Anita Ekberg

 

Kerstin Aita Marianne (Swedish pronunciation (listen) 29/09/1931 to 11/01/2015) was an Swedish actress, known for her beauty and stunning figure. The role she played as Sylvia, in Federico Fellini's film La Dolce Vita (1960) became well-known. Ekberg was born in Sweden on the 29th of September 1931. She was the sixth child of eight. Anita was a fashion model in her teens. Ekberg was influenced by the advice by her mother, in 1950 began to enter Miss Malmo. The contest was won by her in the Miss Sweden contest. Despite not being fluent in English and Swedish, she travelled to the United States to compete to get the Miss Universe title for 1951. While it was an informal contest, the official pageant became official in 1952. While Ekberg was not crowned the Miss Universe pageant, as one of the six finalists she did earn an acting contract with Universal Studios. Ekberg was a Universal starlet where she was taught drama, elocution and dancing. The film she appeared in was The Mississippi Gambler (1953), Abbott and Costello (as a woman in Venus), Take Me to Town (1853), and The Golden Blade (1953).