Patricia Annette Olson, known professionally as Sigrid Valdis, was a native Californian of Swedish descent, raised in the Westwood and Brentwood neighborhoods of Los Angeles, and attended exclusive private schools, including Marymount High School.
She began her modeling career as a teenager, moving to Europe and then to New York City, where she met and married a businessman in the fashion industry. After the birth of her first child, Melissa, she started studying at Stella Adler's Theatre School, working on her first feature film, and eventually returned to California in 1964 to pursue an acting career.
Over the next 18 months, she accumulated an impressive list of credits and on-camera time, appearing in films such as Two Tickets to Paris, Marriage on the Rocks, Our Man Flint, and The Venetian Affair, alongside notable actors like Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, James Coburn, and Robert Vaughn.
Her exposure in films brought her numerous television opportunities, including work with TV legends like Phil Silvers, Steve Allen, Red Skelton, and Sid Caesar, as well as sharing the small screen with actors like Allan Sherman, Dennis Hopper, Henry Silva, Robert Conrad, and Ross Martin.
Sigrid also performed on stage, starring in a touring production of the comedy "Cactus Flower" in the summer of 1968, alongside Bob Crane and Edward H. Feldman. She was recognized for her ability to perform effectively in various types of roles in multiple genres and settings, succeeding in movies, television, comedy, drama, commercials, sitcoms, and skits.
She was widowed in 1967 and caught the eye of Hogan's Heroes producer Edward H. Feldman, leading to her guest appearance as Gretchen in Episode 10. She was brought under contract as a regular cast member, playing the role of Hilda, Col. Klink's secretary, and married Bob Crane on the set of the show in 1970.
The couple had a son, Robert Scott Crane, in 1971, and Sigrid retired from acting to devote herself to her husband and family. Although they were separated during part of 1977, they reconciled in 1978, but tragically, Crane was murdered a few months later. Amid the turmoil and fear, Sigrid moved from the Los Angeles area to protect her family from media scrutiny.
