Canadian actress Olive Sturgess, known for her roles in numerous TV Westerns and the 1963 horror film “The Raven,” has passed away at the age of 91.
Sturgess passed away on February 19, 2025, due to natural causes in Los Angeles, California, her daughter, Amy Anderson Sanchez, confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter. Prior to her passing, she had lost her Pacific Palisades home of 60 years in a fire and was residing with her daughter.
In her career spanning two decades from the mid-1950s, Sturgess featured in approximately 300 episodes of various TV shows. She is perhaps best remembered for her role as the girlfriend of Dwayne Hickman’s character on the NBC-CBS sitcom “The Bob Cummings Show,” in which she appeared in 12 episodes from 1956 to 1959.
Born on October 8, 1933, in Ocean Falls, British Columbia, and later raised in Vancouver, Sturgess cultivated her interest in performing arts from a young age, taking ballet and piano lessons. She decided to pursue a career in show business after being inspired by Mary Martin’s performance in “Peter Pan.”
In Tom Weaver’s 2014 book “I Talked With a Zombie,” Sturgess recounted her magical experience of watching a performer fly onto the stage, an event that cemented her aspiration to become an actress.
She moved to California in 1954 with her family, where she studied at Whittier College and performed at the Beverly Hills Playhouse. Eventually, her connection with Hank Garson, a prominent radio show writer at CBS, led to her appearances in numerous TV shows such as “Matinee Theater,” “Studio 57,” “The Millionaire,” “The People’s Choice,” and “The Red Skelton Hour.”
Sturgess later signed a contract with Universal-International, where she had her screen test performed by Clint Eastwood. As she put it, she was seen on TV twice a week in the 1950s.
While she was known for her roles in Western shows, Sturgess also had notable appearances in series such as “West Point,” “Perry Mason,” “Panic!,” “The Donna Reed Show,” “Hawaiian Eye,” “The Danny Thomas Show,” “Petticoat Junction,” “Dr. Kildare,” and “Ironside.”
Her range of Western appearances was vast, featuring in “Bonanza,” “The Virginian,” “Destry,” “Wide Country,” “Maverick,” “Whispering Smith,” “Bronco,” “The Tall Man,” “The Rebel,” “Laramie,” “Lawman,” “Have Gun — Will Travel,” “Rawhide,” “U.S. Marshal,” “Sugarfoot,” “Cheyenne,” and “Tales of Wells Fargo.”
One of the highlights of her career was when she wore the wedding dress previously worn by Elizabeth Taylor in “Father of the Bride” (1950) during a 1960 episode of NBC’s “Wagon Train,” where she guest-starred with Mickey Rooney.
Sturgess’s performances in two episodes of the Boris Karloff-hosted NBC horror anthology series “Thriller” in 1960 and 1961 led to her being cast as Estelle Craven in the film “The Raven,” where she played the daughter of Vincent Price’s character, Dr. Erasmus Craven.
The film, shot in about two weeks, also starred legendary actors Peter Lorre and Boris Karloff, as well as a young Jack Nicholson. In Tom Weaver’s book, Sturgess shared her thrill of working with these stars, particularly admiring the chilling impact of their voices.
She also remembered Jack Nicholson as being “sort of ‘different'” and sensed his immense talent which he held back at the time.
At 5 feet 2 inches tall, Sturgess was an accomplished horse rider and performed in rodeos. She also starred in the Western feature film “Requiem for a Gunfighter” (1965).
Though her final on-screen appearance was in a 1974 episode of “The Rookies,” Sturgess remained active in corresponding with her fans until her death.
Sturgess was married to Dale Anderson, a Hollywood studio musician who frequently collaborated with John Williams, from 1964 until his passing in 2003. She is survived by her daughter Amy, son Stephen, son-in-law Lorenzo, daughter-in-law Rikke, and granddaughter Jennifer.