She was 84. Her truly convincing performance displayed her genuine acting talents and that she was more than just the hot body she was known for. Girls!" Isnt that something? 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. By subscribing, I agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. She also directed several films, the documentary "An American Heroine," which never got distribution, and "The Ranch." She was 84. I did the best I could with the tools I had and the opportunities given me, she was once quoted as saying. To be honest, as agonizing as it was, it was a lot of fun. (Jack Kanthal/AP). She was 84. Stevens worked steadily in television in the 1970s and 80s, appearing in the pilots for "Wonder Woman," "Hart to Hart" and "The Love Boat" and in series like "Night Court," "Murder She Wrote" and "Magnum, P.I.". Girls! Stevens worked steadily in television in the 1970s and 80s, appearing in the pilots for Wonder Woman, Hart to Hart and The Love Boat and in series like Night Court, Murder She Wrote and Magnum, P.I.. Actress Stella Stevens appears at a Sterns Department Store in New York on Jan. 8, 1968. "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.". Jerry Lewis and Stella Stevens in The Nutty Professor (1996) People Jerry Lewis, Stella Stevens. Stella Stevens, who starred with Elvis Presley in Girls! After she starred in the school play Bus Stop she began to attract a great deal of attention and her career was officially launched. 2023 Deadline Hollywood, LLC. 27 in Playboys 100 Sexiest Stars Of The 20th Century.. I think its a good film; I like it. She was 84. "The head of publicity at Paramount basically made me a worldwide sex symbol," Stevens told FilmTalk in 2017. Photo by John Springer Collection/Corbis via Getty Images - Image courtesy gettyimages.com. But in spite of that rough start, I did OK.. 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 May ED Carroll Sax MUS Raoul Kraushaar, Minette Allton CAST Barbara Feldon, Lance Kerwin, Stacey Nelkin, Carmine Caridi, Christopher Ciampa, Olivia Cole, Stella Stevens (Sherry Malik), Fritz Weaver, Billy Dee Williams, TWIRL (1981) DIR Gus Trikonis PROD Gabriel Grunfeld TELEPLAY Bernard M. Kahn (story by Gabriel Grunfeld, Ken Vrana) CAM Gil Hubbs ED John A. Barton, Thomas Fries MUS Jimmie Haskell CAST Stella Stevens (Carolyn Moore), Charles Haid, Erin Moran, Lisa Whelchel, Edd Byrnes, Sharon Spelman, Matthew Tobin, Heather Locklear, WOMEN OF SAN QUENTIN (1983) DIR William A. Graham PROD R.W. She also directed several films, the documentary An American Heroine, which never got distribution, and The Ranch. She retired in 2010. Stella Stevens in a bikini, circa 1960. Stevens also appeared in Lil Abner that year. (AP Photo, File), Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. WebSteve Lawrence (* 8. He did a good picture, though. Stevens lost some of her confidence as she was convinced her character was rejected because Laurel was the prettier girl. Doctor Jerry and Mister Love. There Arent Enough Electricians. It was a miserable six days of filming, she said, due to the temper of director Norman Taurog, though she said Presley was nice. He took me to the dailiesI saw the best and the worst, the takes, the outtakes, all of themand whenever I watched him at work, I could ask him anything, and hed take the time to answer me and explain everything. GIRLS! Desperate to impress her, he concocts a potion to transform himself into a charismatic hunk. Average Retirement Savings By Age: Are You Normal? 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! 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. The funnyman had a total of seven children and a rumored love child. He was a writer-director, and thats who I liked to work witha writer-director. He was sort of my mentor, and later, he introduced me to Jerry Lewis. 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. Titles The Nutty Professor. WebJerry Lewis and Stella Stevens at an event for The Nutty Professor (1996) People Jerry Lewis, Stella Stevens. 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. Send us a tip using our annonymous form. It turned into John Cassavetes Too Late Blues, with Bobby Darrin. Around this time, Stevens found difficulty in being taken seriously after being labeled as a sexpot. Her given roles tended to appease this stereotype by exposing her beauty and often required the removal of her clothing at some point. Later the studio dropped her, but she was signed by Paramount. Her character met a grisly end. I want to go on forever. It was a very exciting time. Jerry Lewis. and with Jerry Lewis in The Nutty Professor, has died at the age of 84, family Girls! In 2017, shed say that her favorite director that she worked with was Vincente Minnelli on The Courtship of Eddies Father, from 1963. But she wanted to Sam was okay, but he was tough to put up with. All Rights Reserved. He was just a wonderful actor, a sensitive and delicate artist, with a wonderful sense of humor. I saw (Bob Hope) at 83 cracking jokes and having fun. She was 84. Erik Pedersen contributed to this report. I want to go on forever. 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. Anyone who knew himwhich is nearly the entire motion picture industryhas great memories and wonderful stories to tell about him. Girls! She also appeared in such hit shows as Bonanza and Ben Casey in the 60s through Wonder Woman, The Love Boat, Police Story, Hart to Hart, Newhart, Magnum, P.I., Night Court, The Commish, Arli$$, Silk Stalkings and Murder, She Wrote. She also directed several films, the documentary An American Heroine, which never got distribution, and The Ranch. She retired in 2010. 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! I want to be like this man. Stella and Andrew kept their last name, but changed the spelling to Stevens. Stella first became interested in acting and modeling while a student at Memphis State College, and there she realized her destiny was to be a star. 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. and with Jerry Lewis in The Nutty Professor, has died at the age of 84, family members say. In 1963, she played one of her most iconic roles as the love interest Stella Purdy in Jerry Lewiss science fiction comedy The Nutty Professor. Famed for her appearances in The Nutty Professor (with Jerry Lewis), Girls! Free shipping for many products! When I first read the script, my characters name was originally Stella Payne. 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. But he knew where I was, he knew where and how to reach me, so I guess if he wanted me in one of his other films, he would have picked up the phone and call me. She also directed two films - The American Heroine (1979) and The Ranch (1989), starring her son. 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, 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. First, I didnt want to do this film, but I was under contract to Hal Wallis to do one more film. Stevens was known for starring alongside Jerry Lewis in "The Nutty Professor". 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. Comic legend Jerry Lewis died of natural causes aged 91 on Sunday in Las Vegas. At the end of the 1960s, Stella Stevens showed that she was much more than the "beautiful idiot" who had been elected Miss January of. She was 84. Along with her son, Stevens is survived by three grandchildren. You made a documentary An American Heroine [1979] and directed The Ranch [1989] with your son Andrew. He was just one of the sweetest and brightest young old men. 1 of 534. 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. A A. 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. It turned into John Cassavetes Too Late Blues, with Bobby Darrin. Next came "The Nutty Professor" as Lewis' student, Stella Purdy, who he is infatuated with. 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