Elaine Stewart has died aged 81.
The Brigadoon star, a leading lady in a series of films in the 1950s, died yesterday at her home in Beverly Hills after a long illness, her agent Fred Wostbrock told the LA Times.
She was born Elsy Steinberg and her first starring role came in the 1953 crime drama Code Two.
She also appeared in the films The Adventures of Hajji Baba, The Tattered Dress and Night Passage.
In the 1960s, she was in several TV shows including Bat Masterson, Burke's Law and Perry Mason.
In 1964, Stewart, who was divorced from actor Bill Carter, married game show producer Merrill Heatter and retired from the showbusiness industry to concentrate on starting a family.
However, she returned to the field when she took a television job as co-host of gameshow Gambit, which turned int a hit show for CBS thanks to her pairing with co-host Wink Martindale.
Game shows proved a popular choice for Stewart as she later returned to them on NBC's High Rollers.
Stewart is survived by her husband Heatter, and two children Stewart and Gabrielle.