A dimpled, clear-eyed beauty whose radiant onscreen persona belied a troubled personality, Inger Stevens was a leading light in many films and television productions of the 1950s and '60s. After establishing herself in numerous important TV drama series including Kraft Television Theater, Studio One and Alfred Hitchcock Presents, she made her film debut as Bing Crosby's love interest in Man on Fire (1957), the story of a child-custody battle.

As she continued to distinguish herself on television, Stevens also became an in-demand leading lady in films, working opposite James Mason in Cry Terror! (1958), Harry Belafonte in The World, the Flesh and the Devil (1959), Glenn Ford in A Time for Killing (1967), Clint Eastwood in Hang 'Em High (1968) and James Stewart and Henry Fonda in Firecreek (1968). Stepping into the role that won Loretta Young an Oscar®, Stevens enjoyed success in the ABC-TV series The Farmer's Daughter (1963-66), winning a Golden Globe and an Emmy nomination for her performance.

Born Inger Stensland in 1934 in Stockholm, Sweden, Stevens came to the U.S. as a child and settled with her family in Manhattan, Kansas. After studying at the Actors Studio in New York, she broke into television through commercials.

Unhappy love affairs with several of her costars including Crosby, Mason, Belafonte and Burt Reynolds may have contributed to the despondency that led Stevens to make suicide attempts. She apparently succeeded on April 30, 1970, when she died from acute barbiturate poisoning. After her death it was discovered that she had been secretly married since 1961 to actor/producer Ike Jones.

by Roger Fristoe