Anita Ekberg Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Anita Ekberg
Ekberg in 1956
Pronunciation	Swedish: [aˈnîːta ˈêːkbærj] Italian: [aˈniːta ˈɛkberɡ] English: /əˈniːtə ˈ[unsupported input]bɜːrɡ/
Born	Kerstin Anita Marianne Ekberg (1931-09-29)29 September 1931 Malmö, Sweden
Died	11 January 2015(2015-01-11) (aged 83) Rocca di Papa, Italy
Occupation	Actress, model
Years active	1953–2002
Spouse(s)	Anthony Steel (m. 1956; div. 1959) Rik Van Nutter (m. 1963; div. 1975)

Kerstin Anita Marianne Ekberg (born September 29, 1931 – died January 11, 2015) was a famous Swedish actress and model. She was known for her beauty and became very well-known for her role as Sylvia in the movie La Dolce Vita (1960), directed by Federico Fellini. Anita Ekberg worked mostly in Italy, where she became a permanent resident in 1964.

Early Life and Beauty Pageants
Building an Acting Career
Personal Life
Death
Images for kids
See also

Early Life and Beauty Pageants

Anita Ekberg was born in Malmö, Sweden, on September 29, 1931. She was the sixth of eight children. As a teenager, Anita started working as a fashion model. In 1950, her mother encouraged her to enter the Miss Malmö competition, which she won. This led her to the Miss Sweden contest, which she also won. Even though she spoke very little English, she traveled to the United States to compete for the 1951 Miss Universe title.

Building an Acting Career

Starting at Universal Studios

Even though Anita Ekberg didn't win the Miss Universe pageant, she was one of the six finalists. This helped her get a contract with Universal Studios. At Universal, she received lessons in acting, speaking clearly, dancing, horseback riding, and fencing. She appeared in small roles in movies like The Mississippi Gambler (1953) and Abbott and Costello Go to Mars (1953). However, Ekberg often skipped her lessons and preferred riding horses. Universal Studios ended her contract after six months.

Moving to Batjac and Paramount

After leaving Universal, Ekberg toured Greenland with comedian Bob Hope, entertaining American soldiers. Hope talked about her beauty, and actor John Wayne signed her to a contract with his company, Batjac Productions.

In the mid-1950s, Ekberg started getting more film roles. She had a small but important part in Blood Alley (1955), starring John Wayne. This was her first real speaking role in a major movie. She also appeared with the comedy duo Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis in Artists and Models (1955).

Her biggest chance came when Paramount Pictures cast her in War and Peace (1956), which was filmed in Rome. She starred alongside Audrey Hepburn. For a while, people even called her "Paramount's Marilyn Monroe". She made another film with Martin and Lewis, Hollywood or Bust (1956).

Working in Italy and La Dolce Vita

Anita Ekberg went to Italy to star in Sheba and the Gladiator (1959). She then stayed in Rome to make La Dolce Vita (1960) for director Federico Fellini. In this movie, she played Sylvia Rank, a beautiful "dream woman" who was hard to reach.

The movie became a huge international success, and Ekberg decided to live in Rome. She later said that after La Dolce Vita, many directors wanted her to play the same kind of role: a famous American movie star visiting Italy.

Ekberg continued to appear in Italian and international films. She was considered for the first Bond girl role in Dr. No, but the part went to Ursula Andress. However, she did star with Bob Hope again in Call Me Bwana (1963). She also co-starred with Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin in the western-comedy 4 for Texas (1963). She worked with director Frank Tashlin again in The Alphabet Murders (1965), based on an Agatha Christie novel.

Later Film Roles

In the following years, Ekberg appeared in many different types of films. She had a small role in a Jerry Lewis comedy, Way... Way Out (1966). She also worked with famous Italian directors like Alberto Sordi in Pardon, Are You For or Against? (1966) and Vittorio De Sica in Woman Times Seven (1967).

Federico Fellini asked Ekberg to appear in his film The Clowns (1970). She also had roles in films like The Divorce (1970) and Deadly Trackers (1972).

Later in her career, Fellini brought her back for his film Intervista (1987), where she appeared as herself in a scene with Marcello Mastroianni, her co-star from La Dolce Vita. She continued acting into the late 1990s and early 2000s, including a guest role in the Italian TV series Il bello delle donne (2001). In 2021, actress Monica Bellucci helped create a film about Ekberg called “The girl in the fountain.”

Personal Life

Anita Ekberg was married twice, both times to actors. She was married to Anthony Steel from 1956 to 1959, and to Rik Van Nutter from 1963 to 1975. Both marriages ended in divorce.

Ekberg was known for speaking her mind in interviews. She often said that director Fellini owed his success to her, rather than the other way around. She moved away from Sweden in the early 1950s and rarely visited her home country. However, she welcomed Swedish journalists to her home in Italy. In 2005, she appeared on a popular Swedish radio show called Sommar, where she talked about her life. She said in an interview that she would not move back to Sweden but wanted to be buried there.

In 2009, she was admitted to a hospital in Rome after falling ill. In 2011, she had a broken hip and her home was damaged by fire.

Death

Anita Ekberg passed away on January 11, 2015, at the age of 83. She died at a clinic in Rocca di Papa, Italy, due to complications from long-term illnesses. She had been in a wheelchair for several years after an accident where one of her pet dogs knocked her down, causing a broken hip. Her funeral was held in Rome, and her body was cremated. Her remains were buried at the cemetery of Skanör Church in Sweden, as she had wished to be buried in her home country.