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.
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Early years
Inga Swenson was born in Omaha, Nebraska, on December 29, 1932, the youngest of three children of Geneva Pauline (née Seeger) and Axel Carl Richard "A.C.R." Swenson. Her father died in a car accident when she was 15.
Swenson graduated from Omaha Central High School in 1950. 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.
Career
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 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, she said that her favorite role was Lizzie Currie in the musical 110 in the Shade.
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 German cook (later head housekeeper and budget director) in the TV sitcom Benson. Gretchen's catchphrase 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.
Personal life and death
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.
Stage credits
Stage debut – Maid, Peg O' My Heart, Berkshire Playhouse, Stockbridge, MA, 1949.
Broadway debut – Singer, New Faces of '56 (revue), Ethel Barrymore Theatre, 1956.
London debut – Lizzie Currie, 110 in the Shade, Palace Theatre, 1967.
Principal stage appearances
Princess Alexandria, The Swan, Minnie Fay, The Merchant of Yonkers, singer, Sing Out, Sweet Land, and extra, Othello, all Playhouse Theatre, Eagles Mere, Pennsylvania, 1952.
Aunt Anna Rose, Treasure Hunt, Monica, The Medium, Lucy, The Telephone, Dunyasha, The Cherry Orchard, Alizon Elliot, The Lady's Not for Burning, and Isabelle, Ring 'round the Moon, all Playhouse Theatre, Eagles Mere, Pennsylvania, 1953.
Georgie Elgin, The Country Girl, Celia Copplestone, The Cocktail Party, Mrs. Larue, Mrs. McThing, Countess Aurelia, The Madwoman of Chaillot, and Angelique, The Imaginary Invalid, all Playhouse Theatre, Eagles Mere, Pennsylvania, 1954.
Olivia, Twelfth Night, Jan Hus Playhouse, New York City, 1954.
Princess Charlotte, The First Gentleman, Belasco Theatre, New York City, 1957.
Madge, Picnic, and Amy Kittridge, A Swim in the Sea, both Royal Poinciana Playhouse, Palm Beach, FL, 1958.
Ophelia, Hamlet, Helena, A Midsummer Night's Dream, and Perdita, The Winter's Tale, all American Shakespeare Festival, Stratford, CT, 1958.
Amy Kittridge, A Swim in the Sea, Walnut Street Theatre, Philadelphia, PA, 1958.
Juliet, Romeo and Juliet, American Shakespeare Festival, 1959.
Solveig, Peer Gynt, Phoenix Theatre, New York City, 1960.
Julie Jordan, Carousel, Melody Top Theatre, Hillside, IL, 1962.
Gillian, Bell, Book, and Candle, Kiamesha Playhouse, Kiamesha Lake, New York, 1962.
Major theatrical tours
Marie Louise, My Three Angels, U.S. cities, 1957.
Julie Jordan, Carousel, U.S. cities, 1960.
Lizzie Currie, 110 in the Shade, U.S. cities, 1963
Movie credits
Ellen Anderson, Advise & Consent, Columbia, 1962
Kate Keller, The Miracle Worker, United Artists, 1962
Sister Monica, Lipstick, Paramount, 1976
Mrs. Craddock, The Betsy, Allied Artists, 1978
Singer, The Mountain Men, Columbia, 1980
Television credits
Television debut – Singer, Chrysler Special, CBC (Canadian television), 1957.
Television series
Gretchen Kraus, Benson, ABC, 1979–86.
Television mini-series
Amelia Foster, Testimony of Two Men, syndicated, 1977.
Maude Hazard, North and South, ABC, 1985.
Maude Hazard, North and South, Book II, ABC, 1986.
Marilyn Bradshaw Reagan, Nutcracker: Money, Madness, and Murder, NBC, 1987.
Television episodes
Liza, "The Best Wine", Goodyear Playhouse, NBC, 1957
Marjorie, "The World of Nick Adams", The Seven Lively Arts, CBS, 1957
Maria, "Heart of Darkness", Playhouse 90, CBS, 1958
Milly Theale, "Wings of the Dove", Playhouse 90, CBS, 1958
Vera, "Goodbye, But It Doesn't Go Away", The United States Steel Hour, CBS, 1958
Rose Maylie, "Oliver Twist", DuPont Show of the Month, CBS, 1959
Lady Jane, "Victoria Regina", Hallmark Hall of Fame, NBC, 1961
Inger Borgstrom Cartwright, "Inger, My Love" and "Journey Remembered", Bonanza, NBC, 1962
Barbara Paige, “Eye For An Eye”,‘’The Rookies’’, ABC, 1975
Henrietta Higgins, "The Sod House Woman", Sara, CBS, 1976
Marie Barrett, "Hitchhike To Terror", Barnaby Jones, CBS, 1978
Ingrid Svenson, Soap, ABC, 1978–79
Helen's mother, "Sex & Violence" (unaired), Highcliffe Manor, NBC, 1979
Sonya Green, "Till Death Do Us Part", Hotel, ABC, 1988
Holly Lindstrom, "Little Sister", The Golden Girls, NBC, 1989
Madelyn Stone, "George and the Old Maid", Newhart, CBS, 1989.
Other television
The Defenders, CBS, 1961 and 1962
Dr. Kildare, NBC, 1962
The Nurses, CBS, 1963
American Musical Theatre, CBS, 1964
The Tonight Show, NBC, 1964
My Father and My Mother, CBS Playhouse, CBS, 1968
Medical Center, CBS, 1970 and 1971
The Tape Recorder, NET Playhouse, PBS, 1970
Television movies
Ilyana Kovalefskii, Earth II, ABC, 1971.
Nora Bayes, Ziegfeld: The Man and His Women, NBC, 1978.
Matty Kline, Bay Cove, NBC, 1987.
Television specials
Kate, The Gay Deceivers, CBC, 1958.
Lavinia, Androcles and the Lion, NBC, 1967.
Mrs. Trimble, My Dear Uncle Sherlock, ABC Short Story Specials, ABC, 1977.
Mrs. Marston, The Terrible Secret, ABC Afterschool Special, ABC, 1979.
