Marcello Mastroianni and Anita Ekberg “‘La Dolce Vita”, (1960) Photo Courtesy American International / The Hollywood Archive
The 1960’s sex symbol Anita Ekberg, best remembered for her role as a sultry bombshell opposite Marcello Mastroianni in Federico Fellini’s 1960 revered masterpiece, “La Dolce Vita,” died Jan. 11 (2015) in Rome. She was 83.
According to the Washington Post, her attorney confirmed the death. She had been in the hospital since Christmas following a series of illnesses.
La Dolce Vita, one of the most highly regarded films in Fellini’s library, put her on the map as an actress to watch. The moment where she wades through Rome’s Trevi Fountain, in a strapless gown with the plunging neckline, is considered one of cinema’s most memorable and iconic scenes.
The former Miss Sweden previously won a 1956 Golden Globe for Most Promising Newcomer but she did not do much of note beyond “La Dolce Vita”. Later she was mostly known for her cheesecake pin-ups and well-publicized Hollywood romances. Her conquests were reported to include Frank Sinatra, Gary Cooper, Tyrone Power, Rod Taylor, Yul Brynner and Errol Flynn.
She was married and divorced twice. Her husbands were Anthony Steel, a British matinee idol (1956 to 1959), and Rik Van Nutter , an American actor who also appeared in films under the name Clyde Rogers (1963 to 1975). Mr. Steel died in 2001, Mr. Van Nutter in 2005. She had no children.
According to the New York Times, during an interview with the Italian newspaper Corriere Delle Sera on the occasion of her 80th birthday, she was asked if she was lonely. She said yes, a bit. “But I have no regrets,” she added. “I have loved, cried, been mad with happiness. I have won and I have lost.”
Anita Ekberg Trivia per IMDB:
- Miss Sweden 1950 and 1955 Deb Star.
- Was up for the lead role in the short-lived television series Sheena: Queen of the Jungle (1955)
- Was considered for the role of Honey Rider in the first James Bond film Dr. No (1962), which went to Ursula Andress.
- Celebrity spokesperson for Foster Grant sunglasses during the 1960s.
- Chosen by Empire magazine as one of the 100 Sexiest Stars in film history (#98) (1995)
- In December 2011, Ekberg was destitute following three months in a hospital with a broken thigh in Rimini, during which her home was robbed and badly damaged in a fire. She applied for help from the Fellini Foundation, itself in difficult financial straits.