Elke Sommer Net Worth - Pulptastic

What is Elke Sommer’s net worth?

Elke Sommer, a German actress, singer, model, and painter, has a net worth of $20 million dollars. Over her multi-decade career, Sommer appeared in more than 100 TV shows and films. She gained fame in the 60s and 70s for her appearances in a variety of movies, such as “The Prize,” “A Shot in the Dark,” and “The Money Trap.”

Sommer continued to act on television in the 80s and 90s, appearing in various TV series and movies. She also released several successful albums. Nowadays, she is focused on her painting career in Los Angeles and has appeared in multiple German productions.

Early Life and Education

Elke Sommer was born on November 5, 1940 in Berlin, Germany to Renata and Lutheran minister Baron Peter von Schletz. During World War II, her family was evacuated to Niederndorf, a small village, where she attended a college preparatory high school. After finishing her education, Sommer moved to the United Kingdom to work as an au pair and improve her English language skills.

Elke Sommer’s Early Acting Career

In the late 50s, Elke Sommer was discovered by Vittorio De Sica while vacationing in Italy. She went on to appear in four Italian films in 1959, including “The Friend of the Jaguar,” “Men and Noblemen,” “La Pica sul Pacifico,” and “Ragazzi del Juke-Box.” Additionally, Sommer starred in two West German films that same year, “The Death Ship” and “The Day the Rains Came.”

Elke Sommer’s Film Career in the 1960s

Elke Sommer was a prominent international star of cinema in the 1960s, appearing in numerous films from different parts of the world. She starred in West German drama “Stage Fright,” Italian romantic comedy “Femmine di Lusso,” British comedy “Don’t Bother to Knock,” German comedy “Beloved Impostor,” German musical “Café Oriental,” French drama “Douce Violence,” German drama “The Phone Rings Every Night,” and French thriller “Les Bricoleurs” in the early part of the decade.

In 1963, Sommer featured in two significant English-language films – the British-American war film “The Victors” and the American spy film “The Prize,” where she co-starred alongside Paul Newman and Edward G. Robinson. She had notable roles in the “Pink Panther” sequel “A Shot in the Dark” and the Western “Among Vultures” in 1964.

Sommer continued to be prolific on the big screen throughout the latter half of the 60s. She starred in American films “The Art of Love” and “The Money Trap” in 1965, and appeared as herself in the German thriller “Hotel der toten Gäste.” Sommer went on to have memorable starring roles in “The Oscar,” “Boy, Did I Get a Wrong Number!,” “The Venetian Affair,” “The Corrupt Ones,” “The Wicked Dreams of Paula Schultz,” and “They Came to Rob Las Vegas.” Her final role of the decade was in the spy comedy “The Wrecking Crew,” co-starring Dean Martin and Sharon Tate.

Elke Sommer’s Prolific Decades in Film

Elke Sommer had a prolific decade in the 70s, starring in adventure, comedy, horror, and action films. She appeared in “The Invincible Six,” “Percy,” “Zeppelin,” “Baron Blood,” “Lisa and the Devil,” “Trip to Vienna,” “One or the Other of Us,” “And Then There Were None,” “The Net,” “Carry On Behind,” “The Swiss Conspiracy,” “Meet Him and Die,” “One Away,” “The Astral Factor,” “I Miss You, Hugs and Kisses,” “The Prisoner of Zenda,” “The Double McGuffin,” “The Treasure Seekers,” and “A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square.”

In the 80s, Sommer acted less frequently, appearing in “Exit Sunset Boulevard,” “The Man in Pyjamas,” “Lily in Love,” and “Himmelsheim.” In the 90s, she appeared in the direct-to-video film “Severed Ties.”

Television Career

During her career, Elke Sommer appeared on several popular television shows including “The Dean Martin Show,” “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson,” and “Hollywood Squares.” In the 80s, she hosted “The Exciting World of Speed and Beauty,” and portrayed historical figures in television films such as Magda Goebbels in “Inside the Third Reich” and Isabel Von Hohenstauffen in “Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna.” She continued to work on television in the 90s, appearing on series such as “Counterstrike,” “Destiny Ridge,” and “Gisbert.” In the 2000s, Sommer appeared in several German television films such as “Reblaus” and “Ewig Rauschen die Gelder.”

Elke Sommer’s Feud with Zsa Zsa Gabor

In 1984, Elke Sommer and Zsa Zsa Gabor, who had appeared together on “Circus of the Stars,” began a long-standing feud. The conflict between the two escalated into a multimillion-dollar libel suit, with Sommer claiming that she was defamed by Gabor and her husband, Frédéric Prinz von Anhalt. The legal battle ended in a victory for Sommer, who was awarded over $3 million in damages.

Marriages of Elke Sommer

Elke Sommer married Hollywood columnist Joe Hyams in 1964. The couple got divorced in 1993. After divorcing Hyams, Sommer married Wolf Walther, the managing director of the luxury New York hotel Essex House.

Elke Sommer’s Los Angeles Mansion Listed for $10.75 Million

Elke Sommer, who has lived in a 4,000 square-foot mansion in Los Angeles for several decades, has listed the property for sale in March 2022. The mansion features a pool and tennis court and is priced at $10.75 million.