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person_profile-Inga Swenson

Inga Swenson Died at age: 90

Actor | Producer

Fullname:

Inga Swenson

Date of Birth:

Dec 29, 1932

Country of birth:

USA

Died:

Jul 23, 2023

Biography of

Inga Swenson

    ​From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

    Inga Swenson (December 29, 1932 - July 23, 2023) was an American actress.

    Inga Swenson was a graduate of Central High School in Omaha, Nebraska, Class of 1950. Swenson was a member of Alpha Phi sorority at Northwestern University where she studied in their famed Drama Department. Swenson is best known to American audiences for her portrayal of Gretchen Kraus, the autocratic and acerbic German cook (later Head Housekeeper and Budget Director) on the TV sitcom "Benson." She got the part by appearing in a multi-episode stint as Ingrid Svenson, birth mother of Corinne Tate (Diana Canova), on the tv sitcom "Soap." Both series were created by Susan Harris and produced by Witt-Thomas-Harris Productions (who later created "The Golden Girls" and "Empty Nest.") She also appeared as northern matriarch Maude Hazard in the acclaimed mini-series "North and South" in 1985 and again in 1986.

    Earlier in her career, Swenson had a notable turn on the TV western series "Bonanza" in two episodes: "Inger, My Love" (1962) and "Journey Remembered" (1963). Swenson took a brief leave of absence from her starring role in "110 in the Shade" on Broadway to appear in "Journey Remembered." The appearances were significant in that she played Lorne Greene's character's second wife, the mother of Hoss Cartwright, played by Dan Blocker. She was actually four years younger than Blocker. After "Bonanza" ended its 14-year run, Swenson guest starred in an episode of Lorne Greene's short-lived crime drama "Griff."

    Also early in her career, Swenson had supporting roles in the films "Advise and Consent" (1962) and "The Miracle Worker" (1962) in which she played Helen Keller's mother.

    She was a trained lyric soprano and starred on Broadway in "New Faces" (circa 1956) and "The First Gentleman" (1959), and received Tony Award nominations for Best Actress in a Musical for her performances in "110 in the Shade" (1964) and "Baker Street" (1965).

    Swenson was married to actor-singer Lowell Harris, with whom she had two sons, James (deceased) and Mark.

    Though her Swedish-sounding name and trademark accent on "Benson" suggest otherwise, she was born and raised in the U.S., and normally spoke with an American accent.

    Description above from the Wikipedia article Inga Swenson, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Photos of

Inga Swenson

Photos ( 1 Photos

Filmography of

Inga Swenson

Found 13 Movies in total

Broadway's Lost Treasures III: The Best of The Tony Awards

Herself (segment "Rose-Marie") ( Actor )

... 2005

Bay Coven

Matty Kline ( Actor )

... 1987

... 1985

The Mountain Men

White Singer at the Mountain Men Gathering. (uncredited) ( Actor )

... 1980

The Terrible Secret

Mrs. Marston ( Actor )

... 1979

... 1978

The Betsy

Mrs. Craddock ( Actor )

... 1978

Lipstick

Sister Monica ( Actor )

... 1976

Earth II

Ilyana Kovalefskii ( Actor )

... 1971

Androcles and the Lion

Lavinia ( Actor )

... 1967

Advise & Consent

Ellen Anderson ( Actor )

... 1962

The Miracle Worker

Kate Keller ( Actor )

... 1962

Heart of Darkness

Maria ( Actor )

... 1958