Obituary: Anita Ekberg

<p>Anita Ekberg ‘LA DOLCE VITA’ sex symbol dies.</p> <p> </p><p><img src="http://www.thegayuk.com/communities/8/004/009/928/388/images/4617484420.jpg" width="460" height="661" alt="" title=""/></p> <p></p><p>Anita Ekberg one of the very last Hollywood blond bombshells from the 1950s died today at the age of 83.</p><p></p><p>After becoming Miss Sweden in 1950, Miss Ekberg travelled to the USA the following year to enter the Miss Universe competition. Although she failed to win the title, she did however attract the attention of movie mogul Howard Hughes who gave her a Contract with Universal Studios. Hollywood never really knew what to do with this stunning buxom young woman and most of the roles she got to play consisted on her simply hanging around and looking pretty, something which she was very good at. </p><p></p><p>The Italian director Federico Fellini gave Miss Ekberg her one great role in ‘LA DOLCE VITA’ in 1960 in which she played the unattainable "dream woman" of the character played by Marcello Mastroianni but she always claimed that it was she made Fellini famous and not the other way around.</p><p> </p><p><img src="http://www.thegayuk.com/communities/8/004/009/928/388/images/4617484421.jpg" width="460" height="690" alt="" title=""/></p> <p>Stunning: Blonde Ambition Anita Ekberg wowed directors and audiences a like with her striking looks and body.</p><p></p><p>She worked intermittingly up to 2002 and although she never surpassed her breakthrough role, Ms. Ekberg got to star in some campy ‘B’ movies that confirmed her status as a gay icon. Our favourites from this period include Ms. Ekberg as Queen Na-Eela in ‘GOLD OF THE AMAZON WOMEN’ and in 1979 when she co-starred with the hunky JOE DALLESANDRIO in the unforgettable ‘THE KILLER NUN’</p><p></p><p> </p><p><img src="http://www.thegayuk.com/communities/8/004/009/928/388/images/4617484501.jpg" width="460" height="156" alt="" title=""/></p> <p>Campy: Amazon Woman Anita became a gay icon with her campy role in God Of The Amazon Women.</p><p></p><p>Anita Ekberg once said “I don’t know if paradise or hell exist, but I’m sure hell is more groovy.”</p><p></p><p> </p><p><img src="http://www.thegayuk.com/communities/8/004/009/928/388/images/4617484502.jpg" width="460" height="259" alt="" title=""/></p> <p>Killer Looks: Anita also made an impression with her role as a killer nun. </p><p></p><p>Kerstin Anita Marianne Ekberg 29 September 1931 – 11 January 2015</p><p></p><p></p><p>by <a href="http://www.thegayuk.com/RogerWalker-Dack">Roger Walker-Dack</a></p><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p> </p>