Photo:Michael Ochs Archive/Getty
Michael Ochs Archive/Getty
Inga Swenson has died of natural causes while staying at a board-and-care facility in Los Angeles. She was 90.
Swenson’s career in television took off when she took on the role of German cook Gretchen Kraus on the popular television sitcomBenson, which aired on ABC from 1979 to 1986.
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Bensonwas originally a spinoff of the popular sitcomSoap, in which her character Ingrid Swenson enjoyed a multi-episode arc. Over the course of more than 150 episodes onBenson, the actress became a household name, revered for her comedic timing and acknowledged with three Emmy nominations and a Golden Globe nod.
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AfterBenson, the actress starred in other projects likeNorth & South and Nutcracker: Money, Madness & Murderand made appearances in episodes ofNewhart,The Golden GirlsandHotel.
Swenson was also a Broadway star, earning two Tony Award nominations for best actress in a musical for her star turns as Lizzie Curry in110 in the Shadeand Irene Adler inBaker Street.
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Swenson retired from acting in 1998.
source: people.com
