Olive Sturgess, known for her roles in TV Westerns and the 1963 Roger Corman cult horror spoof “The Raven,” passed away at the age of 91.
Sturgess’s death on February 19, 2025, in Los Angeles, California, was due to natural causes, according to her daughter, Amy Anderson Sanchez, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter. Prior to her death, she lost her 60-year-old home in the Pacific Palisades fire in January and was living with her daughter.
Across two decades starting in the mid-1950s, the Canadian actress featured in roughly 300 television episodes. This includes a recurring role as the girlfriend of Dwayne Hickman’s character in the NBC-CBS sitcom “The Bob Cummings Show” from 1956 to 1959.
Sturgess, born on October 8, 1933, in Ocean Falls, British Columbia, and raised in Vancouver, was inspired to pursue acting after watching Mary Martin’s performance in “Peter Pan.” She shared in the 2014 book “I Talked With a Zombie” by Tom Weaver, her awe when she saw a performer fly onto the stage, which she described as a magical moment that confirmed her desire to act.
When her family relocated to California in 1954, Sturgess studied at Whittier College and performed at the Beverly Hills Playhouse. It was here that she met Hank Garson, a CBS radio show writer, leading to her appearances on TV shows such as “Matinee Theater,” “Studio 57,” “The Millionaire,” “The People’s Choice,” and “The Red Skelton Hour.”
She later joined Universal-International, where she screen-tested with Clint Eastwood. She once said, “You’d see me twice a week on TV in the ’50s.”
While Western series dominated her career, Sturgess also featured in other TV shows like “West Point,” “Perry Mason,” “Panic!,” “The Donna Reed Show,” “Hawaiian Eye,” “The Danny Thomas Show,” “Petticoat Junction,” “Dr. Kildare,” and “Ironside.”
Her Western credits were extensive, with appearances 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.”
Her career highlights include guest-starring alongside Mickey Rooney on a 1960 episode of NBC’s “Wagon Train,” where she wore Elizabeth Taylor’s wedding dress from the 1950 film “Father of the Bride.” She also acted in the Boris Karloff-hosted NBC horror anthology series “Thriller,” which led to her role in “The Raven.”
In “The Raven,” she acted alongside legendary actors Peter Lorre, Boris Karloff, and a young Jack Nicholson. In Tom Weaver’s book, she shared her thrilling experience working with them and how their distinctive voices sent chills down her spine.
Besides her television career, Sturgess, who stood at 5 feet 2 inches tall and knew how to ride a horse, performed in rodeos. She also appeared in the Western feature film, “Requiem for a Gunfighter” (1965).
Although her last on-screen credit was on a 1974 episode of “The Rookies,” she remained responsive to her fan mail until her death. She is survived by her daughter Amy, son Stephen, son-in-law Lorenzo, daughter-in-law Rikke, and granddaughter Jennifer. She was married to Dale Anderson, a percussionist and Hollywood studio musician, from 1964 until his death in 2003.
