Britt Ekland
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| Britt Ekland | |
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| Born | Britt-Marie Eklund 6 October 1942 Stockholm, Sweden |
| Years active | 1962 – present |
| Spouse(s) | Peter Sellers (1964–68) Slim Jim Phantom (1984–92) |
Britt Ekland (born 6 October 1942) is a Swedish actress, long resident in the United Kingdom. She is fluent in English, French, German, her native Swedish and is most famous for her role as a Bond Girl in The Man with the Golden Gun.
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[edit] Youth
Ekland's father was a successful retailer and she has three younger brothers. Her mother died after a long battle with Alzheimers and Ekland was diagnosed with osteoporosis (which in her case she attributes to chronic dieting and low calcium),[1] after falling at an awards show and fracturing her wrist and ankle. She has been associated with Alzheimer's and Osteoporosis organizations.
[edit] Career
Ekland appeared in the 1974 James Bond movie The Man with the Golden Gun. Other notable film appearances include The Night They Raided Minsky's, Baxter (co-starring Patricia Neal), The Double Man, Get Carter (in the 1999 BBC television series I Love the '70s she hosted the 1971 episode in homage to her role as "Anna" in the film), and the 1973 cult film The Wicker Man (for which her voice was dubbed to disguise her Swedish-accented English).
She was one of the first celebrities to do Pilates (beginning in the 1970s) and she published a beauty and fitness book in 1984, followed by a fitness video in 1992. Ekland credits her personal Swedish trainer, Herb Genendelis, for a workout regimen that has kept her in "show biz shape".
She is also known for her period as a member of Grumpy Old Women Live.
In December 2007 Ekland participated in the Swedish reality show "Stjärnorna på slottet" along with Peter Stormare, Arja Saijonmaa, Jan Malmsjö and Magnus Härenstam.
In the last few years she has appeared in several pantomimes in the UK. From December 2007 to January 2008 she starred in "Cinderella" at Swindon's Wyvern Theatre[2].
She appeared as a guest on the top rated British daytime television show "Loose Women", in January 2008.
[edit] Personal life
Ekland became famous as a result of her 1964 whirlwind romance and marriage to British actor and comedian, Peter Sellers, who proposed after seeing her photograph in the paper. She stood by him after he suffered a series of massive heart attacks shortly after their marriage, and in 1965 they had a daughter, Victoria. The couple made two films together, After the Fox in 1966 and The Bobo in 1967, before she divorced Sellers. Ekland also has a son, Nicholai (born 1973) from her relationship with record producer Lou Adler.
Britt Ekland had a much-publicised romance with rock star Rod Stewart; they were introduced in 1975 by Joan Collins and lived together for over two years, with Ekland giving up her career to focus exclusively on the relationship. (She is heard whispering on his song Tonight's the Night, Gonna Be Alright). Stewart has since admitted the relationship broke down because of his infidelity. After a highly public and acrimonious split she sued him for $12 million; the case was settled out of court. Following the split, Ekland became associated with the term "toyboy" having flings with, amongst others, John Waite and Bay City Roller Les McKeown. From 1979-1981 she dated and became engaged to Girl frontman and future L.A. Guns singer Phil Lewis. In 1981 she was reported as having a fling with a 17-year old Spaniard. In 1984 she married rock musician Slim Jim Phantom who was almost two decades her junior and they had a son Thomas Jefferson (born 1988) before divorcing in 1992.
She also became infamous in the early 1980s for chasing young rock stars. Most notably, in 1984, Britt pushed herself in front of dozens of photographers and eager fans to have her picture taken next to Duran Duran keyboardist, Nick Rhodes, during a fashion show in Los Angeles. Rhodes was there with his then girlfriend, and later wife, Julie Ann Friedman, who was one of the featured models at the event. Ekland has said during some interviews that she was at one point an "avid" fan of the makeup-sporting member of Duran Duran. Rhodes loudly refused to allow Ekland to appear in the photo with him and with that left in a private elevator.
In the 1970s she was one of the most photographed and talked about celebrities in the world and in 1980 her autobiography "True Britt" was published. This inspired kiss-and-tell tales about Ekland, including McKeown's subsequently retracted tales of group romps and an affair with Ekland's daughter Victoria.
She was portrayed by Charlize Theron in The Life and Death of Peter Sellers (2004). Theron invited her to be her date at the Cannes Film Festival, and she became emotional when she saw the film for the first time. [3]
She is a close friend of Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne and is still a regular fixture on the rock and roll social scene.
[edit] Discography
- "Do it to Me" / "Private Party" (1979)
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Britt Ekland at the Internet Movie Database
- Britt Ekland biography and credits at the British Film Institute's Screenonline
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Ekland, Britt |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Ekland, Britt Marie |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Actress |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 6 October 1942 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Stockholm, Sweden |
| DATE OF DEATH | |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |
