Anita Ekberg
| Anita Ekberg | |
|---|---|
Ekberg in 1956
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| Pronunciation | Swedish: [aˈniːta ²eːkbærj] Italian: [aˈniːta ˈɛkberɡ] English /əˈniːtə ˈɛkbərɡ/ |
| Born |
Kerstin Anita Marianne Ekberg 29 September 1931 Malmö, Sweden |
| Died | 11 January 2015 (aged 83) Rocca di Papa, Italy |
| Nationality | Italian |
| Occupation | Actress, model |
| Years active | 1953–2002 |
| Spouse(s) |
Anthony Steel (m. 1956–59) Rik Van Nutter (m. 1963–75) |
Kerstin Anita Marianne Ekberg (29 September 1931 – 11 January 2015) was a Swedish-Italian actress, model, and sex symbol. She is best known for her role as Sylvia in the Federico Fellini film La Dolce Vita (1960). Ekberg worked primarily in Italy, of which she became a permanent resident in 1964.
Anita Ekberg was born on 29 September 1931, in Malmö, Skåne, the sixth of eight children of Gustav Fredrik Ekberg by the former Alva Maria Larsson. In her teens, Anita worked as a fashion model. Ekberg entered the Miss Malmö competition in 1950 at her mother's urging, leading to the Miss Sweden contest which she won. She consequently went to the United States to compete for the Miss Universe 1951 title (an unofficial pageant at that time, the pageant became official in 1952) despite speaking little English.
Although Ekberg did not win the Miss Universe pageant, as one of six finalists she did earn a starlet's contract with Universal Studios, as was the practice at the time.
As a starlet at Universal, she received lessons in drama, elocution, dancing, horseriding and fencing. She appeared briefly in the 1953 Universal films Abbott and Costello Go to Mars and The Golden Blade. Ekberg skipped many of her drama lessons, restricting herself to riding horses in the Hollywood Hills. Ekberg later admitted she was spoiled by the studio system and played instead of pursuing bigger film roles.
The combination of Ekberg's voluptuous physique and colorful private life (such as her well-publicized romances with Hollywood's leading men, such as Frank Sinatra, Tyrone Power, Yul Brynner, Rod Taylor and Errol Flynn) appealed to the gossip magazines, like Confidential, and she soon became a major 1950s pin-up, appearing in men's magazines like Playboy. Additionally, Ekberg participated in publicity stunts. She once admitted that an incident in which her dress burst open in the lobby of London's Berkeley Hotel was prearranged with a photographer.
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