Inga Swenson
Inga Swenson (December 29, 1932 – July 23, 2023) was an American actress and singer. She appeared in multiple Broadway productions and was nominated twice for the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her performances as Lizzie Curry in 110 in the Shade and Irene Adler in Baker Street. She also spent seven years portraying Gretchen Kraus in the ABC comedy series Benson.
Inga Swenson
December 29, 1932
July 23, 2023 (aged 90)
Actress; singer
1949–1998
Lowell Harris (m. 1953)
2
Early years[edit]
Inga Swenson was born in Omaha, Nebraska, on December 29, 1932,[1][a] the youngest of three children of Geneva Pauline (née Seeger) and Axel Carl Richard "A.C.R." Swenson.[6] Her father died in a car accident when she was 15.[7]
Swenson graduated from Omaha Central High School in 1950.[8] While attending OCHS, as a junior, Swenson won the state title in the National Forensic League's speech contest and later, she won the NFL's national contest. As a high school senior she was considered the school's best vocalist and she was also the president of the Central High Players. She studied drama at Northwestern University under Alvina Krause, among others.[9][10]
Career[edit]
Early in her career, Swenson had supporting roles in the films Advise & Consent (1962) and The Miracle Worker (1962) in which she played Helen Keller's mother. Swenson was a trained lyric soprano[11][12] and starred on Broadway in New Faces (c. 1956), and The First Gentleman (1959), receiving Tony Award nominations for Best Actress in a Musical for her performances in 110 in the Shade (1964) and Baker Street (1965). A life member of The Actors Studio,[13] she said that her favorite role was Lizzie Currie in the musical 110 in the Shade.[5]
Swenson appeared in two episodes of Bonanza: "Inger, My Love" (1962) and "Journey Remembered" (1963) as Hoss's mother. She portrayed Gretchen Kraus, the autocratic and acerbic Austrian cook (later head housekeeper and budget director) in the TV sitcom Benson. Gretchen's infectious catch phrase was, "I hear you!" and known for childhood stories, starting with, "When I was a little girl in Bavaria..." Her portrayal garnered three Emmy nominations. She was cast after having appeared in a multi-episode stint as the conniving revenge-seeking Ingrid Svenson, the Swedish birth mother of Corinne Tate (Diana Canova), on the TV sitcom Soap. (Benson was a spinoff of Soap and shared the same producers.) She also appeared as Northern matriarch Maude Hazard in the mini-series North and South in 1985 and again in 1986.
Swenson retired from acting in 1998.[14]
Personal life and death[edit]
Swenson married actor/singer Lowell Harris in 1953, and the couple had two sons: Mark and James. James died in a motorcycle accident in 1987, at the age of 26. Mark is retired from the motion picture and television film editing field and the financial services industry.
Swenson died in Los Angeles on July 23, 2023, at the age of 90.[15][14][7]