Sigrid Valdis on AllMovie

Actress Sigrid Valdis was best known for two achievements -- her ongoing portrayal of the alluring blonde secretary Hilda on the WWII-themed sitcom Hogan's Heroes (1965-1971), and her off-camera marriage to troubled series star Bob Crane. Born Patricia Olson in Bakersfield, CA, in 1940, she took Sigrid Valdis as a stage name, then ascended through the ranks of print model and big-screen ingenue (in such mid-'60s films as Our Man Flint and Marriage on the Rocks) before landing the Hogan's assignment that brought about her greatest recognition. Valdis remained with the series from 1966 until it wrapped in 1971, and married Bob Crane in 1970, with an on-set wedding. The marriage officially lasted until Crane's homicide in 1978. In later years, Valdis retired from film and television activity, then died of lung cancer after several decades of inactivity in October 2007. Maria Bello portrayed Valdis in Paul Schrader's biopic of Crane, Auto Focus (2002).