Born in Sweden, Inger Stensland moved to Manhattan when she was 14. She enjoyed music and drama at MHS. While her opportunities were limited by her family, her talent knew no bounds. Inger won first place at the State Drama Festival her junior and senior years. A small role in an MHS operetta led Inger later to say, “I knew that this was going to be my future life.” After MHS, she worked to save money and studied dancing, then went to New York City where she worked as a model while studying at the Actors Studio. Her first paying roles as an actress were for TV commercials. She moved quickly from there: in 1957, at age 22 sh
e made her film debut in Hollywood. Using the stage name Inger Stevens, she starred in Man on Fire. Inger starred in 13 major motion pictures.
with Bing Crosby.
In mid-movie career, she returned to the small screen to star in her own television series on ABC, The Farmer’s Daughter from 1963 to 1966. She won the Golden Globe Award in 1964 for the Best Female Television Star of 1963 and an Emmy nomination. She had roles in such television programs as Bonanza, The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, and The Twilight Zone, as well as making many guest appearances on variety shows. She was appointed in 1966 to the board of the Neuro-Psychiatric Institute at the UCLA Medical Center by the governor of California, Edmund (“Pat”) Brown, after working there as a volunteer for a number of years. She died in 1970 at age 35.