R.I.P. Inga Swenson

[Big Magilla]

Had they allowed five nominees, Tammy Grimes would likely have been the fifth for High Spirits.

Had Tony awards been given for calendar years instead of theatrical seasons, Swenson would have been up against the likes of Barbara Cook in She Loves Me, Nanette Fabray in Mr. President and incongruous Tony winner Vivien Leigh in Tovarich in 1963.

She probably had a better chance of winning for Baker Street in 1965 where she and Elizabeth Allen in Do I Hear a Waltz? seemed a lot more deserving vocally than winner Liza Minnelli in Flora, the Red Menace.

[Mister Tee]

I never watched Benson (or most TV of that era). My primary memory of Swenson (apart from her small parts in The Miracle Worker/Advise and Consent) was hearing of her celebrated performance in 110 in the Shade. That theatre season (1963-64) was the first I fully followed, and I well recall the raves she received from NY critics. In those days, my theatre-mania extended to snapping up cast albums, and I got quite familiar with her vocal performance on songs like Raunchy and You're Not Foolin' Me.

In many years, she might have won the Tony for best actress in a musical. Her show opened early in the season (October '63), and, for several months, she possibly entertained hopes of carrying home the prize. Unluckily for her, winter and Spring brought two of the most legendary lead musical performances in Broadway history -- Channing in Hello, Dolly!, Streisand in Funny Girl -- and, by the time of the Tonys, the consternation was that one of those (Streisand, it turned out) had to lose, not Swenson. Swenson did get her nomination, but seemed old news by then. (The fact that the society-altering Kennedy assassination had happened in the interim may have added to 110 seeming like ancient history.)

By the way, the fourth nominee that year was Beatrice Lillie as Madame Arcati in a musical version of Blithe Spirit called High Spirits, which had also been well-received. You might make a case for that being the most competitive lead actress/musical slate ever.

[Big Magilla]

Always liked her. She was under-utilized on the big screen but did have a Golden Globe and 3 Emmy nominations for Benson to augment those two well-deserved Tony nominations.

[Reza]

Inga Swenson, Gretchen the Cook on ‘Benson,’ Dies at 90

by Jaden Thompson (Variety) 7/28/2023

Actor and singer Inga Swenson, who played Gretchen the cook on the popular ’80s sitcom “Benson,” on Sunday in Los Angeles. Swenson died of natural causes, according to TMZ. She was 90.

She was known for starring as Gretchen Kraus in the ABC series “Benson,” which aired for seven years from 1979 to 1986. The show follows Benson DuBois (Robert Guillaume) who is hired as head of household for a governor; Gretchen was the German cook with whom Benson had a workplace rivalry and friendship. For her role as Gretchen, Swenson was nominated for three Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actress. “Benson” was a spin-off of the show “Soap,” in which Swenson also appeared for multiple episodes as the character Ingrid Svenson.

A trained lyric soprano, Swenson also had a successful career on Broadway, performing in lauded starring roles in the 1960s. She starred as Lizzy Curry in “110 in the Shade” and Irene Adler in “Baker Street,” and was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for both performances. The former follows a woman living on a ranch in the Southwest and the latter is based on the stories of Sherlock Holmes. Other shows she performed in include “Camelot,” “Peer Gynt” and “The First Gentleman.”

Swenson also acted on the big screen, with film credits including “Advise and Consent” (1962), “The Miracle Worker” (1962), “Lipstick” (1976) and “The Betsy” (1978).

Swenson was born on December 29, 1932 in Omaha, Neb. She later studied drama at Northwestern University. She married sound engineer Lowell Harris in 1953 and the couple had two sons.

Swenson is survived by her husband and her son Mark Harris, a film editor.