Britt Eklund

Britt Ekland
Ekland in 1972 by Allan Warren
Born	Britt-Marie Eklund (1942-10-06) 6 October 1942 (age 74) , Sweden
Residence	Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation	Actress, singer
Years active	1959–present
Spouse(s)	Peter Sellers (m. 1964; div. 1968) Slim Jim Phantom (m. 1984; div. 1992)
Partner(s)	Lou Adler Rod Stewart
Children	3, including Victoria Sellers

Britt Ekland (born Britt-Marie Eklund; October 6, 1942) is a Swedish actress and singer. She appeared in numerous films in her heyday throughout the 1960s and 1970s, including critically acclaimed roles in William Friedkin's The Night They Raided Minsky's (1968), and the British crime film Get Carter (1971), which established her as a movie sex symbol. She also starred in the British cult horror film The Wicker Man (1973) and appeared as a Bond girl in The Man with the Golden Gun (1974).

Her high-profile social life and her 1964 marriage to actor Peter Sellers attracted considerable press attention, leading to her being one of the most photographed celebrities in the world during the 1970s.

Ekland was born Britt-Marie Eklund in to Maj Britt, a secretary, and Sven Axel Eklund, who ran an upscale clothing store in Stockholm and was captain of the Swedish national curling team. Ekland's mother died of Alzheimer's disease in the 1980s, which had a profound effect on her.

Ekland grew up with three younger brothers, and has said that she was overweight for much of her childhood: "I was very heavy. God, I was brutal-looking. I always tried to be funny to make up for the fact that I was fat and ugly." As a teenager, Ekland left school to travel with a theater company, and was spotted by a talent agent in a coffee shop while in Italy, who sent her to London to audition for films.

Ekland began her career with bit parts and uncredited walk-on roles, including her first onscreen role in G.I. Blues (1960). This was followed with a small supporting part in The Happy Thieves (1960). She had small roles in the Swedish films Kort är sommaren (1962) and Det är hos mig han har varit (1963), before landing her first major supporting part in the George Marshall Western Advance to the Rear (1964).