Anita Ekberg dies at 83 years old. Her lawyer was the one who confirmed that the former Miss Sweden, who was also branded as a "sex goddess," had died in Rome on Sunday morning.
Ekberg has actually been in the hospital since Christmas because of multiple illnesses. She has been in a wheelchair for quite a few years after she was accidentally knocked down by one of her huge Great Danes and ended up with a broken hip.
The famous star of "La Dolce Vita" has been very famous in the entertainment industry through the years. The moment when she wades through the Trevi Fountain in Rome wearing a sexy strapless dress is actually considered as one of cinema's most iconic scenes.
She was born in Malmo, Sweden in 1931 and was actually the sixth among eight children. She even said that her father, who was a harbor master and a very strict Protestant, was "the apple of my eye." Sadly, however, she later had a falling out with her family, except for one of her siblings.
Apart from being famous in the industry for her amazing performance in Federico Fellini's 1960 movie, Ekberg was also widely known for winning the Miss Sweden title at a young age of 20. After taking home the crown, she travelled to America where she joined the Miss Universe pageant.
Sadly, she did not win in the pageant. Still, though, she was discovered and was immediately signed into a contract by Universal Pictures despite the fact that she spoke only very little English.
The mega studio sent her to work in Italy, where she played the role of Henry Fonda's unfaithful wife in King Vidor's "War and Peace" in 1956. It was in Rome where she met the skilled director Fellini, who selected her for La Dolce Vita s Sylvia Rank.
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