Anita Ekberg

 

Kerstin Anita Marianne Ekberg (Swedish pronunciation (listen) 29 September 1931 - 11 January 2015) was an Swedish actress in American and European films, famous for her beauty and striking figure. Her fame was heightened by her character as Sylvia in the Federico Fellini film La Dolce Vita (1960). Ekberg worked primarily in Italy which is where she was permanent residence in 1964.Anita Ekberg was born on 29 September 1931, in (Sweden) she was the eighth child in a family of eight. Anita was a fashion model during her teens. Ekberg was influenced by the advice by her mother in 1950 was a contestant in Miss Malmo. The contest was won by her in the Miss Sweden contest. Despite having a very limited knowledge of English and a little Swedish, she traveled to the United States to compete for the 1951 Miss Universe title (an unofficial pageant at that time, the pageant officially became official in 1952). Although Ekberg was not crowned the Miss Universe pageant, as one of the six finalists, she did earn the title of a starlet with Universal Studios. She was an Universal starlet and took lessons in dramatization, elocution  as well as horseback riding, fencing and elocution. She appeared briefly in The Mississippi Gambler (1953), Abbott and Costello (as a woman on Venus), Take Me to Town (1853), and The Golden Blade (1953).