Inga Swenson (December 29, 1932 – July 23, 2023) was an American actress and singer whose career encompassed stage, film, and television. She is best remembered for her role as German immigrant chef Gretchen Kraus on the 1979–86 sitcom Benson.
She was married to Lowell M. Harris and they had two sons, one of whom sadly died in motorcycle crash at age 26.
Swenson died of natural causes in 2023 at age 90.
Partial filmography:
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Film roles
- Advise & Consent (1962) as Ellen Anderson
- The Miracle Worker (1962) as Kate Keller
- Lipstick (1976) as Sister Monica
- The Betsy (1978) as Mrs. Craddock
- The Mountain Man (1980) as Singer
Television roles
- Playhouse 90 (2 episodes 1958–59) as Maria/Milly Theale
- The Defenders (1 episode, 1962) as Claire Stafford
- Dr. Kildare (1 episode, 1962) as Paula Waller
- Bonanza (2 episodes, 1962) as Inger Borgstrom Cartwright
- The Rookies (1 episode, 1975) as Barbara Paige
- Barnaby Jones (2 episodes, 1976–78) as Anne Hobson/Marie Barrett
- Vega$ (1 episode, 1978) as The Producer
- Soap (8 episodes, 1978–79) as Ingrid Svenson
- Benson (1979–86) as Gretchen Kraus
- North and South: Books I and II (1985–86) as Maude Hazard
- Hotel (1 episode, 1988) as Sonya Green
- The Golden Girls (1 episode, 1989) as Holly Lindstrom
- Newhart (1 episode, 1989) as Madelyn Stone
- Doctor Doctor (1989–90) as Connie Stratford
- Life with Louie (2 episodes, 1997) as Grandma Helga (voice)
