Inga Swenson Biography

Fast Facts

• Was honored as a life member of The Actors Studio
• Studied in the acclaimed drama department at Northwestern University
• In 1953, she got married to film editor Lowell Harris
• Frequently takes on the role of matriarchal characters
• Although she portrayed the mother of Dan Blocker's character in the stage play "110 in the Shade," she was actually four years younger than the actor
• Would be mistaken by fans for a foreign-born woman due to her portrayal of the thick-accented character Gretchen Kraus on "Benson․"
• A trained vocalist, she is classified as a lyric soprano singer