Anita Ekberg: Swedish Actress and La Dolce Vita Icon
Anita Ekberg (29 September 1931 – 11 January 2015) was a Swedish actress active in American and European films, known for her beauty and curvaceous figure. She became prominent in her iconic role as Sylvia in Federico Fellini’s La Dolce Vita (1960).
Early Life and Education
Ekberg was born on 29 September 1931 in Malmö, Skåne, the sixth of eight children. In her teens, she worked as a fashion model. At her mother’s urging, she entered the Miss Malmö competition in 1950, which led to winning the Miss Sweden contest through a vote in the weekly magazine VeckoRevyn. Despite speaking very little English, she traveled to the United States to compete for the 1951 Miss Universe title.
Career and Achievements
Though Ekberg did not win Miss Universe, her placement as one of six finalists earned her a starlet’s contract with Universal Studios. At Universal, she received lessons in drama, elocution, dancing, horseback riding, and fencing. She appeared in several films including The Mississippi Gambler (1953) with Tyrone Power, Abbott and Costello Go to Mars (1953), and The Golden Blade (1953) with Rock Hudson. However, she skipped many drama lessons and was dropped by the studio after six months.
By the mid-1950s, Ekberg’s voluptuous physique and well-publicized romances with Hollywood leading men—including Frank Sinatra, Tyrone Power, Yul Brynner, Rod Taylor, and Errol Flynn—made her a major pin-up figure in men’s magazines and gossip publications. John Wayne signed her to a contract with his Batjac Productions at $75 a week. She guest-starred in the television series Casablanca (1955) and appeared in Blood Alley (1955), her first real speaking role in a feature film. She co-starred in Artists and Models (1955) alongside Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, and was cast by Paramount in War and Peace (1956), shot in Rome with Audrey Hepburn and Mel Ferrer, directed by King Vidor. By 1956, her fee had reached $75,000 per picture.
Ekberg worked with various producers and directors through the late 1950s, appearing in films for Warwick Pictures and making Valerie (1957) with Sterling Hayden, Paris Holiday (1958) with Bob Hope and Fernandel, and Screaming Mimi (1958). She relocated to Italy to star in Sheba and the Gladiator (1959) and remained there to make La Dolce Vita (1960) for Federico Fellini, in which she played Sylvia Rank opposite Marcello Mastroianni. The film’s famous scene of her swimming in Rome’s Trevi Fountain has been called one of cinema’s most iconic scenes. The film’s international success led her to settle in Rome permanently in 1964. After La Dolce Vita, she appeared in numerous Italian and European productions, including Boccaccio ’70 (1962) alongside Sophia Loren and Romy Schneider, and Call Me Bwana (1963) with Bob Hope.
Notable Events and Milestones
Ekberg won the Miss Sweden contest in 1950 and competed in the 1951 Miss Universe pageant as one of six finalists. Her breakthrough role came in War and Peace (1956), where Paramount publicized her as “Paramount’s Marilyn Monroe.” The release of La Dolce Vita in 1960 marked the turning point of her career, establishing her as an international star. She became a permanent resident of Italy in 1964, shifting the focus of her career from Hollywood to European cinema.
Additional Resources
For more detailed information about Anita Ekberg’s life and career, readers can consult her Wikipedia biography and other film historical archives that document her contributions to cinema in both Hollywood and European productions.
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