Kerstin Anita Marianne Ekberg was born on September 29, 1931, in the city of Malmö, Sweden, to a family of eight siblings. Her early life was marked by a sense of adventure, which was only heightened when she was crowned Miss Sweden in 1950. Although she did not win the Miss Universe title, her modeling contract with a prominent American agency marked the beginning of her journey into the world of entertainment.
Ekberg's film career was marked by a series of small roles, often requiring her to rely on her physical beauty rather than her acting abilities. However, her breakthrough came in 1960 with Federico Fellini's iconic film "La Dolce Vita," which cemented her status as a leading lady in Italian cinema. Over the next decade, she appeared in over 20 films, some of which remain memorable, while others have faded into obscurity.
Ekberg's personal life was also the subject of considerable attention from the press, particularly due to her two marriages. As her film career began to slow down in the 1970s, she made a remarkable comeback with Fellini's "Intervista" in 1987.
After five decades in the film industry, Ekberg retired from acting in 2002. Her later years were marked by personal struggles, including a period of destitution following a broken thigh and a series of unfortunate events, including the theft of her jewelry and furniture, and a fire that damaged her villa.
Ekberg passed away on January 11, 2015, at the age of 83, due to complications from a long-standing illness. Her funeral was held on January 14, 2015, at the Lutheran-Evangelical Christuskirche in Rome, following which her body was cremated and her remains were buried at the cemetery of Skanor Church in Sweden.
Despite her passing, Ekberg's legacy as a Hollywood icon and a symbol of Italian cinema continues to be celebrated, and her untimely death was met with widespread sadness and regret from fans and colleagues alike.
