Stella Stevens

A native of Yazoo City, Mississippi. While attending Memphis State College, Stella became interested in acting and modeling. Her film debut was a bit part in _Say One for Me (1959)_ (qv), but her appearance in _Li'l Abner (1959)_ (qv) as Appassionata Von Climax is the one that got her noticed. Then her centerfold spread in Playboy was one of the most popular issues. She co-starred with some of the biggest names in movies such as 'Bobby Darin' (qv) in _Too Late Blues (1961)_ (qv); 'Elvis Presley' (qv) in _Girls! Girls! Girls! (1962)_ (qv); 'Glenn Ford' (qv) in _The Courtship of Eddie's Father (1963)_ (qv); 'Jerry Lewis' (qv) in _The Nutty Professor (1963)_ (qv); and 'Dean Martin' (qv) in _The Silencers (1966)_ (qv). She appeared on the television series _Surfside 6 (1960)_ (qv); _Ben Casey (1961)_ (qv) and the soap opera _General Hospital (1963)_ (qv).By the late 1960s, her career had leveled off and she was appearing in roles based on her looks. One of her best performances at that time was in the movie _The Ballad of Cable Hogue (1970)_ (qv), where she played Hildy, and showed that her talent was more than physical. But then she appeared in a poor offering like _Slaughter (1972)_ (qv). In the 1970s and 1980s, Stella became a fixture in movies made for television and appeared in a number of television series. Her big screen career may have slowed during that time, but she has appeared in a number of movies in every decade since she debuted.::Tony Fontana <[email protected]>