Stella Stevens — Biography
Estelle Caro Eggleston, known professionally as Stella Stevens, was born on October 1, 1938, in Yazoo City, Mississippi, and passed away on February 17, 2023, at age 84 from Alzheimer's disease complications in Los Angeles. She was an accomplished American actress and also worked as a film producer, director, and writer. Andrew Stevens, a prominent actor, is her son.
Stevens launched her entertainment career in 1959 with the film Say One for Me, which earned her the Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year. She also appeared in three Playboy Pictorials and was featured as Playmate of the Month in January 1960. Her film roles included prominent parts in Girls! Girls! Girls! alongside Elvis Presley, The Nutty Professor with Jerry Lewis, and the disaster blockbuster The Poseidon Adventure in 1972.
Born to Thomas Ellett Eggleston, an insurance agent, and Estelle Caro Eggleston, a nurse nicknamed Dovey, Stevens was an only child. Her ancestor Henry Clay Tyler, a Boston-born jeweler, was an early Yazoo City resident who installed the courthouse clock. When Stevens was four, her family relocated to Memphis, Tennessee. She attended Catholic schools there and finished high school in 1955 at Memphis Tech High School. At sixteen, she married electrician Noble Herman Stephens on December 3, 1954, in Holly Springs, Mississippi. Their son Herman Andrew was born in 1955, and they separated in 1957.
While attending Memphis State University, Stevens discovered her passion for performance after appearing in the school production of Bus Stop, which generated local press attention. After modeling for a Memphis department store, she signed with 20th Century-Fox in 1958 before transitioning to Paramount from 1959 to 1963. She later contracted with Columbia Pictures from 1964 onward. In 1976, Stevens bought property in Methow Valley near Carlton, Washington, and opened an art gallery and bakery in Twisp. Beginning in 1983, she maintained a relationship with rock musician Bob Kulick until his death in 2020. Stevens entered a care facility in 2016 and remained there until her death.
Stevens launched her entertainment career in 1959 with the film Say One for Me, which earned her the Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year. She also appeared in three Playboy Pictorials and was featured as Playmate of the Month in January 1960. Her film roles included prominent parts in Girls! Girls! Girls! alongside Elvis Presley, The Nutty Professor with Jerry Lewis, and the disaster blockbuster The Poseidon Adventure in 1972.
Born to Thomas Ellett Eggleston, an insurance agent, and Estelle Caro Eggleston, a nurse nicknamed Dovey, Stevens was an only child. Her ancestor Henry Clay Tyler, a Boston-born jeweler, was an early Yazoo City resident who installed the courthouse clock. When Stevens was four, her family relocated to Memphis, Tennessee. She attended Catholic schools there and finished high school in 1955 at Memphis Tech High School. At sixteen, she married electrician Noble Herman Stephens on December 3, 1954, in Holly Springs, Mississippi. Their son Herman Andrew was born in 1955, and they separated in 1957.
While attending Memphis State University, Stevens discovered her passion for performance after appearing in the school production of Bus Stop, which generated local press attention. After modeling for a Memphis department store, she signed with 20th Century-Fox in 1958 before transitioning to Paramount from 1959 to 1963. She later contracted with Columbia Pictures from 1964 onward. In 1976, Stevens bought property in Methow Valley near Carlton, Washington, and opened an art gallery and bakery in Twisp. Beginning in 1983, she maintained a relationship with rock musician Bob Kulick until his death in 2020. Stevens entered a care facility in 2016 and remained there until her death.
