Who was Olive Sturgess married to? Life, marriage and more explored as The Raven actress dies at 91

Former Canadian actress, Olive Sturgess's family announced that the actress passed away on February 19, 2025, at the age of 91. Sturgess, born on October 8, 1933, is primarily known for her role in the 1963 horror comedy, The Raven, where she played the character Estelle Craven, daughter of Dr. Erasmus Craven played by Vincent Price.

According to reports, the actress reportedly quit acting after she had her daughter. But, before she ended her career, she had been in the acting industry for about two decades and is said to have appeared in about 300 episodes on TV.

Other than Raven, Sturgess's other popular roles were in the NBC-CBS sitcom The Bob Cummings Show, where she played the role of Dwayne Hickman’s character, and a guest appearance in a 1960 episode of NBC’s Wagon Train, where she acted alongside Mickey Rooney.

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Olive Sturgess on her acting career

Olive Sturgess appeared in multiple titles like 'Tales of Wells Fargo, U.S. Marshal, Cheyenne, Sugarfoot, Rawhide, Have Gun — Will Travel, Lawman, Laramie, The Rebel, The Tall Man, Bronco, Whispering Smith, Maverick, Wide Country, Destry, The Virginian, Thriller Bonanza, West Point, Perry Mason, Panic!, The Donna Reed Show, Hawaiian Eye, The Donna Reed Show, The Danny Thomas Show, Petticoat Junction, Dr. Kildare, Ironside' and more.

In an interview with Western Clippings, Olive Sturgess talked about her early acting career and reminisced that

We used to have stories that had a beginning, middle and an end, that made you feel good after watching them…We had stories that were genuine; stories of the West done with humor or drama and romance.- Olive Sturgess via Western Clippings

In the same interview, she also talked about her experience acting in an episode of Wagon Train, as the 5'2" actress talked about having to take her shoes off to look shorter than Mickey Rooney as well as getting an opportunity to wear the wedding attire that Elizabeth Taylor wore in Father of the Bride. While filming for Wagon Train, she also had a "bad accident",

I rolled down the hill in the scene where I’m to be picked up and lifted on a sling. They carried me up a hill, shot the scene as high as they could—then I fell off this stretcher or sling. - Olive Sturgess via Western Clippings

According to Western Clippings, Olive Sturgess fondly recalls the TV show Sugarfoot, as she had a crush on Will Hutchins and describes him as "Henry Fonda in his way".

She also recalls meeting actor Clint Eastwood while she was signed with Universal Studios and recalled how Eastwood always wanted to be a Western actor( stories set in the American West) and how he achieved his goal.

Though the actress also acted in some comedy shows as well, her forte is reportedly TV Western, but she also appeared in one Western film, Requiem For A Gunfighter.