ABC7 Chicago 24/7 Stream LOS ANGELES -- Stella Stevens, a prominent leading lady in 1960s and 70s comedies perhaps best known for playing the object of 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. Soon after, she won the New Star Golden Globe, was named Playboys Playmate of the Month and got a contract with Paramount Pictures, leading to film work and Girls! What about Elvis Presley, did he support you in any way? The Clift picture didn't pan out either, at least with her promised co-star. Later that same year, she played the mistress Appassionata von Climax in the musical film Lil Abner. If anyone would have given me a job to direct, I think I could have done it. I also like Ride the High Country [1962] and The Wild Bunch [1969] a lot. Plan your weekend with our picks for the best events, restaurant and movie reviews, TV shows and more. and The Secret of My Success. It was a very exciting time.. mediafunhouse 1.9K subscribers Subscribe 1K 430K views 16 years ago For more clips like this, and a In an interview in 1994, Stevens said that she worried that she didn't succeed in bringing out the best in her directors and that her ambitions changed. She retired in 2010. He was a writer-director, and thats who I liked to work witha writer-director. Her character met a grisly end. For me, it all started when I did Lil Abner [1959]. Stevens' talents excelled not only through acting alongside superstars that included the King of Rock 'n Roll, but also in comedy, directing, producing, and writing. Stevens also appeared in Lil Abner that year. Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window), Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Marc J. Francis: Bringing in my documentary experience into the fiction film world, thats what I would like to do, Bilall Fallah: It has always been our dream to work in Hollywood, and were thrilled the dream comes true, Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival. Mel Torm, Skip Ward, Michael Dante, Robert Evans, Hugh O'Brian, Buddy Bregman, Warren Beatty and Jerry Lewis: Divorce: Noble Herman Stephens: Net Worth: $10 Million: Salary: $400k: Eye Color: Blue: Hair Color: Blonde: GIRLS! In one of her most memorable roles, 1963 sci-fi comedy The Nutty Professor, Stevens played a student of Jerry Lewis' socially awkward university lecturer. with Elvis Presley, which she only agreed to do because she was promised to a Montgomery Clift movie if she did it. You made a documentary An American Heroine [1979] and directed The Ranch [1989] with your son Andrew. 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." I didnt want to do the movie, and I was treated pretty badly. Stevens also ranked as no. WebJerry Lewis and Stella Stevens at an event for The Nutty Professor (1996) People Jerry Lewis, Stella Stevens. 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. Stevens estate said she died Friday in Los Angeles after a long illness. Average Retirement Savings By Age: Are You Normal? I want to die on a movie set.. 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. Also, we had Ronald Neame as our director. A female figure from westerns. 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. Stevens also played one half of a newlywed couple on The Poseidon Adventure, a shipwreck movie that became one of the biggest blockbusters of 1972. Girls! While most admired Stevens for her bombshell appearance, the actress/model possessed more capabilities than just looking pretty. But if Im correct, directing has always been a passion of yours. Next came "The Nutty Professor" as Lewis' student, Stella Purdy, who he is infatuated with. 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. Basically, everybody was helping me to teach me to make a film back then. "She is finally reunited with Bob today. Was Girls! Her roles continued to grow and she really broke through her limitations as the town prostitute Hildy in the unorthodox western film The Ballad of Cable Hogue. Born in Yazoo City, Mississippi, in 1938 as Estelle Caro Eggleston, she wed electrician Noble Herman Stevens at 16 and gave birth to her first and only child Andrew. 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. Stevens also was a popular guest on talk shows, making about a half-dozen appearances on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, along with those hosted by the likes of Merv Griffin, Mike Douglas, Vicki Lawrence, David Frost and Alan Thicke. She was an amazing animal lover, horse wrangler, rock and roller, so ahead of her time and so much more than a sex symbol which her adoring fans admired her for and understood. 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 "Li'l Abner" her big break. (AP Photo, File), Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. Free Erik Pedersen contributed to this report. Ms. Stevens, do you remember the early start of your career in movies? Her many other film credits include The Silencers, The Ballad of Cable Hogue, Sol Madrid, Where Angels Go Trouble Follows! Along with her son, Stevens is survived by three grandchildren. Actress Stella Stevens appears at a Sterns Department Store in New York on Jan. 8, 1968. She was 84. Deadline is a part of Penske Media Corporation. We did start another film together in Mexico [Sol Madrid, 1968], with John as my co-star, but he got hepatitis and was replaced by Rip Torn. Desperate to impress her, he concocts a potion to transform himself into a charismatic hunk. Girls! (1962) with Elvis Presleyincidentally, all co-stars mentioned here died prematurelybefore she was cast to appear in The Nutty Professor (1963). 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. Subscribe to Deadline Breaking News Alerts and keep your inbox happy. (Photo by Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images). Girls! 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. She was 84. Other notable roles include Slaughter, with Jim Brown, the Sam Peckinpah television film The Ballad of Cable Hogue and The Poseidon Adventure in which she played Linda Rogo, Ernest Borgnines characters wife. The Poseidon Adventure [1972] turned out to be your biggest commercial success. Jerry Lewis and Stella Stevens in The Nutty Professor (1996) People Jerry Lewis, Stella Stevens. What sounds like a fantasy to most women was actually a severe disappointment to the actress. 1938) has always been one of the screens most prominent leading ladies of the 1960s and 1970s. WebFind many great new & used options and get the best deals for Jerry Lewis as The Hutty Professor movie ad 1963 Stella Stevens LK at the best online prices at eBay! He and Jerry had done many films together. Just relax, let it come out, and it would look fine on screen, he told me. Girls! Titles The Nutty Professor. Did you learn anything from him on the set of Too Late Blues? Girls! Home. Beginning at 20th Century Fox, she soon moved to Paramount to appear in Lil Abner (1959), where she signed a five-year contract which marked the beginning of her screen career. On set, Stevens also felt bored as all she was expected to do was stand around and look beautiful, and she was constantly yelled at by director Norman Taurog. Stella Stevens, Hollywood Bombshell Who Yearned for More, Dies at 84 She starred alongside the likes of Elvis Presley and Jerry Lewis. With The Nutty Professor (1963) as a major highlight of her long career, the 78-year-old blonde kept on acting for many years in supporting roles and various genres. His brother, Bruce - former guitarist for the US band Kiss - tweeted: "Legendary actress Stella Stevens, my brother's longtime partner, passed away this morning from a long illness. In 2017, shed say that her favorite director that she worked with was Vincente Minnelli on The Courtship of Eddies Father, from 1963. WebSteve Lawrence (* 8. Girls! Girls! Hollywood actress Stella Stevens, who co-starred with Elvis Presley in Girls! In 2017, she'd say that her favorite director that she worked with was Vincente Minnelli on "The Courtship of Eddie's Father," from 1963. Girls! Stella Stevens had a son with her ex-husband, Noble. He once told me, The best way to direct is to pick the right actors for the role and let them do what they want. He thought that typecasting was the best way to go. She went on to play Jerry Lewis dream girl in The Nutty Professor which was inducted into the National Film Registry in 2004 and the lippy wife of Ernest Borgnine in The Poseidon Adventure, the star-packed pic about the wreck of a luxury liner that was among the biggest hits of 1972 and helped fuel that decades disaster-movie trend. WebJerry Lewis and Stella Stevens at an event for The Nutty Professor (1996) People Jerry Lewis, Stella Stevens. ", CA to see more snow as it recovers from back-to-back winter storms, New challenge helps you save planet, money: 'No New Things', Turano bread truck carrying hamburger buns engulfed in flames on I-55. ", Chicago Mayor Lightfoot ousted; Vallas, Johnson in runoff, King asks Duke and Duchess of Sussex to move out of Frogmore so Prince Andrew can move in, Biden Mocks Marjorie Taylor Greene With 1 Simple Hand Gesture, A Nebraska high-school cheerleader competed on her own after the rest of her squad quit. Hollywood actress Stella Stevens, who co-starred with Elvis Presley in Girls! He just taught me how to direct a movie, and cinematographer Walt Kelley taught me all about lighting. Stevens estate said she died Friday in Los Angeles after a long illness. She was 84. Copyright 2023 by The Associated Press. I saw (Bob Hope) at 83 cracking jokes and having fun. Never push anything and hope that everything will be perfect. Stella Stevens, a prominent leading lady in 1960s and '70s comedies who is perhaps best known for playing the object of Jerry Lewis affection in The Nutty Professor, has died. Stella Stevens was married to Noble Herman Stephens. Martin (screenplay LADIES IN RETIREMENT [1941] by Reginald Denham, Garrett Fort; play by Reginald Denham, Edward Percy) CAM Harry Stradling, Jr. ED Pat Somerset MUS Dave Grusin CAST Stella Stevens (Ellen Hardy), Shelley Winters, Skip Ward, Carol Cole, Beverly Garland, Michael Burns, THE BALLAD OF CABLE HOGUE (1970) DIR PROD Sam Peckinpah SCR John Crawford, Edmund Penney CAM Lucien Ballard ED Lou Lombardo, Frank Santillo MUS Jerry Goldsmith CAST Jason Robards, Stella Stevens (Hildy), David Warner, Strother Martin, Slim Pickens, L.Q. All Rights Reserved. Later the studio dropped her, but she was signed by Paramount. WebJerry Lewis. I wouldnt say that. Period. Girls! She was the OG of strong Hollywood women.. BACK. Directed by screen veteran Norman Taurog and starring Elvis Presley while still at the peak of his popularity, I suppose it gave your career a boost? 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. 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. Anyone who knew himwhich is nearly the entire motion picture industryhas great memories and wonderful stories to tell about him. So thats three classics [laughs]. I did the best I could with the tools I had and the opportunities given me, she was once quoted as saying. "We all tried to make the characters he had created in the script special, wonderful, unique - and if you ask me, I do believe that's why the film still holds up after all those years.". Although she played a minor part, she nevertheless won the Golden Globe award for New Star Of The Year-Female, which then led to bigger roles. Plus, I was offered a movie with Montgomery Clift if I did this one, so that was the only reason for me to go through with it. She was 84. Well, he was nice; he was someone you could talk to. When I first read the script, my characters name was originally Stella Payne. Photo by John Springer Collection/Corbis via Getty Images - Image courtesy gettyimages.com. South ED Larry Lester MUS Pete Rugolo CAST Raymond Burr, Ted Shackelford, James Canning, Jeannie Fitzsimmons, John McIntire, Peter Haskell, Stella Stevens (Verna Stewart), FRIENDSHIPS, SECRETS AND LIES (1979) DIR Marlene Laird, Ann Zane Shanks PROD Jacqueline Babbin TELEPLAY Joanna Crawford (novel by Babs H. Deal) CAM Michael D. Margulies ED Diane Adler MUS Angela Morley CAST Cathryn Damon, Shelley Fabares, Sondra Locke, Tina Louise, Paula Prentiss, Stella Stevens (Edyth), Loretta Swit, Fran Bennett, MAKE ME AN OFFER (1980) DIR Jerry Paris PROD Carter DeHaven TELEPLAY Pamela Chais CAM Donald M. Morgan ED John F. Link, Tom Stevens MUS Ralph Burns CAST Susan Blakely, Patrick ONeal, John Rubinstein, Bruce Bauer, Carole Cook, Stella Stevens (Deidre Price), Walter Brooke, CHILDREN OF DIVORCE (1980) DIR TELEPLAY Joanna Lee PROD Charles B. Fitzsimmons CAM Harry J. 1 of 534. THE NUTTY PROFESSOR (1963) DIR Jerry Lewis PROD Ernest D. Glucksman SCR Jerry Lewis, Bill Richmond CAM W. Wallace Kelley ED John But they were two different people. Stevens worked in television, too, on series such as Murder She Wrote and Magnum, P.I. Playboy. Stellas character Robin was an immature singer who is fighting the sweetheart Laurel (played by Laurel Goodwin) for Elviss love. Girls! 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. I was a divorced mom with a toddler by the time I was 17. She also directed a pair of films: The Ranch (1989) and The American Heroine (1979). Girls!, 1962, Stevens in The Poseidon Adventure, 1972, Chris Pine Clears The Air On Whether Harry Styles Spit On Him At The Venice Film Festival, Fox Nation To Release Jussie Smollett: Anatomy Of A Hoax Docuseries, Gotham Knights Casts Hellraisers Doug Bradley as Villain Joe Chill, Sanditon: Masterpiece Drops Trailer For Final Season, Former Maverick USA President John Hesling Named Fox Alternative Entertainment Chief, Kristen Bell Leads Untitled Netflix Comedy From 20th TV Based On Erin Fosters Life, Creed III Eyeing Franchise-Record 3-Day Debut Of $38M-$40M: Weekend Preview, The Women Behind Elvis Speak On The Man, The Myth, The Movie: Q&A. You then appeared with Jerry Lewis in The Nutty Professor (1963). Stevens, a prominent leading lady in 1960s and '70s comedies who is perhaps best known for playing the object of Jerry Lewiss affection in The Nutty Professor, died Friday. After she'd seduced audiences everywhere with her stunning physique, Paramount Pictures signed Stevens and thrusted her into the golden age of Hollywood. How important has that film been in your career? 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. If he wanted you in his film, he would tell you everything you wanted to hear. and Jerry Lewis in The Nutty Professor, passed away at the age of 84 in Los Angeles on Friday, February 17. WebJerry Lewis. Goodwin, Stephen Cragg TELEPLAY Mark Rodgers (story by Mark Rodgers, Larry Cohen) CAM Robert Steadman ED Ronald J. Fagan MUS John Cavacas CAST Stella Stevens (Lt. Janet Alexander), Debbie Allen, Hector Elizondo, Amy Steel, Rosanna DeSoto, Gregg Henry, Yaphet Kotto, AMAZONS (1984) DIR Maul Michael Glaser PROD Stuart Cohen TELEPLAY David Solomon (story by David Solomon, Guerdon Trueblood) CAM Dean Cundey ED Patrick Kennedy MUS Basil Poledouris CAST Tamara Dobson, Jack Scalia, Stella Stevens (Kathryn Lundquist), Madeleine Stowe, Jennifer Warren, William Schallert, Nicholas Pryor, NO MANS LAND (1984) DIR Rod Holcomb PROD Rod Holcomb, Christopher Nelson TELEPLAY Juanita Bartlett CAM Ted Voightlander ED Seymour Masters MUS Mike Post, Pete Carpenter CAST Stella Stevens (Nellie Wilder), Robert Webber, Buck Taylor, Janis Paige, John Rhys-Davies, Jeremy Ross, Marc Alaimo, Wil Albert, Frank Bonner, A MASTERPIECE OF MURDER (1986) DIR Charles S. Dubin PROD Terry Morse, Jr. TELEPLAY Andrew J. Fenady, Terry Nation CAM Laszlo George ED Art Seid MUS Richard Markowitz CAST Bob Hope, Don Ameche, Jayne Meadows, Claudia Christian, Yvonne De Carlo, Anne Francis, Kevin McCarthy, Clive Revill, Stella Stevens (Della Vance / Deb Potts), Jamie Farr, Louise Sorel, THE HISTORY OF WHITE PEOPLE IN AMERICA: VOLUME II (1986) DIR Harry Shearer TELEPLAY Martin Mull, Allen Rucker ED John Axness MUS Wendy Mull CAST Martin Mull, Mary Kay Place, Fred Willard, Eileen Brennan, Harry Shearer, Stella Stevens, TALES FROM THE HOLLYWOOD HILLS: A TABLE AT CIROS (1987) DIR Leon Ichaso TELEPLAY Budd Schulberg, Stan H. Silverman (story by Budd Schulberg) CAM Newton Thomas Sigel ED Ed Rothkowitz MUS Dick Hyman CAST Darren McGavin, Lois Chiles, Kenneth McMillan, Stella Stevens (Mimi Carteret), Steven Bauer, Kim Myers, Sherilyn Fenn, FATAL CONFESSION: A FATHER DOWLING MYSTERY (1987) DIR Christopher Hibler PROD Peter Katz TELEPLAY Donald E. Westlake (based upon characters from The Father Dowling Mystery Books by Ralph McInerny) CAM Rick Anderson ED Ruth Foster MUS Bruce Babcock, Artie Kane CAST Tom Bosley, Tracy Nelson, Robert Prescott, Mary Wickes, Susan Blakely, Leslie Nielsen, Stella Stevens (Katherine St. Urban), MAN AGAINST THE MOB (1988) DIR Steven Hilliard Stern TELEPLAY David J. Kinghorn, John Rester Zodrow CAM Dennis C. Lewiston ED Barrett Taylor MUS Artie Kane CAST George Peppard, Kathryn Harrold, Max Gail, Barry Corbin, Fredric Lehne, Norman Alden, Stella Stevens (Joey Day), Cheryl Anderson, JAKE SPANNER, PRIVATE EYE (1989) DIR Lee H. Katzin PROD John Vinnedge, Syd Vinnedge TELEPLAY Andrew J. Fenady (novel by L.A. Morse) CAM Hctor R. Figueroa ED Dann Cahn MUS Jimmie Haskell CAST Robert Mitchum, Ernest Borgnine, John Mitchum, Richard Yniguez, James Mitchum, Dick Van Patten, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Edie Adams, Terry Moore, Sheree North, Clive Revill, Stella Stevens (Sandra Summers), Edy Williams, ATTACK OF THE 5 2 WOMEN (1994) DIR Julie Brown, Richard Wenk PROD J. Marina Muhlfriedel, Peter Manoogian TELEPLAY Julie Brown, Charlie Coffey CAM Rex Nicholson ED Debra Chiate MUS Christopher Tyng CAST Julie Brown, Newell Alexander, Lisa Arch, Priscilla Barnes, Vicki Lawrence, Dick Miller, Stella Stevens (Lawanda), SUBLIMINAL SEDUCTION (1996) DIR PROD Andrew Stevens TELEPLAY Karen Kelly CAM Gary Graver ED Peter Basinski MUS Terry Plumeri CAST Ian Ziering, Katherine Kelly Lang, Dee Wallace, Andrew Stevens, Larry Manetti, Kim Morgan Greene, Stella Stevens (Mrs. Beecham), THE DUKES OF HAZZARD: REUNION!