Biography for
Anita Ekberg More at IMDbPro »

Date of Birth

29 September 1931, Malmö, Skåne län, Sweden

Birth Name

Kerstin Anita Marianne Ekberg

Nickname

The Iceberg

Height

5' 6½" (1.69 m)

Mini Biography

Kerstin Anita Marianne Ekberg was born on September 29, 1931 in Malmo, Sweden. Growing up with seven brothers and sisters was not an adventure, but Anita's adventure began when she was elected Miss Sweden in 1950. She did not win the Miss Universe contest but she got a modeling contract in the United States. She quickly got a film contract with Howard Hughes's RKO that did not lead anywhere (but Anita herself has said that Hughes wanted to marry her.) Instead, she started making movies with Universal, small roles that more often than not only required her to look beautiful. After five years in Hollywood, she found herself in Rome, where Federico Fellini's La Dolce Vita (1960) meant her breakthrough. She stayed in Italy and made around 20 movies during the next ten years, some roles memorable, some to be forgotten. Her two marriages gave her a lot of attention from the press. During the 1970s, the roles became less frequent, but she made a marvellous comeback with Fellini's Fellini's Intervista (1987).

Anita Ekberg retired from acting in 2002 after 50 years in the motion picture industry.

IMDb Mini Biography By: Mattias Thuresson <mattias.thuresson@mbox300.swipnet.se>

Spouse

Rik Van Nutter	(9 April 1963 - 1975) (divorced)
Anthony Steel	(22 May 1956 - 14 May 1959) (divorced)

Trade Mark

Platinum blonde hair

Cat-like blue eyes

Voluptuous figure

Deep sultry voice

Trivia

Chosen by Empire magazine as one of the 100 Sexiest Stars in film history (#98). [1995]

Miss Sweden 1950 and 1955 Deb Star.

Was up for the lead role in the 1950s television series, "Sheena: Queen of the Jungle" (1955) before her contract was bought out by John Wayne's production company, Batjac.

Returned to Sweden in 1964 to appear in her first Swedish movie, Bo Widerberg's Kärlek 65 (1965), but canceled her appearance because, she said, "Widerberg was such an amateur!".

Best remembered for her appearance 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.

Had a long involvement with Tyrone Power that began when she was uncredited in his film The Mississippi Gambler (1953). She was involved with him during his subsequent tour of "John Brown's Body" and showed up in New York while he was filming The Eddy Duchin Story (1956). At one point, he took her to Cincinnati with him to meet his family. This all took place while he was married to Linda Christian. Christian describes the affair, but never mentions Ekberg's name, in her autobiography.

On July 19, 2009, she had been 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, she has been put under observation in the facility.

In December 2011, she was destitute following three months in a hospital with a broken thigh in Rimini, during which her home was robbed and badly damaged in a fire. She applied for help from the Fellini Foundation, itself in difficult financial straits.

Has not lived in Sweden since the early 1950s and rarely visits the country. She has welcomed Swedish journalists in her house outside Rome, and in 2005, appeared on the radio program "Sommar", talking about her life. She stated in an interview that she will not move back to Sweden before she dies, when she will be buried there. Ekberg said that the Swedish people and media have not appreciated her sufficiently; nevertheless, her personal and radio appearances have been popular in Sweden.

Was mentioned in the song "High School Confidential" by the Canadian New Wave group Rough Trade.

Was mentioned in the song "I Shall Be Free" by Bob Dylan on his 1963 album "The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan".

Retired from acting in 2002 after 50 years in the motion picture industry.

Personal Quotes

How can I know who's PM or in government in Sweden? It's been 40 years since I moved abroad! Oh!

I'm very much bigger than I was, so what? It's not really fatness, it's development.

I'm very proud of my breasts, as every woman should be. It's not cellular obesity, it's womanliness.

Where Are They Now

(December 2011) Ekberg was destitute following three months in a hospital with a broken thigh in Rimini, during which her home was robbed and badly damaged in a fire. She applied for help from the Fellini Foundation, itself in difficult financial straits.