Stella Stevens

**Stella Stevens** (born October 1, 1938 is an American film, television and stage actress, who began her acting career in 1959. She is a film producer, director and pin-up girl.

## Early life

Stella was born **Estelle Caro Eggleston** in Yazoo City, Mississippi, the only child of Dovey Estelle (née Caro) and Thomas Ellett Eggleston. At age 18, she got married to electrician Noble Herman Stephens on December 1, 1954, probably in Memphis, Tennessee, with whom she had her only child, actor/producer Andrew Stevens. She and Herman Stephens divorced three years later, although she and her son would retain a variation of his surname, "Stevens", as their own professional surnames.

## Career

Stevens was first under contract to 20th Century Fox, only to be dropped from her contract after just six months. After winning the role of "Appassionata Von Climax" for the musical *Li'l Abner* (1959), she signed a contract with Paramount Pictures (1959-1963) and later Columbia Pictures (1964-1968). She shared the 1960 Golden Globe Award for "Most Promising Newcomer - Female", with Tuesday Weld, Angie Dickinson and Janet Munro for *Say One For Me*.

In 1960, Stevens was *Playboy* magazine's Playmate of the Month for January (and had featured pictorials in 1965 and 1968). Stevens was in the 100 sexiest stars of the 20th Century (#27). During the 1960s, she was one of the ten most photographed women in the world, carving herself a distinctive 'sexy kitten' niche which was quite distinct from the overwhelming sexpot images of Jayne Mansfield and Marilyn Monroe and the numerous Monroe clones of the period.

In 1962, Stevens starred opposite Elvis Presley in *Girls! Girls! Girls!*. Later that year, she portrayed Jerry Lewis's love interest in *The Nutty Professor*. This was followed by other comic turns as the former "Miss Montana" beauty queen in Vincente Minnelli's *The Courtship of Eddie's Father* and opposite Dean Martin in the "Matt Helm" spy spoof *The Silencers* plus *How to Save a Marriage and Ruin Your Life*.

Stella was featured in Sam Peckinpah's western *The Ballad of Cable Hogue* in 1970 with Jason Robards. In 1972, she appeared in Irwin Allen's *The Poseidon Adventure* as "Linda Rogo" (the former-hooker wife of Ernest Borgnine's character).

Stevens appeared in dozens of TV shows. An early appearance was in the *Bonanza* episode "Silent Thunder" playing a deaf mute (the episode aired in December 1960) a role she played with exceptional charm and success. She was a regular on the 1981-1982 primetime soap opera *Flamingo Road*. She teamed with the late Sandy Dennis in a touring production of an all-female version of Neil Simon's *The Odd Couple*, playing the Oscar Madison character. She had a contract role on NBC's daytime drama *Santa Barbara* as Phyllis Blake from 1989 to 1990.

Stevens produced and directed two films, *The Ranch* (1989) and *The American Heroine* (1979).

## Personal life

In late 1976, Stevens purchased a ranch in Methow Valley near Carlton, Washington, on the eastern edge of the Cascade Mountains. She also opened an art gallery and bakery in the nearby small town of Twisp, Washington.

In 1983, Stevens began a long-term relationship with rock guitarist Bob Kulick; through at least 1990, they shared Stevens' Beverly Hills home. In 2005, Stevens received the Reel Cowboys Silver Spur Award for her contributions to the Western genre.
In early 2015, she and partner Bob Kulick sold her longtime home in Beverly Hills. She is now in a long-term Alzheimer's care facility in Los Angeles and Kulick often visited her there until his death on May 28, 2020.

## References

Some sources indicate 1936
2. ↑ Some sources cite her birthplace as Hot Coffee, Mississippi. Stevens confirms Yazoo City in Macklin, Tony. "The Ballad of Stella Stevens: An Interview", *Bright Lights Film Journal*, July 31, 2004. “[I am from] Yazoo City. Hot Coffee is Meridian — it’s on the way to Gulfport and Biloxi. We would stop at this place that had a sign that said 'Hot Coffee', so everybody nicknamed it 'Hot Coffee.'”
3. ↑ Pylant, James. The Deep Southern Roots of Stella Stevens The Deep Southern Roots of Stella Stevens. *genealogymagazine.com*.
4. ↑ Golden Globes official site. Retrieved on February 7, 2008.
5. ↑ Weiler, A.H.. "'Poseidon Adventure' Arrives", *The New York Times*, December 13, 1972. Retrieved on May 5, 2012.
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Twisp Looks Good After Beverly Hills", *Spokane Daily Chronicle*, May 9, 1978. Retrieved on May 5, 2012. “...says the 39-year-old actress.”
7. ↑ Sanz, Cynthia. "'Ear Ye, 'Ear Ye: Ribald Sex Bomb Stella Stevens, 52, and Wry, Bald Rocker Bob Kulick, 37, Find True Love", *People*, October 22, 1990. “...a 52-year-old onetime *Playboy* centerfold...”
8. ↑ Silver Spur Awards Past Honorees. *The Reel Cowboys*. Retrieved on February 9, 2020.
9. ↑ "Film Beauty Stella Stevens is Sadly Fighting Alzheimer’s/ Dementia", November 17, 2017.

## External links

* Stella Stevens article at *Wikipedia*
* Stella Stevens at the TCM Database
* Stella Stevens pics at OggleBooble.com
* Stella Stevens links at FreeOnes
* Stella Stevens at Babepedia
* Stella Stevens at Playboy Online