Britt Ekland (; born Britt-Marie Eklund; 6 October 1942) is a Swedish actress, model and singer. She appeared in numerous films in her heyday throughout the 1960s and 1970s, including roles in '' The Double Man'' (1967), '' The Night They Raided Minsky's'' (1968), '' Machine Gun McCain'' (1969), '' Stiletto'' (1969) and the British crime film '' Get Carter'' (1971), which established her as a

sex symbol A sex symbol or icon is a person or character widely considered sexually attractive. Pam Cook, "The trouble with sex: Diana Dors and the Blonde bombshell phenomenon", In: Bruce Babinigton (ed.), ''British Stars and Stardom: From Alma Taylor t ...

. She also starred in several horror films including the British horror film '' The Wicker Man'' (1973), and appeared as a Bond girl in '' The Man with the Golden Gun'' (1974). Ekland continued to act throughout the remainder of the 1970s, having roles in films such as ''

The Ultimate Thrill ''The Ultimate Thrill'' is a 1974 American thriller film directed by Robert Butler and starring Barry Brown, Britt Ekland and Eric Braeden. It was also released under the title ''Ultimate Chase''. The soundtrack was by Ed Townsend which to t ...

'' (1974), '' Royal Flash'' (1975), '' High Velocity'' (1976) and '' King Solomon's Treasure'' (1979), and into the 1980s starring in the likes of '' Fraternity Vacation'' (1985), '' Moon in Scorpio'' (1987) and ''

Scandal A scandal can be broadly defined as the strong social reactions of outrage, anger, or surprise, when accusations or rumours circulate or appear for some reason, regarding a person or persons who are perceived to have transgressed in some way. Th ...

'' (1989) although since the early 1990s her acting work has mainly consisted of stage shows, one-off roles, cameos or appearances on

reality television Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 1 ...

. Her high-profile social life, her 1964 marriage to actor

Peter Sellers Peter Sellers (born Richard Henry Sellers; 8 September 1925 – 24 July 1980) was an English actor and comedian. He first came to prominence performing in the BBC Radio comedy series ''The Goon Show'', featured on a number of hit comic songs ...

and her relationship with singer

Rod Stewart Sir Roderick David Stewart (born 10 January 1945) is a British rock and pop singer and songwriter. Born and raised in London, he is of Scottish and English ancestry. With his distinctive raspy singing voice, Stewart is among the best-selling ...

attracted considerable press attention, leading to her being one of the most photographed celebrities in the world during the 1970s.

Early life

Ekland was born Britt-Marie Eklund in

Stockholm, Sweden Stockholm () is the capital and largest city of Sweden as well as the largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people live in the municipality, with 1.6 million in the urban area, and 2.4 million in the metropolita ...

to Maj Britt, a secretary, and Sven Axel Eklund, who ran an upmarket clothing store in Stockholm and was captain of the Swedish national

curling Curling is a sport in which players slide stones on a sheet of ice toward a target area which is segmented into four concentric circles. It is related to bowls, boules, and shuffleboard. Two teams, each with four players, take turns slidi ...

team. Ekland's mother died of

Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease that usually starts slowly and progressively worsens. It is the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As ...

in the 1980s, which had a profound effect on her. Ekland grew up with three younger brothers, and has said that she was overweight for much of her childhood: "I was very heavy. God, I was brutal-looking. I always tried to be funny to make up for the fact that I was fat and ugly". As a teenager, Ekland left school to travel with a

theatre company Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perfor ...

and was spotted in a coffee shop while in Italy by a talent agent who sent her to London to audition for films.

Film career

Britt Ekland Lee Majors Six Million Dollar Man 1973

Ekland began her career with bit parts and uncredited walk-on roles, including her first onscreen role in ''

G.I. Blues ''G.I. Blues'' is a 1960 American musical comedy film directed by Norman Taurog and starring Elvis Presley and Juliet Prowse. The movie was filmed at Paramount Pictures studio, with some pre-production scenery shot on location in Germany before Pr ...

'' (1960). This was followed with a small supporting part in ''

The Happy Thieves ''The Happy Thieves'' is a 1961 American crime/ comedy-drama film starring Rex Harrison and Rita Hayworth, and directed by George Marshall. The film is based on the novel '' The Oldest Confession'' by Richard Condon. The film was poorly received ...

'' (1960). She had small roles in the Swedish films ''Kort är sommaren'' (1962) and ''Det är hos mig han har varit'' (1963), before landing her first major supporting part in the

George Marshall George Catlett Marshall Jr. (December 31, 1880 – October 16, 1959) was an American army officer and statesman. He rose through the United States Army to become Chief of Staff of the United States Army, Chief of Staff of the US Army under Pre ...

Western ''

Advance to the Rear ''Advance to the Rear'' is a light-hearted 1964 American Western comedy film set in the American Civil War. Directed by George Marshall, and starring Glenn Ford, Stella Stevens, and Melvyn Douglas. The film is based on the 1957 novel ''Company o ...

'' (1964). In 1964 she appeared in the Christmas television film '' A Carol for Another Christmas'' with her then-husband,

. She followed this with ''

After the Fox ''After the Fox'' ( it, Caccia alla volpe) is a 1966 heist comedy film directed by Vittorio De Sica and starring Peter Sellers, Victor Mature and Britt Ekland. The English-language screenplay was written by Neil Simon and De Sica's longtime c ...

'' (1966), also starring Sellers; she made one more film with Sellers, ''

The Bobo ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

'' (1967). This was followed with a lead role as an

Amish The Amish (; pdc, Amisch; german: link=no, Amische), formally the Old Order Amish, are a group of traditionalist Anabaptist Christian church fellowships with Swiss German and Alsatian origins. They are closely related to Mennonite churc ...

girl turned New York City

burlesque A burlesque is a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects.

dancer in William Friedkin's musical '' The Night They Raided Minsky's'' (1968), which earned Ekland critical acclaim. Next came '' Stiletto'' (1969), a crime drama, based on a novel by Harold Robbins, co-starring

Alex Cord Alexander Viespi Jr. (May 3, 1933 – August 9, 2021), known professionally as Alex Cord, was an American actor, best known for his portrayal of Michael Coldsmith Briggs III, better known as Archangel, in 55 episodes of the television series '' ...

. She then starred in a string of Italian films, '' Machine Gun McCain'' (1969), '' The Conspirators'' (1969), and as

Antigone In Greek mythology, Antigone ( ; Ancient Greek: Ἀντιγόνη) is the daughter of Oedipus and either his mother Jocasta or, in another variation of the myth, Euryganeia. She is a sister of Polynices, Eteocles, and Ismene.Roman, L., ...

in '' The Cannibals'' (1970). In 1971 she was cast as a leading lady and gun moll in the iconic crime film '' Get Carter'', opposite Michael Caine, which firmly established her as a blonde bombshell. The 1970s also saw Ekland in several horror films, including '' What the Peeper Saw'' (1972) as a disturbed bride; the

Agatha Christie Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, (; 15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976) was an English writer known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving around fiction ...

adaptation '' Endless Night'' (1972), playing the friend and companion of an American heiress; and as a hallucinatory figure in the anthology film '' Asylum'' (1972) opposite

Charlotte Rampling Tessa Charlotte Rampling (born 5 February 1946) is an English actress, known for her work in European arthouse films in English, French, and Italian. An icon of the Swinging Sixties, she began her career as a model. She was cast in the role ...

. Her most iconic horror role came in the 1973 horror film '' The Wicker Man'', in which she played a

Pagan Paganism (from classical Latin ''pāgānus'' "rural", "rustic", later "civilian") is a term first used in the fourth century by early Christians for people in the Roman Empire who practiced polytheism, or ethnic religions other than Judaism. I ...

villager and seductress; however, her voice was dubbed in the film to disguise her Swedish-accented English. Other roles included in the thriller ''

'' (1974) and the British drama ''

Baxter! ''Baxter!'' is a 1973 British-American drama film directed by Lionel Jeffries and starring Patricia Neal, Jean-Pierre Cassel and Britt Ekland. The film follows a young boy called Roger Baxter who struggles to overcome his speech problem (rhotac ...

'' (1973). On television, she was cast in the TV film '' The Six Million Dollar Man: Wine, Women and War'' (1973) opposite Lee Majors. Ekland's next prominent role came when she was cast as the lead Bond girl, Mary Goodnight, in the

James Bond The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 1964, eight other authors hav ...

film '' The Man with the Golden Gun'' (1974), which received mixed reviews but furthered Ekland's status as a sex symbol. She played a comedy role in ''Royal Flash'', which has been described as "perhaps her best screen work". In 1976 Ekland provided the French spoken part at the end of then-boyfriend

's hit single "

Tonight's the Night (Gonna Be Alright) "Tonight's the Night (Gonna Be Alright)" is a song written by Rod Stewart, and recorded at Muscle Shoals Sound Studio in Sheffield, Alabama for his 1976 album '' A Night on the Town''. The song, controversial at the time of release, proved to b ...

". Ekland also portrayed biographical characters, such as the one based on real-life actress Anny Ondra (boxer

Max Schmeling Maximilian Adolph Otto Siegfried Schmeling (, ; 28 September 1905 – 2 February 2005) was a German boxer who was heavyweight champion of the world between 1930 and 1932. His two fights with Joe Louis in 1936 and 1938 were worldwide cultural ev ...

's wife) in the television film ''Ring of Passion'' (1978). Ekland was also featured in the horror films '' The Monster Club'' (1980) and ''

Satan's Mistress ''Satan's Mistress'' (also known as ''Demon Rage'', ''Demon Seed'', ''Fury of the Succubus'' and ''Dark Eyes'')Fraternity Vacation'' (1985), followed by a role in the slasher film '' Moon in Scorpio'' (1988), and as prostitute Mariella Novotny in the feature ''

'' (1989) about the Profumo affair. She has guest-starred on various television series, including an appearance on the popular TV series '' Superboy'', playing an alien disguised as Lara, Superboy's biological mother, during the show's second season in 1990. Ekland published a beauty and fitness book, ''Sensual Beauty: How to Achieve It'' (1984), followed by a fitness video in 1992. In the BBC television series '' I Love the '70s'' (1999), she hosted the 1971 episode in homage to her role as "Anna" in the film '' Get Carter''. Ekland's later career has mainly consisted of stage and television, with her last feature film role being in '' The Children'' (1990). She appeared on stage as a cast member in ''

Cinderella "Cinderella",; french: link=no, Cendrillon; german: link=no, Aschenputtel) or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a folk tale with thousands of variants throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsi ...

'' at the

Regent Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent The Regent Theatre is a theatre in Stoke-on-Trent, England. Constructed in 1929 as a cinema, it is one of several theatres in the city centre and one of two operated by the Ambassador Theatre Group on behalf of Stoke-on-Trent City Council. The b ...

in December 1999 and January 2000. She also appeared in ''

Grumpy Old Women Live ''Grumpy Old Women Live'' is a stage show based on the BBC television series ''Grumpy Old Women''. History Inception The idea of a live show of ''Grumpy Old Women'', which had already been successful on the television, came about in Spring 2005 ...

'' and participated in the Swedish reality show ''

Stjärnorna på slottet ''Stjärnorna på slottet'' (English: ''Stars at the Castle'') is a Swedish show featuring five film or music stars which is usually broadcast during the Christmas and New Year Eve weekend and a bit into January each year. The show was broadcast ...

'' (''The stars at the castle'') along with

Peter Stormare Rolf Peter Ingvar Storm (born August 27, 1953), better known as Peter Stormare (), is a Swedish actor who holds both Swedish and American citizenship. He played Gaear Grimsrud in the film '' Fargo'' (1996) and John Abruzzi in the television ser ...

Arja Saijonmaa Arja Enni Helena Saijonmaa (born 1 December 1944 in Mikkeli) is a Finnish singer, political activist and occasional actress. Life and career She studied at the Sibelius Academy and earned a Bachelor of Arts at the Helsinki University. She mad ...

, Jan Malmsjö, and Magnus Härenstam. In December 2007 and January 2008 she starred again in ''Cinderella'' at the

Wyvern Theatre The Wyvern Theatre in Swindon, Wiltshire, England, opened in 1971. It is managed on behalf of Swindon Borough Council by Wyvern Theatre Ltd, a subsidiary of HQ Theatres Ltd. The auditorium has 635 seats, all designed to be within 70 feet f ...

, Swindon. She appeared as a guest on the British daytime television show ''

Loose Women ''Loose Women'' (previously known as ''Live Talk'' from 2000 to 2001) is a British talk show that broadcasts on ITV1 weekdays from 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm. The show focuses on a panel of four female presenters who interview celebrities, talk about ...

'', in January 2008. From December 2008 to January 2009 Ekland starred in ''Cinderella'' at the

Shaw Theatre The Shaw Theatre is a theatre in Somers Town, in the London Borough of Camden. It is a part of the Pullman London St Pancras hotel, located off Euston Road. St Pancras library Before being refurbished in 1998, the Shaw Theatre originally open ...

in London. In a rare instance of her singing, she performed the song ''My Prince'', originally recorded by Lara Pulver on the album ''Act One – Songs from the Musicals of Alexander S. Bermange''. In 2009–10 she played the Fairy Godmother in ''Cinderella'' at

Princess Theatre, Torquay The Princess Theatre in Torquay, England is a 1,500 seat theatre that first opened its doors on Wednesday 7 June 1961. Top of the bill on opening night were Tommy Cooper and Morecambe & Wise. The theatre is a touring house and shows a variety ...

. In December 2010 she starred as the 'Fairy Pea Pod' in ''

Jack and the Beanstalk "Jack and the Beanstalk" is an English fairy tale. It appeared as "The Story of Jack Spriggins and the Enchanted Bean" in 1734 4th edition On Commons and as Benjamin Tabart's moralized "The History of Jack and the Bean-Stalk" in 1807. Henry Co ...

'' at the

Kings Theatre, Southsea The Kings Theatre is a theatre in Southsea, Portsmouth, designed by the architect Frank Matcham. It opened on 30 September 1907. It is operated by the Kings Theatre Trust Ltd. The building was designated a Grade II* listed building in 1976. ...

. She starred in further pantomimes at the Theatre Royal, Windsor, in 2011 and 2012. In 2010 Ekland took part in the

reality TV show Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early ...

'' I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!'', where she was the fourth celebrity to be voted off the show. Ekland was one of the housewives of '' Svenska Hollywoodfruar'' (English: Swedish Hollywood Wives) on

TV3 Channel 3 or TV 3 may refer to: Television * Canal 3 (Burkina Faso), a commercial television channel in Burkina Faso * Canal 3 (Guatemala), a commercial television channel in Guatemala * Channel 3 (Algeria), a public Algerian TV channel owned by E ...

from 2012 to 2014. In 2018 she participated in '' Let's Dance'' broadcast on TV4. She was the first to be eliminated on 30 March, placing 11th. In 2020 Ekland appeared in Season 4 of

BBC TV BBC Television is a service of the BBC. The corporation has operated a public broadcast television service in the United Kingdom, under the terms of a royal charter, since 1927. It produced television programmes from its own studios from 193 ...

's ''

The Real Marigold Hotel ''The Real Marigold Hotel'' (known in Australia as ''The Indian Dream Hotel'') is a British travel documentary series created by Twofour productions, directed by Aparna Sanyal and broadcast on BBC One and BBC Two. The show, whose name is based ...

''. Also in 2020, Ekland toured the country in a production of '' The Cat and the Canary'' playing Mrs. Pleasant. Although the production halted due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

, the production resumed touring in late 2021.

Personal life

Britt Ekland and Peter Sellers 1964 crop

Relationships and family

Ekland became famous overnight as a result of her 1964 whirlwind romance and marriage to English actor and comedian

, who proposed after seeing her photograph in the paper and then meeting her in London. She stood by him after he suffered a series of heart attacks shortly after their marriage. Ekland was stepmother to Sellers' children Sarah and

Michael Michael may refer to: People * Michael (given name), a given name * Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael Given name "Michael" * Michael (archangel), ''first'' of God's archangels in the Jewish, Christian and ...

(who died of a heart attack at about the same age as his father). In January 1965 they had a daughter, Victoria. The couple made three films together, '' A Carol for Another Christmas'' (1964), ''

'' (1966), and ''

'' (1967), before divorcing in 1968. On 17 December 1968, Mr Justice Orr granted Ekland a

decree nisi A decree nisi or rule nisi () is a court order that will come into force at a future date unless a particular condition is met. Unless the condition is met, the ruling becomes a decree absolute (rule absolute), and is binding. Typically, the condi ...

for divorce in the High Court on the grounds of cruelty by Sellers. He did not contest the proceedings."Actor Peter Sellers Regretted That His Marriage To Britt Ekland Had Broken Down, A Divorce Court Judge Was Told Today", Associated Newspapers news release dated 17 December 1968. In June 1973, Ekland had a son, Nicolai Adler, with record producer Lou Adler. She also had a much publicised romance with rock star

. They were introduced in 1975 by

Joan Collins Dame Joan Henrietta Collins (born 23 May 1933) is an English actress, author and columnist. Collins is the recipient of several accolades, including a Golden Globe Award, a People's Choice Award, two Soap Opera Digest Awards and a Primeti ...

and lived together for more than two years, with Ekland giving up her career to focus on their relationship. From 1979 to 1981, she dated and became engaged to singer Phil Lewis of the groups

Girl A girl is a young female human, usually a child or an adolescent. When a girl becomes an adult, she is accurately described as a ''woman''. However, the term ''girl'' is also used for other meanings, including ''young woman'',Dictionary.c ...

and L.A. Guns. In 1984, at age 42, she married Stray Cats drummer Slim Jim Phantom, who, at age 23, was 19 years younger. They had a son, Thomas Jefferson (born in 1988). They divorced in 1992.

Legacy

In 1980, her best-selling autobiography, '' True Britt'', was published. While

's domestic partner, Ekland inspired his hit song "

," which was 1977's overall #1 song. The song features a French spoken part from Ekland. In 2004, Ekland was portrayed by

Charlize Theron Charlize Theron ( ; ; born 7 August 1975) is a South African and American actress and producer. One of the world's highest-paid actresses, she is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award. In 20 ...

in ''

The Life and Death of Peter Sellers ''The Life and Death of Peter Sellers'' is a 2004 television film about the life of English comedian Peter Sellers, based on Roger Lewis's book of the same name. 1108 pagesPublished in the U.S. via Applause BooksA very comprehensive biography, ...

''. She accompanied Theron to the

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films ...

, where she became highly emotional when she saw the film. In the 2018 film '' My Dinner with Hervé'', Ekland was played by

Helena Mattsson Helena Mattsson is a Swedish-American actress living and working in Hollywood. Life and career Mattsson was born and raised in Stockholm, Sweden. She began acting at a young age, performing in plays, musicals and concerts. She studied acting at ...

Filmography

Film

Television

Reality television

Discography

* "Do it to Me once more (with feeling)" / "Private Party" (1979) No. 15 SWE

References

External links

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ekland, Britt 1942 births Living people Actresses from Los Angeles Actresses from Stockholm Expatriate actresses in the United States Family of Peter Sellers Family of Rod Stewart I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! (British TV series) participants Swedish autobiographers Swedish expatriates in the United Kingdom Swedish expatriates in the United States Swedish women singers Swedish film actresses Swedish television actresses Women autobiographers 20th-century Swedish actresses 21st-century Swedish actresses