RIP: Stella Stevens

Stella Stevens, the model, actress, singer and business woman died today, the result of a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease. Ms. Stevens was 84.

Stella Stevens’ birth name was Estelle Eggleston.  When she was 16, Estelle married Noble Stephens. They had one child and divorced three years later.  While at Memphis State University, Ms. Stephens became interested in modeling and acting.  She appeared in local productions getting good reviews.

Estelle Stephens took the name Stella Stevens for her professional name.  In 1959, Ms. Stevens made her film debut in Say One for Me.  In 1960, Ms. Stevens was a member of The Skip-Jacks, a singing group best known for television theme songs.  That same year, Stella Stevens won the Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year.  In January 1960, Stella Stevens was the Playboy Playmate of the Month.  (She would appear two more times in feature photo shoots for Playboy.)  Stella Stevens career took off.  She would alternate between feature films and television roles for the rest of her career.

Some of the television shows featuring Stella Stevens include: Alfred Hitchcock Presents; Hawaiian Eye; Bonanza; The Courtship of Eddie’s Father; Ben Casey (4 episodes); Hec Ramsey; Banacek; Police Story; Wonder Woman; Hart to Hart; Flamingo Road (38 episodes); Matt Houston; The Love Boat (3 episodes); Newhart (2 episodes); Fantasy Island (2 episodes); Hotel; Highway to Heaven; Night Court; Murder She Wrote; Magnum PI; Santa Barbara (66 episodes); In the Heat of the Night; The Commish; Highlander; Nash Bridges and General Hospital (7 episodes).

Some of the movies featuring Stella Stevens include: Say One for Me; Lil’ Abner; Girls! Girls! Girls!; The Nutty Professor; The Silencers; The Ballad of Cable Hogue; The Poseidon Adventure and Chained Heat.

I’m not sure where I first saw Stella Stevens.  It may have been one of her many television guest appearances back in the 1960s.  Then again, it may have been with Elvis Presley in Girls! Girls! Girls! or Jerry Lewis in The Nutty Professor.  My favorite Stella Stevens performance was in The Poseidon Adventure.  In it she played a feisty ex-prostitute married to Ernest Borgnine’s police officer character.  She more than held her own in a cast consisting of Borgnine, Gene Hackman, Shelly Winters, Red Buttons and Roddy McDowell.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Stella Steven’s family, friends and fans.