Movies

Britt Ekland (Swedish pronunciation: [ˈbrɪtː ˈěːkland] (listen); 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. 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 (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 (1989) although since the early 1990s her acting work has mainly consisted of stage shows, one-off roles, cameos or appearances on reality television.

Her high-profile social life, her 1964 marriage to actor Peter Sellers and her relationship with singer Rod Stewart 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 to Maj Britt, a secretary, and Sven Eklund, who ran an upmarket clothing store in Stockholm and was captain of the Swedish national curling team. Ekland's mother died of Alzheimer's disease 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 and was spotted in a coffee shop while in Italy by a talent agent who sent her to London to audition for films.