stella stevens and jerry lewis
Stella Stevens was married to Noble Herman Stephens. She was predeceased by her longtime partner, rock musician Bob Kulick. Stella Stevens, a prominent leading lady in 1960s and 70s comedies perhaps best known for playing the object of Jerry Lewiss affection in The Nutty Hollywood actress Stella Stevens, who co-starred with Elvis Presley in Girls! Next came The Nutty Professor as Lewis student, Stella Purdy, who he is infatuated with. Jerry Lewis. Stevens also ranked as no. Beyond the Dash Home; Stella Stevens, a prominent leading lady in 1960s and 70s comedies perhaps best known for playing the object of Jerry Lewiss affection in The Nutty Professor, has died. He was sort of my mentor, and later, he introduced me to Jerry Lewis. Jerry Lewis and Stella Stevens in The Nutty Professor (1996) People Jerry Lewis, Stella Stevens. Currently in her 80s, Stevens suffers from dementia and has been living in an assisted living home in California where Kulick frequently visited and cared for her until he passed away in May of 2020. After she'd seduced audiences everywhere with her stunning physique, Paramount Pictures signed Stevens and thrusted her into the golden age of Hollywood. Stevens was known for starring alongside Jerry Lewis in "The Nutty Professor". There Arent Enough Electricians. Stella Stevens, a prominent leading lady in 1960s and 70s comedies perhaps best known for playing the object of Jerry Lewiss affection in The Nutty Professor, has died. Born Estelle Caro Eggleston in Yazoo City, Mississippi in 1938, she married at 16 and gave birth to her first and only child, actor/producer Andrew Stevens in 1955 when she was 17, and divorced two years later. However, Stevens was beginning to showcase her true acting skills. The more it went on, the more he drank and the worse it got. Was Girls! A female figure from westerns. She started acting and modeling during her time at Memphis State University and made her film debut in a minor role in the Bing Crosby musical Say One for Me in 1959, but she considered Lil Abner her big break. Girls! I want to die on a movie set., FILE - Actress Stella Stevens and actor Robert Vaughn, a nominee for best supporting actor of the year for "The Young Philadelphians," arrive at the Academy Award fashion show which preceded the Oscar presentations in Hollywood, April 4, 1960. We all tried to make the characters he had created in the script special, wonderful, unique and if you ask me, I do believe thats why the film still holds up after all those years.. Press Esc to cancel. 27 in Playboys 100 Sexiest Stars Of The 20th Century.. The Clift picture didnt pan out either, at least with her promised co-star. She was 84. Delivered every Thursday. But it was a very bad experience for me. The competition is tough, young people replace older generations of actors, and even they have to wait and see what their chances will be like in the near future. Girls! Maria Calabrese, founder of Green Life Media and Stevens manager and friend, remembered the actress as one of the most wonderful and gifted people and the OG of strong Hollywood women., It was an honor and a privilege to work with Stella, who was one of the most wonderful and gifted people I have ever worked with, Calabrese wrote in a statement to Deadline. Jerry always walked in early, and he was the last one to leave in the evening. Through the 1970s and 1980s, Stevens worked steadily in television, also appearing in Hart to Hart, The Love Boat and Wonder Woman, where she played a Nazi judo champ who thought she could take on Lynda Carter's titular heroine. Stevens lost some of her confidence as she was convinced her character was rejected because Laurel was the prettier girl. Photo by Silver Screen It turned into John Cassavetes' "Too Late Blues," with Bobby Darrin. She was 84. (1968) DIR James Neilson PROD William Frye SCR Blanche Hanalis (characters created by Jane Trahey) CAM Sam Leavitt ED Adrienne Fazan CAST Rosalind Russell, Stella Stevens (Sister George), Binnie Barnes, Mary Wickes, Dolores Sutton, Van Johnson, Susan Saint James, THE MAD ROOM (1969) DIR Bernard Girard PROD Norman Maurer SCR Bernard Girard, A.Z. Stella Stevens, a prominent leading lady in 1960s and 70s comedies perhaps best known for playing the object of Jerry Lewiss affection in The Nutty She was 84. She started acting and modeling during her time at Memphis State University and made her film debut in a minor role in the Bing Crosby musical Say One for Me in 1959, but she considered Lil Abner her big break. Stella Stevens was a popular Hollywood actress of the 1960s and '70s who starred in such hit movies as the Jerry Lewis comedy "The Nutty Professor" and the disaster film "The Poseidon Adventure." She also guested on specials with Crosby, Bob Hope and others. During this interview, Ms. Stevens talked enthusiastically about new projects she was working on as a director and hoped to get them financed, but as it turned out, thats always a question markanytime, anywhere. Another favorite of mine was George Marshall, who had directed me in Advance to the Rear [1964]. Her many other film credits include The Silencers, The Ballad of Cable Hogue, Sol Madrid, Where Angels Go Trouble Follows! The head of publicity at Paramount basically made me a worldwide sex symbol, Stevens told FilmTalk in 2017. Famed for her appearances in The Nutty Professor (with Jerry Lewis), Girls! Stella Stevens, Hollywood Bombshell Who Yearned for More, Dies at 84 She starred alongside the likes of Elvis Presley and Jerry Lewis. But if Im correct, directing has always been a passion of yours. I saw (Bob Hope) at 83 cracking jokes and having fun. I was a divorced mom with a toddler by the time I was 17. Titles The Nutty Professor. Juli 1935 in Brooklyn, New York; eigentlich Sidney Liebowitz) singt "Pretty blue Eyes" (1959). LOS ANGELES -- Stella Stevens, a prominent leading lady in 1960s and 70s comedies perhaps best known for playing the object of Jerry Lewis's affection in "The Nutty Professor," has died. Girls!, starring opposite Presley in 1962, Stevens said she did not like the script, but Paramount told her she was contractually obliged to do it. Girls! The couple had one son together named Andrew Stevens (who would grow up to became a successful writer/director/producer) before they divorced in 1957. 1 of 534. She was 84. Stella Stevens had a son with her ex-husband, Noble. Her truly convincing performance displayed her genuine acting talents and that she was more than just the hot body she was known for. Hollywood actress Stella Stevens, who co-starred with Elvis Presley in Girls! I want to go on forever. I want to die on a movie set. I said then that I never wanted to quit. She said the support she got from other teams was 'overwhelming. Were there any directors in particular that you liked? Girls! By submitting your email to receive this newsletter, you agree to our. Maybe this adulation was only one-sided. Girls! with Elvis Presley, which she only agreed to do because she was promised to a Montgomery Clift movie if she did it. So he had something in mind for me; before he had cast me, he had seen The Nutty Professor, and he used to make little comments about it. In the end, Jerry did all he could to make me as big a star as he could, and Sam did the same thing in his picture. In an interview in 1994, Stevens said that she worried that she didnt succeed in bringing out the best in her directors and that her ambitions changed. He was so wonderful, amazing and talented, a delightful man with a great sense of humor. My favorite was Vincente Minnelli. Girls! I wanted to be like a burst of youth and then when I got a little crow's feet or age, I'd be off the screen," she said." It was a very exciting time.". Fortunately for me, it was only six days work. However, to this day, shes still best remembered as one of the most delightful comediennes of her heyday. Stevens modelled for Playboy multiple times and was Playmate of the Month in January 1960. Later that same year, she played the mistress Appassionata von Climax in the musical film Lil Abner. All Rights Reserved. Stella Stevens, a prominent leading lady in 1960s and 70s comedies perhaps best known for playing the object of Jerry Lewiss affection in The Nutty Professor, has died. Girls! WebSteve Lawrence (* 8. I said then that I never wanted to quit. Photo by John Springer Collection/Corbis via Getty Images - Image courtesy gettyimages.com. And if you ask me, I do believe thats why the film still holds up after all those years. I want to die on a movie set.. Begin typing your search above and press return to search. Bobby was a very fine actor, but as you can imagine, he was no Montgomery Clift, she said. Girls! February 17, 2023 10:58am Stella Stevens Stella Stevens, the actress best known for her roles in The Nutty Professor and The Poseidon Adventure and starring She was 84. "He had me doing a lot of layouts with photographers - indoors, outdoors, here and there - being seen in different places, going to the best restaurants, meeting with wonderful actors and directors those were the golden years of Hollywood. Stella Stevens, a prominent leading lady in 1960s and 70s comedies perhaps best known for playing the object of Jerry Lewis's affection in The Nutty Professor, has died. Never push anything and hope that everything will be perfect. ', Death toll keeps rising in Greece's deadliest train crash. A former Playboy centerfold from January 1960, Stevens was modeling in her hometown of Memphis when she was discovered and given a screen test by 20th Century Fox. Ms. Stevens, do you remember the early start of your career in movies? Its very simple. Stella Stevens, a prominent leading lady in 1960s and 70s comedies perhaps best known for playing the object of Jerry Lewis's affection in "The Nutty Professor," has died. and with Jerry Lewis in The Nutty Professor, has died at the age of 84, family members say. She was 84. Stella Stevens, the actress best known for her roles in The Nutty Professor and The Poseidon Adventure and starring opposite Elvis Presley in Girls! It turned into John Cassavetes Too Late Blues, with Bobby Darrin. Stevens won a Golden Globe for her 1959 film debut as a chorus girl in Say One for Me, which also starred Bing Crosby and Debbie Reynolds. Her popularity rose even higher in 1972 when she became Detective Lieutenant Mike Rogos former-prostitute wife Linda Rogo for the disaster film The Poseidon Adventure. BACK. Plan your weekend with our picks for the best events, restaurant and movie reviews, TV shows and more. Leemage. Playboy published Stevens as the January 1960 Playmate of the Month, and continued to publish photos of her throughout the 60s. Stella Stevens, who starred alongside Elvis Presley in Girls! Rita, however, said Jerry was serious about never leaving Patti as actress Stella Stevens learned the hard way. She had started an affair with Jerry on the set of 1963's "The Nutty Professor." Rita recalled: "Jerry once called a meeting with three associates, and he kept them waiting outside his dressing room for an hour in the heat. Jerry Lewis had told the bosses at Paramount he wanted to cast the most beautiful ingnue working at the studio or something like that and so I got the gig, she said. South ED Edward A. Biery MUS John Cacavas CAST Stella Stevens (Linda Reston), Ed Nelson, John McIntire, John Saxon, Ford Rainey, John Fink, Alan Fudge, Ross Elliott, HONKY TONK (1974) DIR Don Taylor PROD Hugh Benson TELEPLAY Douglas Heyes CAM Joseph F. Biroc ED Henry Batista MUS Jerry Fielding CAST Richard Crenna, John Dehner, Will Geer, Margot Kidder, Geoffrey Lewis, Stella Stevens (Gold Dust), Richard Farnsworth, THE DAY THE EARTH MOVED (1974) DIR Robert Michael Lewis PROD Bobby Sherman, Ward Sylvester TELEPLAY Jack Turley, Max Jack (story by Jack Turley) CAM Charles F. Wheeler ED John F. Link MUS Bobby Sherman CAST Jackie Cooper, Stella Stevens (Kate Barker), Cleavon Little, William Windom, Beverly Garland, Tammy Harrington, Kelly Thordsen, KISS ME KILL ME (1976) DIR Michael OHerlihy TELEPLAY Robert E. Thompson CAM Meredith M. Nicholson ED Arthur Hilton MUS Richard Markowitz CAST Stella Stevens (Stella Stafford), Michael Anderson Jr., Dabney Coleman, Bruce Boxleitner, Alan Fudge, Bruce Glover, Morgan Paull, Pat OBrien, Robert Vaughn, Claude Akins, WANTED: THE SUNDANCE WOMAN (1976) DIR Lee Philips PROD Ron Preissman TELEPLAY Richard Fielder CAM Terry K. Meade ED Samuel E. Beetley MUS Fred Karlin CAST Katharine Ross, Steve Forrest, Stella Stevens (Lola Wilkins), Michael Constantine, Katherine Helmond, Hector Elizondo, Warren Berlinger, CHARLIE COBB: NICE NIGHT FOR A HANGING (1977) DIR Richard Michaels PROD Peter S. Fischer TELEPLAY Peter S. Fischer (story by Peter S. Fischer, Richard Levinson, William Link) CAM Andrew Jackson ED Howard Deane MUS Mike Post, Pete Carpenter CAST Clu Gulager, Ralph Bellamy, Blair Brown, Christopher Connelly, George Furth, Pernell Roberts, Stella Stevens (Martha McVea), Josh Taylor, Ted Chapman, MURDER IN PEYTON PLACE (1977) DIR Bruce Kessler PROD Peter Katz TELEPLAY Richard De Roy (novel by Grace Metalious) CAM Gert Andersen ED Bud S. Isaacs MUS Laurence Rosenthal CAST Dorothy Malone, Ed Nelson, Tim OConnor, Joyce Jillson, Christopher Connelly, Mia Farrow, Janet Margolin, Marj Dusay, James Booth, Stella Stevens (Stella Chernak), Linda Gray, Catherine Bach, THE NIGHT THEY TOOK MISS BEAUTIFUL (1977) DIR Robert Michael Lewis PROD George Lefferts TELEPLAY George Lefferts (story by Lou LaRose) CAM Jules Brenner ED Les Green, Robert L. Swanson MUS Walter Murphy CAST Gary Collins, Chuck Connors, Henry Gibson, Peter Haskell, Sheree North, Victoria Principal, Phil Silvers, Stella Stevens (Kate Malloy), CRUISE INTO TERROR (1978) DIR Bruce Kessler PROD Aaron Spelling, Douglas S. Cramer TELEPLAY Michael Braverman CAM Archie R. Dalzell ED Dennis Virkler, John Wright MUS Gerald Fried CAST Dirk Benedict, John Forsythe, Linda Day George, Christopher George, Jo Ann Harris, Hugh OBrien, Stella Stevens (Marilyn Magnesun), Hilarie Thompson, Marshall Thompson, THE JORDAN CHANCE (1978) DIR Jules Irving PROD Jo Swerling, Jr. TELEPLAY Stephen J. Cannell (story by Stephen J. Cannell, Roy Huggins) CAM Enzo A. Martinelli, Leonard J. If you ask me, it was a very fine actor, but as you can,... A toddler by the time i was 17 believe thats why the film still holds up all., Where Angels Go Trouble Follows stella stevens and jerry lewis of mine was George Marshall, who co-starred Elvis... 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