Sigrid Valdis

• Name — Sigrid Valdis • Birth Name — Patricia Annette Olson • Born — 21 September 1935 • Birthplace — Bakersfield, California, U.S. • Died — 14 October 2007 • Place of death — Anaheim, California, U.S. • Resting Place — Westwood Memorial Park • Occupation — Actress • Years Active — 1957–1970 • Children — 3

Valdis was born in Bakersfield, California. She began acting in the late 1950s. She appeared in bit parts in films and guest starred in several television shows including The Wild Wild West and Kraft Television Theatre. She appeared in one episode of Hogan's Heroes as a different character before landing the role of Hilda, Colonel Klink's secretary, replacing Cynthia Lynn ("Helga") who had played the role of Klink's secretary in the first season.

Valdis was married twice. Her first marriage was to fashion businessman George Gilbert Ateyeh, with whom she had a daughter, Melissa. Ateyeh died in 1967. Valdis' second marriage was to Hogan's Heroes star Bob Crane on the set of the series on October 16, 1970. Co-star Richard Dawson served as Crane's best man. Following the birth of their son Robert Scott Crane in 1971, Valdis retired from acting. However, the claim of Crane being the biological father of Robert Scott has been challenged, with Crane confirmed to have had a vasectomy in 1968. Valdis and Crane separated in 1977, and were merely weeks away from having a planned divorce finalized at the time of Crane's death. In 1978, she moved from the Los Angeles area after Crane was murdered. In 1980, she moved to Seattle, where in 1998 she joined the cast of her son's syndicated weekly sketch comedy radio show, Shaken, Not Stirred. In 2004, she moved back to her childhood home in Westwood. Though no longer using her stage name, she later oversaw a tribute website to her husband, with a blog where she answered questions from fans of her husband and Hogan's Heroes.

• Illustration — Grave of Bob Crane and Sigrid Valdis in Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery Twice widowed, Valdis died on October 14, 2007, from lung cancer in Anaheim, California, aged 72. She had two daughters, Melissa Smith and Ana Sarmiento, and a son, Scott. She had three stepchildren from Crane's earlier marriage to Anne Terzian: Karen, Deborah, and Robert David Crane.

• Film • Year — Title — Role — Notes • 1962 — Two Tickets to Paris — Young woman — Uncredited • 1965 — Marriage on the Rocks — Kitty • 1966 — Our Man Flint — Anna • 1967 — The Venetian Affair — Uncredited • Television • Year — Title — Role — Notes • 1964 — Kraft Suspense Theatre — Ruby — 1 episode • 1965 — The Wild Wild West — Miss Piecemeal — 2 episodes • 1965 — Hogan's Heroes — Gretchen — 1 episode • 1966–1971 — Hogan's Heroes — Hilda — 43 episodes

She also worked under the name Sigrid Valdis. The authorities additionally record the heading Patricia Annette Olson. Her recorded language was English. She married Bob Crane.