disease.
The Deadline was told by Stevens’ manager, Maria Calabrese, that the actress was “one of the most wonderful and gifted people” and “the O.G. of strong Hollywood women.”
American actress Stella Stevens, circa 1960. (Photo by Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images)
Estelle Eggleston Stevens was born in Yazoo City, Mississippi, on October 1st, 1938. Her birth name was Estelle. She began to develop an interest in acting and modeling as a teenager.
In 1959, she debuted in the film Say One for Me, which starred Bing Crosby. She was given the Golden Globe for Best New Star of the Year for her role in the film. In addition, she had a starring role in the movie “Li’l Abner,” and she signed a deal with Paramount Pictures.
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A successful model in her own right, Stevens was awarded Playboy’s Playmate of the Month in January 1960. She was featured in the magazine throughout the decade, and later on, she was included in the list of the “100 Sexiest Stars of the 20th Century” published in the same magazine.
She made her debut alongside Elvis Presley in the 1962 film Girls! Girls! Girls!, and she went on to have one of the most memorable parts of her career in the original 1963 version of The Nutty Professor, in which she played Jerry Lewis’s on-screen love interest. Also, she had a role in that year’s performance of The Courtship of Eddie’s Father.
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Another of her most well-known roles was in the disaster film “The Poseidon Adventure,” released in 1972. She gave the performance of Linda, a former prostitute who was wedded to Ernest Borgnine’s character and a member of the group of people trying to escape an overturned cruise liner.
Stevens held her own in the all-star ensemble cast of the blockbuster film “Poseidon Adventure,” which was one of the most financially successful films of the decade.
Despite the film’s success, Stevens’ career quickly shifted to focus primarily on television roles. Her performance as a deaf-mute in a classic episode of Bonanza is largely viewed as one of the most deaf-mute in her television roles.
She was also a guest star on other television programs, including The Love Boat, Newhart, Fantasy Island, Murder, She Wrote, and Magnum P.I. She stayed active in the acting world into the 2000s.
Stella Stevens, the great actress, may you rest in peace. So many outstanding performances have she given in her three-decade career.
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