Elke Sommer, the German actress known for her roles in 1960s comedies and spy films, died Wednesday at her home in Los Angeles at the age of 85. The news was confirmed by her friend Erwin Schneider.

Sommer gained international recognition for her striking looks, including high cheekbones and platinum blond hair, and her performances alongside stars such as Peter Sellers, Paul Newman, and Bob Hope. She is perhaps best remembered for her role as the maid suspected of murder in the 1964 Pink Panther sequel “A Shot in the Dark,” a film that showcased her comedic timing opposite Sellers’s bumbling Inspector Clouseau.

Born Elke Schletz on November 5, 1940, in Berlin, Sommer spent her early years near Erlangen in Bavaria during World War II. The daughter of a Lutheran minister, she initially aspired to a diplomatic career after working as an au pair in England. However, while vacationing in Italy at age 18, she was discovered through a beauty contest and quickly launched into a film career, initially in Italian and German productions.

After moving to Hollywood in the early 1960s, Sommer appeared in a variety of films, including “The Prize” (1963) with Paul Newman, where she played a government escort, and the farce “The Art of Love” (1965) with Dick Van Dyke. Other notable films included Bob Hope’s “Boy, Did I Get a Wrong Number!” (1966) and “The Wrecking Crew” (1968), opposite Dean Martin. Critics often noted her roles emphasized her glamorous image, which Sommer herself described as a “sex kitten” persona.

Throughout the late 1960s and 1970s, Sommer appeared in a mix of genres, including the spy thriller “Deadlier Than the Male” (1967) and several comedies, though critical reception was mixed. She also worked on stage and took part in regional and community theater from the late 1960s onward, further developing her craft.

In addition to acting, Sommer pursued a career in painting, exhibiting works characterized by a naïve or primitivist style. She hosted a public television program, “Painting With Elke Sommer,” and published a book of the same name in 1984.

Her career extended to television as well, with appearances in the 1982 ABC movie “Inside the Third Reich,” where she portrayed Magda Goebbels, and roles in series including the NBC miniseries “Peter the Great” (1986). During the 1980s and beyond, she primarily worked in German film and television.

Sommer was married twice: first to columnist Joe Hyams in 1964, with whom she later separated but did not divorce until 1993; and later that year to hotel executive Wolf Walther, who passed away in July of the same year.

In 1993, she won a defamation lawsuit against Zsa Zsa Gabor and her husband, who had made false claims about Sommer’s living conditions, resulting in a multimillion-dollar judgment.

Reflecting on her time in Hollywood in a 1989 interview, Sommer acknowledged both the opportunities and challenges of the film industry, noting she never fully embraced its competitive nature but remained grateful for her career.