Anita Ekberg

Anita Ekberg Biography

Kerstin Anita Marianne Ekberg was born on 29th of September 1931 in Malmo, Skane in Sweden. Nickname: ‘The Iceberg’. She was a model and actress and is best-known for her role as Sylvia in ‘La Dolce Vita’, directed by the late Federico Fellini. When she was a teenager she used to work as a fashion model, but her real career began, when she was elected Miss Sweden in 1950.

Unfortunately, she didn’t win the Miss Universe contest then, but she quickly got a film contract with Howard Hughes’s Radio Keith Orpheum (a movie studio). After five years spent in Hollywood, she had moved to Rome where she starred in ‘La Dolce Vita’ (produced in 1960) - and it was her breakthrough. She stayed in Italy and played in some 20 movies during the next ten years - some of her roles were memorable, some are to be forgotten. During the 1970s her roles became less frequent, but in 1987 Anita Ekberg made a marvellous comeback with Fellini’s film titled: ‘Intervista’.

The fact she was married twice, gave her a lot of attention from the press too. At first, from 1956 to 1959, Anita Ekberg was married to the British actor Anthony Steel. From 1963 to 1975, she was married to the actor Rik Van Nutter - during this marriage, she had several miscarriages, but no successful pregnancies. Some people say, Anita Ekberg was also romantically involved with: Marcello Mastroianni, Frank Sinatra, and Gary Cooper - to mention just few of them.

She has lived alone in Italy - in her beloved Rome for many years.