Anita Ekberg

 

Kerstin Aita Marianne (Swedish pronunciation (listen) 29/09/1931 to 11/01/2015) was a Swedish actress, well-known for her beauty and striking figure. Her role as Sylvia in Federico Fellini's film La Dolce Vita (1960) has made her famous. Ekberg was born in Sweden on the 29th of September 1931. She was the sixth child of eight. As a teenager, Anita worked as a fashion model. At the request by her mother, Ekberg was a contestant in Miss Malmo in 1950. This led to the Miss Sweden contest which she took home. Despite speaking little English, Ekberg went to the United States to compete in the Miss Universe 1951 title. This was an non-official pageant at the time. The pageant officially became officially recognized in 1952. Ekberg was not crowned the Miss Universe pageant. However, she was one six Finalists. Universal Studios offered her the chance to sign a starlet contract. As the starlet at Universal she received training in elocution, drama horses, dancing and fencing. She was briefly seen in The Mississippi Gambler (1953), Abbott and Costello (as an actress in Venus), Take Me to Town (1853), and The Golden Blade (1953).