What's On

In September, European Film Star Postcards counted a record 634,460 views. Last month, October, set a new record: 892,168 views! Thank you again for your comments and support. Here's another preview of what's coming on this blog by Ivo Blom, Marlene Pilaete and Paul van Yperen.

5 November: Tradition and Innovation. The Cinematic Work of Luchino Visconti

British publicity still by the BFI. Gino (Massimo Girotti) hears Giovanna singing in Ossessione / Obsession (Luchino Visconti, 1943).

Ivo Blom will be in Paris to attend the international symposium 'Tradition et invention. L’œuvre filmique de Luchino Visconti' (Tradition and Innovation. The Cinematic Work of Luchino Visconti), organised from 4 to 6 November by Paris 1 Panthéon – Sorbonne / Institut Acte; and the University of Pisa. Today Ivo will give a lecture (in French!) on Luchino Visconti's formative years in Paris. The symposium marks the 120th anniversary of Visconti’s birth (1906) and the 50th anniversary of his death (1976). The organisers aim to revisit key aesthetic, critical and historical issues for the reception of his work. EFSP shows postcards and stills we acquired of the maestro's films, plus a few snapshots we took ourselves.

9 November: Before Hollywood: Lubin

British postcard, no. 78. Photo: Lubin. Collection: Marlene Pilaete. Cute Buster Johnson (1908-1969) was the most famous child star of the Lubin company. At only 3 1/2 years old, he was extremely popular in 1912.

We expanded our Before Hollywood post on the pioneering American film production company Lubin with a series of postcards Ivo Blom found in Brighton, England. Lubin produced silent films from 1896 to 1916. Siegmund Lubin (1851-1923) started his empire with the purchase of one film projector in 1895. Before long, the Lubin empire included a chain of cinemas, multiple state-of-the-art production studios across the United States, hundreds of employees, numerous patents for recording and projecting equipment, and international film distribution. Lubin's Liberty Bell logo and motto, 'Clear As A Bell', referred to the superior quality of his film images.

13 November 2026: Directed by Carmine Gallone

Vintage postcard by C.E. & Co. Photo: Cines. Lyda Borelli in La donna nuda / The Naked Truth (Carmine Gallone, 1914).

We continue our series on international film directors. Carmine Gallone (1885–1973) directed over 120 films in his fifty-year career between 1913 and 1963. Gallone was one of Italian cinema's leading early directors and has been compared to Cecil B. DeMille because of his predilection for historical epics. He was also controversial for his works of pro-Fascist Propaganda and historical revisionism. Gallone specialised in melodramas and costume epics, but from the 1950s, he also directed several international co-productions, including many musicals, opera films and biopics of composers.

14 November 2026: Christopher Lee

British postcard by A Bigger Splash LTD, Manchester, no. X718. Photo: Hammer Film Productions LTD. Christopher Lee in Dracula A.D. 1972 (Alan Gibson, 1972).

We will update our post on Christopher Lee (1922-2015) with several new cards. The British film actor was best known as Count Dracula, the bloodsucking vampire. But he created more unforgettable characters on screen, like Francisco Scaramanga in the James Bond film The Man with the Golden Gun (1974), Count Dooku in Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002), Saruman in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy (2001–2003) and The Hobbit film trilogy (2012–2014), and as the title figure in the Hammer Horror film The Mummy (1959). Lee acted in nearly 230 films in a career spanning 70 years.

15 November 2026: Zvejnieka dels / The Fisherman's Son (1940)

Latvian postcard. Peteris Lucis and Nina Melbarde in the Latvian film Zvejnieka dels / The Fisherman's Son (Villis Lapenieks, 1940). The film was made in 1939 but premiered on 2 January 1940.

We'll introduce you to Latvia’s first independent feature film, Vilis Lapenieks’ Zvejnieka dels / The Fisherman's Son (1940). It was a national blockbuster. The film created such excitement that at its premiere on 2 January 1940, the public at the Splendid Palace in Riga broke down the doors. In the following years, Latvia would be swallowed by the turmoil of World War II, alternately occupied by Germany and the Soviet Union, and the film was hidden. When I was in Riga some years ago, I found some postcards of the Splendid Palace that still is in full swing.

17 November 2026: Halle Barry

French postcard by Fox France. Photo: Marvel / 20th Century Fox. Halle Berry in X-Men 2 (Bryan Singer, 2003).

Halle Berry (1966) is an acclaimed actress and former beauty queen. She became the first African American actress to win the Oscar for Best Actress following her performance in Monster's Ball (2001). She has also starred in Swordfish (2001), Die Another Day (2002), and the X-Men film franchise. Later this month, a post about her X-Men co-star Hugh Jackman will follow.

18 November 2026: Bromofoto: Italian stars of the 1950s

Italian postcard by Bromofoto, Milano, no. 86. Photo: Lux Film. Silvana Mangano in Riso amaro / Bitter Rice (Giuseppe De Santis, 1949).

25 classic Bromofoto postcards with Italian stars. In 2018 and 2021, EFSP already posted on Bromofoto. Since 1950, this Milanese publisher has produced hundreds of postcards in 'real photography' in the factory at Via San Maurilio 19 in Milan. We love the glamorous, black-and-white star portraits and the great film stills. But whatever happened to Bromofoto?

20 November 2026: Film in The Hague

Dutch poster postcard by Art Unlimited, no. A 1824, 1986. Poster design: Dolly Rudeman, 1926. Collection: M.F. Le Coultre. Dutch poster for Bronenosets Potyomkin / The Battleship Potemkin (Sergei Eisenstein, 1925). The Dutch title was Potemkin.

A new book documents The Hague’s film history over 130 years. This afternoon, ‘Film in Den Haag' (Film in The Hague) will be launched at the Royal Library (KB) in The Hague. EFSP's Ivo Blom and Paul van Yperen wrote the chapter 'The Hague’s eye-catchers: art or entertainment?' on film posters in The Hague and on The Hague-based poster designers like Dolly Rudeman. In 1926, Dolly designed an interesting poster for Bronenosets Potyomkin / The Battleship Potemkin (Sergei Eisenstein, 1925). Her poster was distributed internationally and was later published as a popular postcard. On this occasion, we republish a column on this poster in the former Dutch film magazine Skrien. The column was part of 'Treasures from the Filmmuseum', a series in which Paul and his friend and former colleague Bastiaan Anink wrote more than 20 years ago on the Netherlands Filmmuseum's poster collection.

21 November 2026: Lionel Atwill

British postcard in the Picturegoer Series, London, no. 793. Photo: Universal.

New at EFSP: one of Hollywood's most sinister and evil villains, Lionel Atwill (1885-1946). British stage and screen actor who acted in a series of classic thrillers and Horror films during the 1930s. From 1915 until his death, he played shady noblemen and mad doctors, gruff military men and police inspectors, usually with his signature moustache. With his sinister, strange and captivating characters, he gave many films a clever mix of fear and anguish. After a sex scandal, he was condemned to work his final years on Poverty Row.

22 November 2026: Photo by Lilo

West German postcard by Kolibri-Verlag, no. 1075. Photo: NDF / Schorchtfilm / Lilo. Hardy Krüger in Der letzte Sommer / The Last Summer (Harald Braun, 1954).

In our series on known and unknown film photographers: Lilo (1921-?), a German photographer and still photographer in the West German film industry of the 1950s and 1960s. We love her work.

28 November 2026: Jake Gyllenhaal

Belgian e-card by Boomerang, no. 1022832, 2007. Photo: Cinéart / Universal / Focus Features. Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger in Brokeback Mountain (Ang Lee, 2005).

The career of Jake Gyllenhaal (1980) spans more than three decades. He is the son of film director Stephen Gyllenhaal and screenwriter Naomi Foner, and the younger brother of actress Maggie Gyllenhaal. He had his breakthrough in the cult film Donnie Darko (2001). He earned praise for his performance as Jack Twist in Ang Lee's gay drama Brokeback Mountain (2005), including the BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor and an Academy Award nomination. Gyllenhaal starred in various action films and thrillers, including David Fincher's Zodiac (2007) and Nightcrawler (2014).

29 November 2026: Das Leben des Beethoven (1927)

French postcard. Photo: Film du Synchronisme Cinématique. Fritz Kortner in Das Leben des Beethoven / The Life of Beethoven / Beethoven (Hans Otto, 1927). Caption: Ludwig von Beethoven (16 December 1770 - 26 March 1927).

Some time ago, we found a vintage French postcard booklet by Film du Synchronisme Cinématique. The booklet contained 15 postcards of the Austrian film Das Leben des Beethoven / The Life of Beethoven / Beethoven (1927). It was published for a film gala at the Théatre du Trocadéro in Paris on 27 April 1927, organised to commemorate the centenary of Beethoven's death. Hans Otto Löwenstein directed under the pseudonym Hans Otto, and Fritz Kortner starred as composer Ludwig van Beethoven. In the future, we'd like to do more posts on these postcard books.

1 December 2026: Directed by Robert Bresson

West German film programme by Illustrierte Film-Bühne, no. 1537. Claude Laydu in Le journal d'un curé de campagne / Diary of a Country Priest (Robert Bresson, 1951). The German title was Tagebuch eines Landpfarrers.

With his tragic, ascetic films, French director Robert Bresson (1901–1999) made a notable contribution to the art of cinema. His works, with their non-professional actors, ellipses, and sparse use of scoring, are examples of minimalist film. Critics highly regard such films as A Man Escaped (1956), Pickpocket (1959), Au hasard Balthazar / Balthazar, at Random (1966), Mouchette (1967) and L'Argent (1983).


Screenshot of views European Film Star Postcards, 31 October 2026. Views since January 2011.

Patrick Stewart (1940-2026)

British actor Patrick Stewart died last Wednesday, 28 October 2026, at 86. In a career spanning almost six decades, he acted on stage, television and in film. The unknown Shakespearean actor suddenly became famous as Captain Jean-Luc Picard in the American TV series Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987-1994) and its successor films. Another well-known role was Professor Charles Xavier in the X-Men series of superhero movies.


American postcard by Classico San Francisco, no. 105-485. Photo: Paramount Pictures. Patrick Stewart as Captain Jean-Luc Picard in the TV series Star Trek: The Next Generation (1991).


American postcard by Classico San Francisco, no. 105-352. Photo: Paramount Pictures. Patrick Stewart as Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek Generations (David Carson, 1994).


French postcard by Fox France. Photo: Marvel / 20th Century Fox. Patrick Stewart as Professor X in X-Men 2 (Bryan Singer, 2003). Caption: A specialist in genetic mutations, his telepathic abilities give him unlimited access to people’s thoughts. He identifies humans with special powers and brings them together to form the X-Men. His dream: a world where mutants and humans live in peace.

A traumatic experience

Patrick Stewart was born in 1940 in Mirfield, in Yorkshire, England. His parents were Gladys (née Barrowclough), a weaver and textile worker, and Alfred Stewart, a regimental sergeant major in the British Army. He had two older brothers, Geoffrey and Trevor. Stewart grew up in a poor household with domestic violence from his father, who suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder. This experience later influenced Stewart's political and ideological beliefs. Stewart attended Crowlees Church of England Junior and Infants School, where his English teacher stimulated him to perform. In 1951, aged 11, he failed the eleven-plus examination. He entered Mirfield Secondary Modern School, where he continued to study drama.

At 15, Stewart left school to work as a junior reporter for a local paper. He quit when his editor told him he was spending too much time at the theatre. At the age of 18, he lost his hair, a traumatic experience which made him more timid. For him, acting served as a means of self-expression. Stewart spent a year as a furniture salesman, saving cash to attend drama school. In 1957, Stewart received a grant to attend the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.

In 1959, he made his stage debut. Following a period with Manchester's Library Theatre, he became a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1966. Stewart received the 1979 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his performance in 'Antony and Cleopatra' on the West End. He made his Broadway debut as Snout in Peter Brook's legendary production of 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'. He remained with the Royal Shakespeare Company until 1982.

In the early 1980s, he moved to the Royal National Theatre. In 1967, he made his television debut on Coronation Street as a fire officer. Over the years, Stewart took roles in many major TV series without ever becoming a household name. He appeared as Vladimir Lenin in Fall of Eagles (1974); Sejanus in I, Claudius (Herbert Wise, 1976); Karla in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (John Irvin, 1979) and Smiley's People (Simon Langton, 1982); and Claudius in a BBC adaptation of Hamlet (Rodney Bennett, 1980) with Derek Jacobi and Claire Bloom.

He even took the romantic male lead in the BBC adaptation of Elizabeth Gaskell's North and South (Rodney Bennett, 1975), wearing a hairpiece. He also co-starred with Peter Eyre and Glenda Jackson in Hedda (Trevor Nunn, 1975), a film adaptation of Henrik Ibsen's 'Hedda Gabler'. He took the lead, playing psychiatric consultant Dr Edward Roebuck in the BBC's Maybury (1981). Stewart played minor roles in films such as Excalibur (John Boorman, 1981), Dune (David Lynch, 1984) and the British Science-Fiction Horror film Lifeforce (Tobe Hooper, 1985).


American postcard by Classico San Francisco, no. 105-148. Photo: Paramount Pictures. Patrick Stewart as Captain Jean-Luc Picard in the TV series Star Trek: The Next Generation (1991).


German postcard by City Cards. Photo: Ingo Gebhard. Patrick Stewart in Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987-1994).

Unexpected stardom and wealth

In 1987, Patrick Stewart agreed to work in Hollywood on a revival of an old Science-Fiction television show. Reportedly, Stewart knew nothing about the original show, Star Trek, or its iconic status in American culture. He was reluctant to sign the standard six-year contract but accepted the role of Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987–1994).

Stewart unexpectedly became a star and wealthy. From 1994 to 2002, he also portrayed Picard in the films Star Trek Generations (David Carson, 1994), Star Trek: First Contact (Jonathan Frakes, 1996), Star Trek: Insurrection (Jonathan Frakes, 1998) and Star Trek: Nemesis (Stuart Baird, 2002), and in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's pilot episode Emissary (David Carson, 1993). This success typecast Stewart as Picard. Obtaining other roles became difficult. He found it difficult to return to the stage because of his long departure.

In the late 1990s, he accepted a key role in the big-budget X-Men film series as Professor Charles Xavier, founder and mentor of the superhero team, a role similar in many ways to Picard. He was initially reluctant to sign to another movie franchise, but his interest in working with director Bryan Singer persuaded him. Stewart played the role in seven feature films: X-Men (Bryan Singer, 2000), X2 (Bryan Singer, 2003), X-Men: The Last Stand (Brett Ratner, 2006), X-Men Origins: Wolverine (Gavin Hood, 2009) starring Hugh Jackman, The Wolverine (James Mangold, 2013), X-Men: Days of Future Past (Bryan Singer, 2014) and Logan (James Mangold, 2017) and voiced the role in several video.

Stewart's other film and television roles include the flamboyantly gay Sterling in Jeffrey (Christopher Ashley, 1995) and King Henry II in The Lion in Winter (Andrey Konchalovskiy, 2003), for which he received a Golden Globe Award nomination for his performance and an Emmy Award nomination for executive-producing the film.

Stewart portrayed Captain Ahab in the TV film Moby Dick (Franc Roddam, 1998), receiving Emmy and Golden Globe Award nominations for his performance. He also starred as Ebenezer Scrooge in a television film version of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol (David Jones, 1999), for which he received a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination.


American postcard by Memory Card, no. 668. Photo: Patrick Stewart as Professor X in X-Men (Bryan Singer, 2000).


British postcard by London Postcard Company, no. XM 5806 (Series 1 set of 9). Photo: Marvel. Patrick Stewart as Professor X in X-Men (Bryan Singer, 2000).

Domestic violence

In late 2003, during the final season of the TV series Frasier, Patrick Stewart appeared on the show as a gay Seattle socialite and opera director who mistakes Frasier for a potential lover. In 2005, he was cast as Professor Ian Hood in an ITV thriller 4-episode series, Eleventh Hour (2006), created by Stephen Gallagher. He played Captain Nemo in a two-part adaptation of The Mysterious Island (Russell Mulcahy, 2005) opposite Kyle MacLachlan. Stewart also appeared as a nudity-obsessed caricature of himself in Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant's television series Extras (2005).

In 2006, Stewart made a short video against domestic violence for Amnesty International, in which he recollected his father's physical attacks on his mother and the effect it had on him as a child. He did voice roles such as CIA Deputy Director Avery Bullock in the animated series American Dad! (2005-2017) and narrated Ted (Seth MacFarlane, 2012). Stewart remained performing with the Royal Shakespeare Company. In 2008 he played King Claudius in 'Hamlet' on the West End and won a second Olivier Award. He was awarded the OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in the 2000 Queen's Millennium Honours list for his services to acting and the cinema. In 2010, Stewart was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for services to drama.

Stewart and his first wife, Sheila Falconer, divorced in 1990 after 24 years of marriage. They have two children, son Daniel and daughter Sophia. Daniel is a television actor and has appeared alongside his father in the made-for-television film Death Train (David Jackson, 1993) starring Pierce Brosnan, and the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode The Inner Light (1992). In 1997, Stewart became engaged to Wendy Neuss, a producer of Star Trek: The Next Generation. They married in August 2000, and divorced three years later. Four months before his divorce from Neuss, Stewart played opposite actress Lisa Dillon in a production of The Master Builder, and the two were romantically involved until 2007.

In 2008, Patrick Stewart began dating Sunny Ozell, a singer and songwriter based in New York, whom Stewart met while performing in Macbeth at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. They married in 2013.  Sir Ian McKellen performed the wedding ceremony. Patrick Stewart played an ageing Juilliard dance professor with a colourful past in the film Match (Stephen Belber, 2015) with Carla Gugino and Matthew Lillard. He starred as Walter Blunt, a British journalist, intent on conquering American cable news in the TV series Blunt Talk (2015-2016).

He reprised his role as Picard in the TV series Star Trek: Picard (Jonathan Frakes, a.o., 2020-2023) and his role as Professor Charles Xavier in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (2022–2026), with Avengers: Doomsday (Anthony Russo, Joe Russo, 2026) being his final film performance. He also acted in the thriller Green Room (Jeremy Saulnier, 2015), the urban fantasy action-adventure film The Kid Who Would Be King (Joe Cornish, 2019), and the mystery comedy-drama The Sheep Detectives (Kyle Balda, 2026) with Hugh Jackman. Patrick Stewart died of Alzheimer's disease and Lewy body dementia in Los Angeles on 28 October 2026, aged 86.


Dutch poster postcard by Boomerang Freecards, Amsterdam P19 00. Poster: Marvel / 20th Century Fox. Poster for X-Men (Bryan Singer, 2000). Caption: Trust a few, fear the rest.


Trailer for Match (2015). Source: Movieclips Film Festivals & Indie Films (YouTube).

Sources: NOS (Dutch), Wikipedia and IMDb.

Elke Sommer (1940-2026)

Gorgeous German actress and sex symbol Elke Sommer (1940-2026)) made 99 film and television appearances between 1959 and 2005. With her trademark pouty lips, high cheekbones and sky-high bouffant hairdos, Sommer conquered Hollywood in the early 1960s. She was also one of the most popular pin-up girls of the sixties, posed twice for Playboy and had a long-running feud with Zsa Zsa Gabor.


German postcard by Krüger, no. 902/157. Photo: UFA.


Spanish postcard by Archivo Bermejo, offered by Korès Carboplan, no. C-157, 1964. Photo: M.G.M. Publicity still for The Prize (Mark Robson, 1963).


Spanish postcard by Ediciones Tarjefher, no. 5.008, 1964.


German postcard by ISV, no. T-8.


Belgian postcard by S. Best, Antwerp, for Victoria chocolates, no. 29.


German postcard by Krüger, no. 902/347. Photo: Bernard of Hollywood.

Miss Viareggio Turistica

Elke Sommer was born Elke Schletz in 1940 in Berlin to a Lutheran Minister, Baron Peter von Schletz, and his wife, Renata Topp. In 1942, the family was forced to evacuate to Niederndorf, a village near Erlangen, a small university town in southern Germany.

Her father's death in 1955, when she was only 14, interrupted her education at the local Gymnasium (high school). In 1957, she graduated high school and moved to England. There she worked as an au pair in Chigwell and Hampstead, two expensive residential areas of London. She entertained plans to become a diplomatic translator for the United Nations, but instead decided to try modelling.

After winning the title 'Miss Viareggio Turistica' in 1958 while in Italy with her mother, she caught the attention of renowned film actor/director Vittorio De Sica and began performing on screen. Her debut film was in the Italian feature Uomini e nobiluomini / Men and Noblemen (Giorgio Bianchi, 1959), starring De Sica. Elke changed her surname from 'Schletz' to 'Sommer', easier for a non-German audience. A few more Italian pictures followed, including her first starring role in Femmine di lusso / Love, the Italian Way (Giorgio Bianchi, 1960) with Ugo Tognazzi and Walter Chiari.

Within two years, Elke made five films in Italy and also two in West Germany. Her German films were the adventure Das Totenschiff / Ship of the Dead (Georg Tressler, 1959) with Horst Buchholz, and the interesting Film Noir Am Tag, als der Regen kam / The Day It Rained (Gerd Oswald, 1959) starring Mario Adorf. Her status gradually upgraded to a European sex symbol in films such as the sexy De quoi tu te mêles Daniela! / Daniella by Night (Max Pécas, 1961) with Ivan Desny, Douce violence / Sweet Ecstasy (Max Pécas, 1962) opposite Pierre Brice, and the drama Das Mädchen und der Staatsanwalt / The Girl and the Prosecutor (Jürgen Goslar, 1962).

Her first English-language picture was Don't Bother to Knock (Cyril Frankel, 1961) with Richard Todd and Nicole Maurey. Most publicity photographs for Don't Bother to Knock showed her in a bikini. These revealed that although she was nothing like as buxom as Sophia Loren or Jayne Mansfield, Elke had a flat stomach and superb legs.


Dutch postcard by Gebr. Spanjersberg N.V., Rotterdam, no. 4626. Gebr. Spanjersberg was the Dutch licensee for the Ufa/Film-Fotopostcards. Photo: Georg Michalke / Ufa.


West German postcard by Rüdel-Verlag, Hamburg-Bergedorf, no. 4116. Photo: Rialto / Constantin / Reiter.


Dutch postcard by Uitg. Takken, Utrecht, no. AX 4982. Collection: Geoffrey Donaldson Institute.


Romanian postcard by Casa Filmului Acin, no. 502.


German postcard by Filmbilder-Vertrieb Ernst Freihoff, Essen, no. 789. Photo: Lothar Winkler.


French postcard by Editions P.I., Paris, offered by Les Carbones Korès 'Carboplane', no. 1127 A. Photo: J.L. Castelli.


West-German postcard by Kolibri (Friedrich W. Sander-Verlag), Minden/Westf., no. 2352.

With Peter Sellers in a nudist camp

Elke Sommer moved to Hollywood in the early 1960s to try and tap into the foreign-born market. Her sexy innocence made a vivid impression in the all-star, war-themed drama The Victors (Carl Foreman, 1963) with Vince Edwards and Albert Finney.

She received considerable publicity when she filmed her scenes twice, with a sexier version made for the European market. Elke played a German girl who sexually gratifies her American boyfriend (George Hamilton) with the full knowledge of her parents because he brings chocolate to the family home.

In 1964 she won the Golden Globe as Most Promising Female Newcomer for The Prize (Mark Robson, 1963), an espionage thriller with Paul Newman and Edward G. Robinson.

In the classic, bumbling comedy A Shot in the Dark (Blake Edwards, 1964), the second entry in the hilarious Pink Panther series, she proved a shady and sexy foil to Peter Sellers' Inspector Clouseau. A scene with Sellers and Elke in a nudist camp received enormous publicity, and the film was a huge hit.

Besides becoming one of the top film stars of the mid-1960s, Sommer was also one of the most popular pin-up girls of the time. She posed for two spreads in Playboy: in the September 1964 issue and in the December 1967 issue.


German postcard by ISV, no. Sort 8/6.


German postcard by ISV, no. Sort 16/6.


German postcard by Krüger, no. 900/300. Photo: Georg Michalke.


German postcard by UFA (Universum-Film Aktiengesellschaft), Berlin-Tempelhof, no. CK 438. Photo: Herbert Fried / UFA.


German postcard by UFA (Universum-Film Aktiengesellschaft), Berlin-Tempelhof, no. CK 407. Photo: Georg Michalke / UFA.


Vintage collector card, no. 24.

Lingerie or lederhosen

Elke Sommer was the leading lady opposite hunky sixties stars like James Garner, Robert Vaughn and Dean Martin in Hollywood productions such as the crime melodrama The Art of Love (Norman Jewison, 1965), The Money Trap (Burt Kennedy, 1965), The Oscar (Russell Rouse, 1966), The Venetian Affair (Jerry Thorpe, 1967), and the Matt Helm spy spoof The Wrecking Crew (Phil Karlson, 1969).

The blonde and beautiful Sommer proved irresistible to American audiences whether adorned in lace or leather, donning lingerie or lederhosen. She also continued to make films in Europe.

The Euro-Western Unter Geiern / Among Vultures (Alfred Vohrer, 1964) was based on one of the Winnetou novels by Karl May. Her co-stars were Stewart Granger as Old Surehand, Götz George and Pierre Brice as Winnetou.

In 1966 she returned to England to work on the Bulldog Drummond extravaganza Deadlier Than the Male (Ralph Thomas, 1968). The film has minor cult status, mainly because Richard Johnson gives a superb James Bond-like performance, but also because Elke and Sylva Koscina were so eye-catching as two sexually-charged assassins.

Always a diverting attraction in spy intrigue or breezy comedy, she was too often misused. Setbacks started when the quality of her films began to deteriorate. Examples were the tacky Hollywood entry, The Oscar (Russell Rouse, 1966) with Stephen Boyd, and the Bob Hope misfire, Boy, Did I Get a Wrong Number! (George Marshall, 1966). Her title role in the tasteless Cold War comedy The Wicked Dreams of Paula Schultz (George Marshall, 1968) proved her undoing.


German postcard by ISV, no. C 13. Photo: Constantin. Publicity still for Unter Geiern / Among Vultures (Alfred Vohrer, 1964) with Götz George.


German postcard, no. 13. Photo: Constantin. Publicity still for Unter Geiern / Among Vultures (Alfred Vohrer, 1964) with Elke Sommer as Annie Dillman. Caption: The watchful Annie secretly observes the vulture Weller, who has crept as a Mormon preacher onto Baumann's farm. Allegedly, he is supposed to look after the diamond trek to Arizona. By a flippant remark from Old Wabble, he learns of Annie's treasure.


German postcard, no. 20. Photo: Constantin. Publicity still for Unter Geiern / Among Vultures (Alfred Vohrer, 1964). Caption: The adventurous Annie would have liked to be there. While Martin is at work, two vultures are chasing in a wild gallop. Annie still does not know what will be imminent in the next few minutes.


German postcard, no. 23. Photo: Constantin. Publicity still for Unter Geiern / Among Vultures (Alfred Vohrer, 1964) with Elke Sommer as Annie Dillman. Caption: Bravely, Annie defends herself against the bandits who surround her on all sides. She is locked up in a room on the first floor. In vain she tries to explain to the vultures that she does not carry the money at all.


German postcard, no. 41. Photo: Constantin. Publicity still for Unter Geiern / Among Vultures (Alfred Vohrer, 1964) with Elke Sommer as Annie Dillman and Götz George as Martin Bauman Jr. Caption: From a hill, Annie and Martin watch the settlers' camp. They do not know yet that several members of the vulture gang have crept unnoticed into the trek.


West German postcard, no. 63. Photo: Rialto / Constantin. Götz George and Elke Sommer in Unter Geiern / Among Vultures (Alfred Vohrer, 1964). Caption: Martin has realised that Annie is more than just a pretty girl. They have both decided to start a new life together, because Baumann’s ranch needs a new mistress.

Vomiting live frogs and insects.

Elke Sommer spoke seven languages fluently, and her career took her to scores of countries over time. Her films during the 1970s included the British World War I action-drama Zeppelin (Étienne Périer, 1971) in which she co-starred with Michael York and Anton Diffring, and a remake of Agatha Christie's oft-filmed murder mystery 'Ten Little Indians', And Then There Were None (Peter Collinson, 1974) with Richard Attenborough and Oliver Reed.

In 1972, she starred in two low-budget Italian Horror films directed by Mario Bava, which became cult classics. Gli orrori del castello di Norimberga / Baron Blood (Mario Bava, 1972) with Joseph Cotten turned out to be an international box office success, particularly in the U.S. Producer Alfredo Leone offered Bava a contract for another film, Lisa e il diavolo / Lisa and the Devil (Mario Bava, 1973) with Telly Savalas, and granted Bava total artistic control on it.

Lisa e il diavolo was later re-edited into a very different film called Casa dell'esorcismo / House of Exorcism, a rip-off of The Exorcist. In 1975, Elke returned to Italy for additional scenes, which the producer inserted against the director's wishes. In those scenes, a demonic Elke swears obscenities at her exorcist, and in typical Linda Blair style spits out pea soup and actually vomits live frogs and insects.

In England, she good-naturedly appeared in the ‘comedy’ films Percy (Ralph Thomas, 1971) and its equally cheeky sequel Percy's Progress (Ralph Thomas, 1974), which starred Hywel Bennett (later Leigh Lawson) as the first man to have a penis transplant. She also showed up in a ‘Carry On’ farce, Carry on Behind (Gerald Thomas, 1975) as the Russian Professor Anna Vrooshka.

In Germany, Elke Sommer appeared in Edgar Reitz’s Die Reise nach Wien / The Trip to Vienna (1973) with Hannelore Elsner, and in Wolfgang Petersen’s thriller Einer von uns beiden / One or the Other (1974) opposite Klaus Schwarzkopf and Jürgen Prochnow.


Italian postcard by Rotalfoto, Milano, no. R 259.


Italian postcard. Photo: DEAR Film. Publicity still for Boy, Did I Get a Wrong Number! (George Marshall, 1966).


French postcard by Editions P.I., Paris, no. 1091. Photo: Anders.


German postcard by Krüger, no. 902/269.


German postcard by Krüger, no. 902/169. Photo: Fried Agency.


Yugoslavian postcard by Cik Razglednica.

Long-running feud

From the mid-1970s, Elke Sommer worked more for TV. She appeared as a guest star in popular series such as The Six Million Dollar Man (1976), Fantasy Island (1981) and The Love Boat (1981, 1984). She played in the Mini-Series Inside the Third Reich (Marvin J. Chomsky, 1982), Jenny's War (Steve Gethers, 1985), Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna (Marvin J. Chomsky, 1986) and Peter the Great (Marvin J. Chomsky, Lawrence Schiller, 1986).

Sommer had a long-running feud with Zsa Zsa Gabor that began in 1984 when both appeared on Circus of the Stars and escalated into a multi-million dollar libel suit by 1993. Gabor and her husband made disparaging remarks about Sommer to several German publications. The jury ruled in favour of Sommer, and Gabor and her husband were sentenced to pay $2 million. Sommer also appeared as a cabaret singer and released several albums. She found a creative outlet on stage too with such vehicles as 'Irma la Douce' and 'Born Yesterday', eventually becoming a director. Sadly, while performing in 'Chicago', she lost twins in her sixth month of pregnancy.

Since the 1990s, she has concentrated more on writing and painting than on acting. Her artwork shows a strong influence from Marc Chagall. She even hosted a TV series on painting. Nevertheless, she tackled an acting role occasionally. Out of the blue, she was cast in a Fangoria magazine production, the Horror picture Severed Ties (1992). In her native Germany, she played in the TV film Ewig rauschen die Gelder / Eternally Rustling Funds (Rene Heinersdorff, 2005) and the comedy Das Leben ist zu lang (Dani Levy, 2010) with Markus Hering and Meret Becker.

Divorced from writer and journalist Joe Hyams, she married hotelier Wolf Walther in 1993. In a 2014 interview, Sommer described how she met him: "I was in New York City starring in 'Tamara' and had to stay there for four months. So, I had to find an apartment, but they were excruciatingly expensive, tiny and loud. I knew the managing director of the Essex House and wanted to talk to him about renting a room, but the hotel had a new managing director, a man called Wolf Walther. So we met. For him, it was love at first sight. For me, it took a little longer, but not much longer. As you may know, 'Tamara' is a play in which the audience follows the actor of their choice, and as you may also know, my husband is 6'5" and hard to miss. I saw him every night in the audience, following me. Every night. And that was the beginning of the greatest love story of my life, still unfolding and getting better by the day."

Elke Sommer died in 2026 of heart failure at her home in Bel Air, near Los Angeles, a few months after the death of her husband, Wolf Walther. Looking back, Sommer felt she had had a wonderful career, in which “I played all sorts of roles, from a prostitute to a nun”. She was satisfied with how she had developed as an actress. “I’ve become quite good, thanks to my stage work, by taking my work seriously and simply by living long enough.”


Vintage photo. Mario Adorf and Elke Sommer in Am Tag als der Regen kam / The Day It Rained (Gerd Oswald, 1959).


American trailer De quoi tu te mêles, Daniela! / Daniella by Night (1961). Source: Deathtrap Trailers (YouTube).


Trailer The Prize (1963). Source: InnuMaccaband (YouTube).


Trailer A Shot in the Dark (1964). Source: Movieclips Classic Trailers (YouTube).


Scene from Deadlier Than The Male (1968). Source: Fan90042 (YouTube).


Trailer Casa dell'esorcismo / House of Exorcism (1975). Source: trailersdaculto (YouTube).

Sources: Gary Brumburgh (IMDb), NOS (Dutch), Cult Sirens (Now defunct), Brian’s Drive-in Theatre, Wikipedia, and IMDb.