Stella Stevens was born Estelle Eggleston on October 1 1938 in Yazoo City, Mississippi. She was four years old when her family moved to Memphis, Tennessee. When she was 16 years old she married Noble Herman Stephens. The two would have one son, actor Andrew Stevens, and divorced in 1957. She attended Memphis State College, where she developed an interest in acting. She received a contract with 20th Century Fox after being noticed in a college production of Bus Stop.
Stella Stevens made her film debut in 1959 in Say One for Me. After an uncredited role in The Blue Angel (1959), 20th Century Fox dropped Miss Stevens, but she was picked up right away by Paramount Pictures, who cast her as Appassionata Von Climax in Li'l Abner (1959). She made her television debut playing opposite Dick Van Dyke in the Alfred Hitchcock Presents episode "Craig's Will" in 1960. She also guest starred on the shows Johnny Ringo, Hawaiian Eye, Bonanza, and Riverboat.
The Sixties saw Stella Stevens playing opposite Elvis Presley in Girls! Girls! Girls! (1962), Jerry Lewis in The Nutty Professor (1962), Glenn Ford and Shirley Jones in The Courtship of Eddie's Father (1963), and Dean Martin in The Silencers (1966). She also appeared in the movies Man-Traip (1961), Too Late Blues (1961), Advance to the Rear (1964), Synanon (1965), The Secret of My Success (1965), Rage (1966), How to Save a Marriage and Ruin Your Life (1968), Sol Madrid (1968), Where Angels Go Trouble Follows! (1968), The Mad Room (1969), and The Ballad of Cable Hogue (1970). On television she had a recurring role on the TV series Ben Casey. She guest starred on the television shows General Electric Theatre, Follow the Sun, Frontier Circus, and Vacation Playhouse.
In the Seventies Miss Stevens appeared in the movies A Town Called Bastard (1972), Stand Up and Be Counted (1972), Slaughter (1972), The Poseidon Adventure (1972), Arnold (1973), Cleopatra Jones and the Casino of Gold (1975), Las Vegas Lady (1975), Nickelodeon (1976), and The Manitou (1978). On television she appeared in the mini-series The French Atlantic Affair, as well as such TV movies as In Broad Daylight; Kiss Me, Kill Me; Wanted: the Sundance Woman; Charlie Cobb: Nice Night for a Hanging; Murder in Peyton Place; and The Night They Took Miss Beautiful. She guest starred on the TV shows Ghost Story, Hec Ramsey, Banacek, Police Story, Wonder Woman, The Oregon Trail; The Eddie Capra Mysteries; Supertrain; and Hart to Hart.
In the Eighties Stella Stevens was a regular on the prime time soap opera Flamingo Road, the TV series Adventures Beyond Belief, and the daytime soap opera Santa Barbara. She guest starred on the shows Matt Houston; The Love Boat; Newhart; Fantasy Island; Hotel; Highway to Heaven; Night Court; Murder, She Wrote; Magnum, P.I.; Alfred Hitchcock Presents; and Dream On. She appeared in the movies Wacko (1982), Ladies Night (1983), Chained Heat (1983), Mister Deathman (1983), The Longshot (1986), Monster in the Closet (1987), and Down the Drain.
In the Nineties Miss Stevens appeared in the movies Last Call (1991), Mom (1991), The Nutt House (1992), Exiled in America (1992), Eye of the Stranger (1993), South Beach (1993), Little Devils: The Birth (1993), Hard Drive (1994), Molly & Gina (1994), Illicit Dreams (1994), and Bikini Hotel (1997). On television she had a recurring role on the soap opera General Hospital and a regular role on the show Strip Mall. She guest starred on the shows In the Heat of the Night, Dangerous Curves, The Commish, Burke's Law, Highlander, Marker, Dave's World, Renegade; Arli$$, Silk Stalkings, Nash Bridges, and Viper. She appeared in the mini-series In Cold Blood.
In the Naughts Stella Stevens appeared in the movies The Long Ride Home (2003), Blessed (2004), Glass Trap (2005), Hell to Pay (2005), and Popstar (2005). She guest starred on the TV show Twenty Good Years. Her final work, the animated movie Quackers, is set to be released later this year.
Stella Stevens was a remarkable actress, playing a wide variety of roles. She played the seductive mistress of General Bullmoose, Appassionata von Climax, in Li'l Abner. In The Courtship of Eddie's Father she was one of the women Eddie tries to match his father with, the sexy and brainy, but overly shy Dollye Daily. She held her own with Jerry Lewis in The Nutty Professor, playing college student Stella Purdy. She had a gift for comedy, as shown by her stint as the clumsy Gail Hendricks in The Silencers. What might have been her best role was in The Ballad of Cable Hogue, playing the independent, intelligent town prostitute. Stella Stevens could play anything, from a golddigger trying to get a dog's inheritance in the Alfred Hitchcock Presents episode "Craig's Will" to a woman married to a corpse in Arnold. Stella Stevens was an incredible beauty, but she was an incredible talent as well.
Just saw The Ballad of Cable Hogue for the first time recently and it reopened my eyes to Stevens' talent - she and Jason Robards were delightful in that quirky, underrated film! I always have mixed emotions when stars who have led such full lives pass away - sad but also appreciative of all they have invested in their art.
ReplyDelete