Long before ultra-thin figures became a dominant beauty ideal, Anita Ekberg proved that Hollywood glamour could look very different. With full hips, strong thighs, striking features and unmistakable confidence, the Swedish beauty became one of the most admired women of her generation.
Kerstin Anita Marianne Ekberg was born on September 29, 1931, in Malmö. She began modeling as a teenager and won the Miss Sweden title in 1951. Acting soon followed, although despite her Swedish roots, she never appeared in a Swedish film.
Her looks quickly attracted attention from filmmakers, but it was “La Dolce Vita” that transformed Ekberg into an international sensation. Her appearance in the film cemented her reputation as a major sex symbol and produced some of the most recognizable images of her career.
Director Federico Fellini never forgot his first impression of the actress. “She was terrifyingly beautiful. I had never seen anything like it,” he once recalled. “La Dolce Vita” also helped popularize the word “paparazzo,” taken from the surname of the photographer character who follows Sylvia, played by Ekberg.
Her career included far more than one famous role. Ekberg appeared in “War and Peace” in 1956, “Boccaccio ’70” in 1962, “4 for Texas” in 1963, “Woman Times Seven” in 1967, “If It’s Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium” in 1969, “The Clowns” in 1970 and “Intervista” in 1987. In 1956, she received a Golden Globe as the most promising female newcomer.
Ekberg was married twice, first to actor Anthony Steel and later to Rik Van Nutter. She was also romantically linked to several famous men, including Errol Flynn, Yul Brynner and Frank Sinatra.
The actress eventually made Italy her home. She died at the age of 83 in Rocca di Papa, near Rome. Photographs from her later years show a dramatically different side of the woman whose beauty and famous curves once made her one of the most recognizable stars in the world.
