Britt Ekland

Britt Ekland
Ekland in 1972 by Allan Warren
Born	Britt-Marie Eklund (1942-10-06) 6 October 1942 (age 81) Stockholm, Sweden
Nationality	Swedish
Occupations	Actress model singer
Years active	1959–present
Spouses	Peter Sellers ​ ​ (m. 1964; div. 1968)​ Slim Jim Phantom ​ ​ (m. 1984; div. 1992)​
Partners	Lou Adler (1972–1974) Rod Stewart (1975–1977) Phil Lewis (1979–1981)
Children	3, including Victoria Sellers
Parent	Sven Eklund (father)

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

Ekland continued to act throughout the 1970s, with 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). Since the early 1990s her acting work has mainly consisted of stage shows, one-off roles, cameos, and 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, making her one of the world's most photographed celebrities during the 1970s.

Early life

Ekland was born Britt-Marie Eklund in

Ekland 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 Western Advance to the Rear (1964).

In 1964 she appeared in the Christmas television film

Other roles included in the thriller The Ultimate Thrill (1974) and the British drama Baxter! (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 film The Man with the Golden Gun (1974), which received mixed reviews but furthered Ekland's status as a sex symbol.^[4][7] She played a comedy role in Royal Flash, which has been described as "perhaps her best screen work".^[8]

In 1976 Ekland provided the French spoken part at the end of then-boyfriend Rod Stewart's hit single "Tonight's the Night (Gonna Be Alright)". Ekland also portrayed biographical characters, such as the one based on real-life actress Anny Ondra (boxer Max Schmeling'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 (1982).

In 1978 she hosted a syndicated television series for American International Television called "Jukebox." Directed by Bruce Gowers and produced and written by Paul Flattery for Jon Roseman Productions, the series featured then-nascent music videos, most of which were originally produced by Roseman's companies in the United States and England.

Ekland had supporting roles in independent feature films. She appeared in the comedy film Fraternity Vacation (1985), followed by a role in the slasher film Moon in Scorpio (1988), and as prostitute Mariella Novotny in the feature Scandal (1989) about the Profumo affair.

She has guest-starred on various television series, including an appearance on the popular TV series

In 2010 Ekland took part in the

TV4

. She was the first to be eliminated on 30 March, placing 11th.

In 2020 Ekland appeared in Season 4 of

BBC TV's The Real Marigold Hotel.^[11] Also in 2020, she 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, it resumed touring in late 2021.^[12]

Personal life

Relationships and family

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

On 17 December 1968, Mr Justice Alan Orr granted Ekland a decree nisi for divorce in the High Court on the grounds of cruelty by Sellers, who did not contest the proceedings.^[15]

In June 1973, Ekland had a son, Nicolai Adler, with record producer Lou Adler.^[16]

She also had a much publicised romance with rock star Rod Stewart. They were introduced in 1975 by Joan Collins and lived together for more than two years, with Ekland giving up her career to focus on their relationship.^[17]

From 1979 to 1981, she dated and became engaged to singer Phil Lewis of the groups Girl and L.A. Guns.^[18]

In 1984, at age 42, she married Stray Cats drummer Slim Jim Phantom, who was 23. They had a son, Thomas Jefferson, in 1988.^[19] They divorced in 1992.^{[citation needed]}

Legacy

In 1980, Ekland's best-selling autobiography, True Britt, was published.^[20]

While Rod Stewart's domestic partner, Ekland inspired his hit song "Tonight's the Night (Gonna Be Alright)," which was 1977's overall #1 song.^[21] The song features a French spoken part by Ekland.^[21]

In 2004, Charlize Theron portrayed Ekland in The Life and Death of Peter Sellers. Ekland accompanied Theron to the Cannes Film Festival, where she became highly emotional when she saw the film.^[22]

In the 2018 film My Dinner with Hervé, Helena Mattsson played Ekland.

Filmography

Film

Television

Reality television

Discography

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

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Britt Ekland.

• Britt Ekland at
  IMDb 
• Britt Ekland at the TCM Movie Database
• Britt Ekland at AllMovie
• Britt Ekland at the BFI's Screenonline
• Britt Ekland discography at Discogs
• "Britt Ekland on the Man with the Golden Gun". From Sweden with Love. 25 November 2014.