Stella Stevens dead at 84: Hollywood actress – who starred in The Poseidon Adventure and The Nutty Professor – was battling Alzheimer’s disease
Hollywood actress Stella Stevens has died at the age of 84, her family has confirmed.
Stevens – known for starring in The Poseidon Adventure and The Nutty Professor – had been battling Alzheimer’s disease before she passed.
Her son Andrew Stevens revealed that his mother died Friday in Los Angeles, Variety reports.
The blonde beauty made her film debut in 1959 and went on to star alongside some of Hollywood’s classic leading men, like Dean Martin and Elvis Presley.
A former Playboy Playmate, Stevens went beyond acting in film and television to work as a director, writer and producer.
Stella Stevens dead at 84: Hollywood actress – who starred in The Poseidon Adventure and The Nutty Professor – was battling Alzheimer’s disease
Born Estelle Eggleston in 1938, the Mississippi native eventually moved to Memphis Tennessee, where she met and married her first husband, Noble Herman Stephens, at the ago of 16.
Stella gave birth to their son Andrew Stephens in 1955, and divorced Noble two years later.
While studying at Memphis State College, she was noticed in the school’s production of Bus Stop, and the glowing reviews took her to Hollywood.
Stella Stevens pictured with Jerry Lewis in 1963’s The Nutty Professor