Anita Ekberg

 

Kerstin Aita Marianne (Swedish pronunciation (listen), 29/09/1931 11/01/2015) was an Swedish actress, known for her attractive and striking physique. The role she played as Sylvia, in Federico Fellini's 1960 film La Dolce Vita (1960), made her well-known. Ekberg was a major part of Italy, where she became an permanent resident in 1964.Anita Ekberg was born on 29 September 1931, in (Sweden) in Sweden, sixth child of eight. As a teenager, Anita worked as a fashion model. On the advice of her mother, Ekberg entered Miss Malmo in 1950. This resulted in her being selected for the Miss Sweden contest which she won. Despite speaking little English she travelled to America to compete in the Miss Universe 1951 title. It was an unofficial pageant at the time. The pageant was officially made officially recognized in 1952. Even though 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. As a starlet at Universal she was given lessons in elocution and drama, dancing, horseback riding, and fencing. She appeared briefly in The Mississippi Gambler (1953), Abbott and Costello Go to Mars (1953) (playing an actress on Venus), Take Me to Town (1953), and The Golden Blade (1953).