Anita Ekberg was born on 29 September 1931, in Sweden. She entered the Miss Malmö competition in 1950 at her mother’s urging which led to the Miss Sweden contest which she won. She then went to the USA for the Miss Universe pageant and became a finalist, which earned her a starlet’s contract with Universal Studios.
She is best-known for her role in Federico Fellini’s La dolce vita (1960), which features the famous scene of her cavorting in Rome’s Trevi Fountain, clad in a black gown with a plunging neckline. Continue for some amazing facts about this classic Hollywood starlet:
Anita is one of five Swedish actresses to be nominated for a Golden Globe Award. The others are Ingrid Bergman, Lena Olin, Ann-Margret and Rebecca Ferguson.
She was considered for the role of Honey Rider in the first James Bond film Dr. No (1962), which went to Ursula Andress. Ekberg later co-starred with Andress in the Western comedy 4 for Texas (1963).
She was the celebrity spokesperson for Foster Grant sunglasses during the 1960s.
She was up for the lead role in the short-lived television series Sheena: Queen of the Jungle (1955) before her contract was bought out by John Wayne’s production company Batjac Productions.
Anita was chosen by Empire magazine as one of the 100 Sexiest Stars in film history (#98) (1995).
Was engaged in a long-running personal feud with fellow starlet Cleo Moore.
On July 19, 2009, she was admitted to the San Giovanni Hospital in Rome, after falling ill in her home in Genzano, according to a medical official in its neurosurgery department. Despite her condition not being considered serious, Ekberg was put under observation in the facility.
In December 2011, Ekberg was destitute following three months in a hospital with a broken thigh in Rimini, during which her home was robbed of jewelry and furniture, and her villa was badly damaged in a fire. She applied for help from the Fellini Foundation, which also found itself in difficult financial straits.
