Britt Ekland Biography
Britt Ekland was a Swedish actress, model, and singer who made her mark in the entertainment industry during the 1960s and 1970s.
Born on October 6, 1942, as Britt-Marie Eklund, she had a passion for acting and performing from a young age. She left school at the teenage to travel with a theater company and was eventually spotted by a talent agent while in Italy who sent her to London to audition for films.
Britt Ekland’s early career started with small roles in films and on TV shows, including the Elvis Presley film G.I. Blues (1960) and the television film A Carol for Another Christmas (1964) with her then-husband, Peter Sellers. In 1968, she starred in William Friedkin’s musical The Night They Raided Minsky’s, where she earned critical acclaim for her role as an Amish girl turned New York City burlesque dancer.
In the early 1970s, Britt Ekland established herself as a blonde bombshell with her leading role in the iconic crime film Get Carter (1971) opposite Michael Caine. She also starred in several horror films, including The Wicker Man (1973) and What the Peeper Saw (1972). In 1974, Ekland starred as Bond girl, Mary Goodnight, in the James Bond film The Man with the Golden Gun.
Britt Ekland’s personal life was just as intriguing as her on-screen roles. In 1964, she married English actor and comedian Peter Sellers, but the couple divorced in 1968 on the grounds of cruelty by Sellers. In June 1973, she had a son with record producer Lou Adler and in 1984, she married Stray Cats drummer Slim Jim Phantom. She and Phantom had a son together before divorcing in 1992.
Aside from her acting career, Britt Ekland also provided the French spoken part in Rod Stewart’s 1977 hit single Tonight’s the Night (Gonna Be Alright), after enjoying a very publicized relationship with him.
