It’s one of the most iconic cinematic scenes: the fabulous Anita Ekberg wading inside Fontana di Trevi’s fountain, with the handsome Marcello Mastroianni by her side. The intense sensation of the scene and the infringement of the strict “diving in the fountain” prohibition, made the movie -and Ekberg- worldwide famous. Mastroianni hugs her, looks her in the eyes and says passionately: “Who are you Silvia? You are everything, Eve, the first woman on earth, an angel, the devil, mother, sister, ocean, home, yes home!”
But Anita Ekberg was as a plethoric, voluptuous and wild woman on her personal life, as she was at Dolce Vita, playing Sylvia. She was born on 29th of September 1931 and started modeling at a young age. By the time she was 19, she had earned the title of Miss Sweden and travelled at the USA to compete for Miss Universe. She made it to the top 6 but she didn’t win. Instead, she got a contract with Universal Studios. In 1956, she won a Golden Globe as The Most Prominent Young Actor, but despite playing in many films and series, Ekberg kept the media busy with her stormy personal life and her provocative behaviour.
Her affairs and romances with Frank Sinatra, Tyrone Power, Yul Brynner, Rod Taylor, Errol Flynn, Gianni Agnelli (owner of Fiat) and Marcello Mastroianni always preoccupied gossip magazines and soon Anita was the ultimate sex symbol, posing on the covers of magazines like Playboy. Anita admitted that the incident at the lobby of London’s Berkeley Hotel, when her dress burst wide open, was in fact prearranged with a photographer. She married twice, with the actor Anthony Steel and the actor Rik Van Nutter, but neither lasted and she never had children.
Anita, once, feeling the pressure of being followed by the paparazzi outside her house in Rome, armed a bow with an arrow and pointed at them! The scene became viral on international news thanks to the photo that photographer Marcello Geppetti shoot at the last minute.
Despite being worldwide famous for her leading role in Federico Fellini’s movie, “Dolce Vita”, Ekberg had played and starred in more than 50 movies. She actually almost played the first Bond girl, Honey Ryder, in “Dr.No”, but she lost the part to Ursula Anders. She however claimed very often on her interviews that “it was I who made Fellini famous, not the other way around”.
The very talented and stunning actress Anita Ekberg died on January 11, 2015, at the age of 83. However we will always remember her as the ultimate dreamy woman playing at the fountain of Fontana di Trevi.
Her quotes:
“I have loved, cried, been mad with happiness. I have won and I have lost”
“I don’t know if paradise or hell exist, but I’m sure hell is more groovy”
“I’m very much bigger than I was, so what? It’s not really fatness, it’s development”
“I like lots of things. But there are three things I like most. Love, love and love”
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