Stella Stevens, who flirted with Elvis Presley in “Girls! Girls! Girls!”, charmed Jerry Lewis in “The Nutty Professor” and played wife to Ernest Borgnine in “The Poseidon Adventure,” died Friday in Los Angeles at age 84.
Her son, Andrew Stevens, confirmed her death to Deadline, saying she died after a battle with Alzheimer’s disease.
A Mississippi native, Stevens made her film debut in the late 1950s in Bing Crosby’s “Say One for Me.” The appearance earned her a share of the 1960 Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year.
Her popularity soared following her 1960 centerfold appearance in Playboy magazine. Stevens’ career quickly took off, with appearances in films such as “Too Late Blues,” “Girls! Girls! Girls!”, “The Courtship of Eddie’s Father,” “The Nutty Professor,” “The Poseidon Adventure” and “The Silencers.”
She also appeared on the TV series “Surfside 6,” “Bonanza,” “Ben Casey,” “Banacek,” “Police Story,” “Night Court,” “Murder, She Wrote,” “Fantasy Island,” “Newhart” and “General Hospital.”
She is survived by her son and three grandchildren.
