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IMDbPro

Inga Swenson(1932-2023)

  • Actress
  • Soundtrack
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Inga Swenson
Official Trailer
Play trailer2:34
Miracle en Alabama (1962)
2 Videos
16 Photos
An accomplished and seasoned actress of stage and screen, Inga Swenson became best known for her portrayals of formidable, often acidulous women on TV. Arguably her most popular role was that of snarky Gretchen Wilomena Kraus, the German-born head housekeeper and later administrative assistant in Benson (1979). Inga was so convincing in her role (which earned her three Emmy Award nominations as Best Supporting Actress) that audiences assumed her to be German in real life, whereas she was actually of Scandinavian ancestry, the daughter of an attorney (Axel Carl Richard Swenson) and his wife (Geneva Pauline Swenson, née Seeger). After graduating from high school in Omaha, she attended Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, to study drama.

Inga made her screen debut in 1957. In her first feature films, the political drama Tempête à Washington (1962) and in the biopic Miracle en Alabama (1962), she played, respectively, a senator's wife and the mother of young Helen Keller. Thereafter, she divided her career between theatre and television. In the latter medium, she was mostly cast as supporting characters until a strong performance (as the evil housekeeper Ingrid Svenson) in the sitcom Soap (1977) led to her becoming a mainstay on the spin-off series Benson. A later role of note was that of Maude, matriarch of the Hazzard family in the sprawling North & South sagas, based on the novels by John Jakes.

On stage from 1949, Inga's first starring turn was ten years later in the historical play The First Gentleman, set during the Regency Period. Her diversity as a powerful lyric soprano subsequently came to the fore in the musical 110 in the Shade (1963), in which Inga headlined as Lizzie Currie, a role made famous by Katharine Hepburn in the dramatised film version Le Faiseur de pluie (1956). This, and her role as Irene Adler in Baker Street (1965), both won her Tony Award nominations. Other stage roles included Magnolia in Show Boat, Desdemona in Othello and Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady.

Inga retired from acting in 1998. From 1953, until her passing on July 23 2023 at the age of 90, she was married to Emmy Award-winning sound engineer Lowell Harris.
BornDecember 29, 1932
DiedJuly 23, 2023(90)
BornDecember 29, 1932
DiedJuly 23, 2023(90)
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
  • Nominated for 3 Primetime Emmys
    • 4 nominations total

Photos16

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Known for

Benson (1979)
Benson
7.1
TV Series
  • Miss Gretchen Wilomena Kraus
Miracle en Alabama (1962)
Miracle en Alabama
8.1
  • Kate Keller
  • 1962
Patrick Swayze and James Read in Nord et sud (1985)
Nord et sud
8.1
TV Mini Series
  • Maude Hazard
Playhouse 90 (1956)
Playhouse 90
8.3
TV Series
  • Maria
  • Milly Theale

Credits

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IMDbPro

Actress



  • La vie avec Louie (1994)
    La vie avec Louie
    8.3
    TV Series
    • Grandma Helga (voice)
    • 1997–1998
  • Doctor Doctor (1989)
    Doctor Doctor
    8.6
    TV Series
    • Connie Stratford
    • 1989–1990
  • Estelle Getty, Rue McClanahan, Bea Arthur, and Betty White in Les craquantes (1985)
    Les craquantes
    8.2
    TV Series
    • Holly
    • 1989
  • Newhart (1982)
    Newhart
    7.8
    TV Series
    • Madelyn Stone
    • 1989
  • Anne Baxter, James Brolin, and Connie Sellecca in Hôtel (1983)
    Hôtel
    6.4
    TV Series
    • Sonya Green
    • 1988
  • Pamela Sue Martin in La dynastie de l'horreur (1987)
    La dynastie de l'horreur
    4.9
    TV Movie
    • Matty Kline
    • 1987
  • Nutcracker: Money, Madness & Murder (1987)
    Nutcracker: Money, Madness & Murder
    7.3
    TV Mini Series
    • Marilyn
    • 1987
  • Nord et sud II (1986)
    Nord et sud II
    8.0
    TV Mini Series
    • Maude Hazard
    • 1986
  • Benson (1979)
    Benson
    7.1
    TV Series
    • Miss Gretchen Wilomena Kraus
    • 1979–1986
  • Patrick Swayze and James Read in Nord et sud (1985)
    Nord et sud
    8.1
    TV Mini Series
    • Maude Hazard
    • 1985
  • Benson: The U.S. Goes to Market
    6.0
    • Miss Gretchen Wilomena Kraus
    • 1983
  • Charlton Heston and Brian Keith in La fureur sauvage (1980)
    La fureur sauvage
    6.3
    • White Singer at the Mountain Men Gathering. (uncredited)
    • 1980
  • Shelley Fabares, Stephen McHattie, Jenny O'Hara, and Eugenie Ross-Leming in Highcliffe Manor (1979)
    Highcliffe Manor
    6.5
    TV Series
    • 1979
  • ABC Afterschool Specials (1972)
    ABC Afterschool Specials
    7.1
    TV Series
    • Mrs. Marston
    • 1979
  • Soap (1977)
    Soap
    8.3
    TV Series
    • Ingrid Svenson
    • Ingrid Swenson (in credits Svenson)
    • Ingrid Swenson
    • 1978–1979

Soundtrack



  • The 36th Annual Tony Awards (1982)
    The 36th Annual Tony Awards
    8.1
    TV Special
    • performer: "Indian Love Call", "Strange Music", "Let's Take an Old-Fashioned Walk", "Anything You Can Do", "Begin the Beguine"
    • 1982

Videos2

The Miracle Worker
Trailer 2:34
The Miracle Worker
The Miracle Worker (1962)
Trailer 1:47
The Miracle Worker (1962)
The Miracle Worker (1962)
Trailer 1:47
The Miracle Worker (1962)

Personal details

Edit
  • Height
    • 1.75 m
  • Born
    • December 29, 1932
    • Omaha, Nebraska, USA
  • Died
    • July 23, 2023
    • Los Angeles, California, USA(natural causes)
  • Spouse
    • Lowell HarrisFebruary 21, 1953 - July 23, 2023 (her death, 2 children)
  • Other works
    Active on Broadway in the following productions:
  • Publicity listings
    • 1 Article

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    Is perhaps best-known to a later generation in the atypical role of tart-tongued, German-accented executive housekeeper Gretchen Kraus on the popular 1980s TV series Benson (1979) (ABC: 1979-1986). The thick accent required of the character led many fans at the time to mistakenly believe Swenson was actually German, when in real life she speaks perfect English.

FAQ

Powered by Alexa
  • When did Inga Swenson die?
    July 23, 2023
  • How did Inga Swenson die?
    Natural causes
  • How old was Inga Swenson when she died?
    90 years old
  • Where did Inga Swenson die?
    Los Angeles, California, USA
  • When was Inga Swenson born?
    December 29, 1932

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