Occupation Actress Spouse Lowell Harris (m. 1953) Role Actress | Name Inga Swenson Years active 1957–1998 | |
Born December 29, 1932 (age 91) (some sources say 1934) ( 1932-12-29 ) Omaha, Nebraska, U.S. Parent(s) A.C.R. Swenson (an attorney)Geneva (Seeger) Swenson Residence Venice, California, United States Movies and TV shows The Miracle Worker, Benson, North and South, Advise & Consent, Bay Cove Similar People James Noble, Caroline McWilliams, Missy Gold, Robert Guillaume, Rene Auberjonois | ||
Children James Harris, Mark Harris |
Inga swenson simple little things from 110 in the shade
Inga Swenson (born December 29, 1932; Omaha, Nebraska) is an American actress.
Contents
- Inga swenson simple little things from 110 in the shade
- The incomparable inga swenson as nora bayes sings has anybody here seen kelley in ziegfeld
- Career
- Personal life
- Stage credits
- Principal stage appearances
- Major theatrical tours
- Movie credits
- Television credits
- Television series
- Television mini series
- Television episodes
- Other television
- Television movies
- Television specials
- References

The incomparable inga swenson as nora bayes sings has anybody here seen kelley in ziegfeld
Career

Inga Swenson graduated from Omaha Central High School in Omaha, Nebraska in 1950. She studied drama at Northwestern University under Alvina Krause, among others, and was a member of the Alpha Phi sorority. Early in her career, Swenson had supporting roles in the films Advise and Consent (1962) and The Miracle Worker (1962) in which she played Helen Keller's mother. Swenson is a trained lyric soprano 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).

Swenson had a role in the TV western series Bonanza in two episodes: "Inger, My Love" (1962) and "Journey Remembered" (1963). Swenson took a brief leave of absence from her starring role in 110 in the Shade on Broadway to appear in the later episodes. In these episodes, she played the second wife of Ben Cartwright (Lorne Greene), the mother of Hoss Cartwright (Dan Blocker). She was actually four years younger than Blocker. Swenson later guest-starred in an episode of Lorne Greene's short-lived crime drama Griff (1973).

Swenson is best known for her portrayal of Gretchen Kraus, the autocratic and acerbic German cook (later head housekeeper and budget director) in the TV sitcom Benson. She landed the role of Ingrid Svenson, the birth mother of Corinne Tate (portrayed by Diana Canova), in a multi-episode appearance on the TV sitcom Soap, thanks to the same production team. Additionally, she portrayed the northern matriarch Maude Hazard in the critically acclaimed mini-series North and South in both 1985 and 1986.

A life member of The Actors Studio, her favorite role was Lizzie Currie in the musical 110 in the Shade.
Personal life

Swenson is married to actor/singer Lowell Harris, with whom she had two children, sons Mark and James Harris; the latter died in a motorcycle crash in 1987, at age 26.
Stage credits
Principal stage appearances

Major theatrical tours

Movie credits

Television credits
Television debut – Singer, Chrysler Special, CBC (Canadian television), 1957.