Inga Swenson (born December 29, 1932; Omaha, Nebraska) is an Emmy award and Golden Globe-nominated American actress.
Swenson was a member of Alpha Phi sorority at Northwestern University where she studied in their famed Drama Department. Swenson is best known to American audiences for her portrayal of "Gretchen Kraus", the autocratic and acerbic German cook (later Head Housekeeper and Budget Director) on the TV sitcom Benson. She got the part by ...
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Inga Swenson (born December 29, 1932; Omaha, Nebraska) is an Emmy award and Golden Globe-nominated American actress.
Swenson was a member of Alpha Phi sorority at Northwestern University where she studied in their famed Drama Department. Swenson is best known to American audiences for her portrayal of "Gretchen Kraus", the autocratic and acerbic German cook (later Head Housekeeper and Budget Director) on the TV sitcom Benson. She got the part by appearing in a multi-episode stint as "Ingrid Svenson", birth mother of Corinne Tate (Diana Canova), on the tv sitcom Soap. Both series were created by Susan Harris and produced by Witt-Thomas-Harris Productions (who later created The Golden Girls and Empty Nest. She also appeared as northern matriarch Maude Hazard in the acclaimed mini-series North and South in 1985 and again in 1986.
Earlier in her career, Swenson had a notable turn on the TV western series Bonanza in two episodes: "Inger, My Love" (1962) and "Journey Remembered" (1963)....
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