Britt Ekland was one of the most legendary frosty blondes of the 1970s. She had it all; the looks, the talent, and the charm. She was once destined for super-stardom—but love derailed her journey every step of the way.
1. She’s A Swedish Nepo Baby
Before becoming an icon in her own right, Britt Ekland got a taste of the high life from her father. She was born in 1942 to her mother Maj Britt, a secretary, and Sven Eklund, a celebrated Swedish curler. Thanks to her dad, Ekland enjoyed life as a Swedish socialite—but her fame would soon overtake her father’s, catapulting her to international notoriety.
2. She Wasn’t Always a Knockout
Even Bond girls have awkward teenage years. Ekland doesn’t look back too fondly on her youth, noting, “I was very heavy. God, I was brutal-looking". But even though she struggled with her body image, she made sure to play to her strengths, leaning into her comedic side and always trying to make people laugh.
However, behind closed doors, Ekland had some very eccentric hobbies.
3. She Was Always A Romantic
Ekland was colorblind when it came to red flags. She remembers her teenage self as being impulsive and “like a steamroller—I just go forward”. The future superstar recalls falling in love at every opportunity, even going so far as to write about her beau-du-jour in her diary...using her own blood, which, to her, was no big deal.
4. She Had A Doppelganger
Something that helped Ekland’s early success was her striking resemblance to another blonde starlet, Brigitte Bardot. From her sexy sandy bangs to her kittenish pout, she fit right into the mold of the Swinging Sixties superstar. After she shed her ugly duckling feathers as a teen, Ekland even found work as a teenage Bardot look-alike. But this was only the beginning.
5. She Performed On The World’s Stages
Ekland shunned the traditional route of education to learn her craft on the road. Her work as a Bardot impersonator led her to join a traveling theater company in her adolescence. During her time working in Italy, a talent agent from 20th Century Fox spotted the breathtaking Ekland on the Piazza Venezia, delicately sipping a cappuccino.
Thanks to this chance encounter, she began booking auditions in London—and this changed her life forever.
Allan warren, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
6. She Got Her Start In The Wild West
With several Swedish film appearances under her belt, Ekland was ready for bigger and better things. Her first supporting part in an American film was playing Greta in the Western, Advance to the Rear. Ekland’s career was gaining traction, and fast. She had already signed her name on a seven-year contract with 20th Century Fox.
Nuitetjour, CC0, Wikimedia Commons
7. She Was Set For Stratospheric Stardom
Ekland’s icy good looks and talent for comedy made her a point of focus for the talent execs at 20th Century Fox. The studio wanted to give Ekland the platform to become their next big star, following in the footsteps of icons like Jayne Mansfield and Marilyn Monroe.
The proof was in the pudding; the moviegoing people loved a bubbly blonde, and Ekland was set to be their next big hit. It was a dream come true—until her path to stardom took a major detour.
Marilyn Monroe, Wikimedia Commons
8. A Comedian Showered Her With Affection
When English funnyman Peter Sellers saw a photograph of Britt Ekland in a newspaper, it was love—or something like it—at first sight. “I would like to meet what I saw,” Sellers had said, appropriately dryly. Both Ekland and Sellers were staying at the Dorchester Hotel in London where he sent his valet to fetch the Swedish actress.
United Artists studios, Wikimedia Commons
9. She Was Clueless
It seemed that news of Sellers’ comedic genius was unknown to Ekland. She was only familiar with him from the gossip rags. Sellers had allegedly tried to charm Miss Sweden—maybe he had a type? With that in mind, Ekland wore “a lot” of clothes when she paid him a visit in his suite, not risking any funny business with the funnyman.
Upon learning that she was unfamiliar with his work, Sellers took Ekland out on their first date—a trip to the movies, to check out his performance as Inspector Clouseau in The Pink Panther. But this was only the first of his ego-driven gestures.
The Graham Stark Photographic Library, Getty Images
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10. He Spoiled Her With Extravagant Gifts
When it came to wooing Ekland, Sellers certainly didn’t do things by halves. Following their first meeting, Sellers bought out the entire flower shop in the Dorchester and had it installed in Ekland’s suite. He also gifted her a dachshund puppy named Pepper, who clearly had no inkling of the rollercoaster his new parents were about to take him on.
Ekland acknowledged that for a 21-year-old actress living in a hotel, a dog was a ridiculous gift, but, “that was the way he wooed me".
11. She Soon Gained A Husband
A week after their first date, Sellers called Ekland while she was in New York. “I’ve told the press we’re getting married,” he informed her, “Is that OK with you?” Ekland couldn’t recall what she said, but it didn’t matter. She was madly, deliriously, head-over-heels in love with Sellers and they tied the knot a mere ten days after they met in the Dorchester.
Their lives were set to become completely intertwined—but it would not end well.
12. Her Honeymoon Phase Ended Fast
Shakespeare sure had a point with what he said about violent delights and violent ends, and few people are better examples of this than Ekland and Sellers. After their nuptials, Ekland flew to Los Angeles to begin work on Guns at Batasi, a 1964 British drama film based on a novel of the same name. That's when her new husband pulled a chilling move.
13. Marriage Derailed Her Career
Exhausted by Sellers’ constant surveillance of her, Ekland finally gave in and joined him at his Los Angeles home for Easter weekend—but he had an infuriating surprise in store for her. When she arrived, Sellers told her that he had a doctor waiting to examine her as she didn’t look well. But though his intentions seemed noble, they were anything but.
14. She Was A Victim Of Sabotage
The doctor told Ekland that she couldn’t possibly go back to filming Guns at Batasi as she was suffering so severely from strain and stress—despite being 21 years old and at the height of her health. Ekland realized that there was no saying no to Sellers, nor his entourage of sycophants and yes-men. The production team of Guns at Batasi was not so forgiving.
15. She Was Being Completely Controlled
Sellers whisked Ekland right back to his marble palace in California, where he ambushed her with another "kind gesture". A walk-in closet in Sellers’ bedroom overflowed with the best in women’s finery. Everything Ekland could ever need, from dazzling dresses to designer lingerie, was readily available to her.
Sellers gave her no reason to ever leave his presence again, effectively holding her captive in the honeymoon phase.
16. Another Hollywood Starlet Snatched Her Role
Ekland was swiftly fired from Guns at Batasi after production learned of her supposed "illness". Her scenes were reshot with Mia Farrow taking over her role, which would make Guns at Batasi the actress’s feature debut ahead of her star-making turn in Rosemary’s Baby.
So concluded Ekland’s short-lived 20th Century Fox contract—the breach of contract also meant that she would not work in movies for over a year. It seemed that Ekland’s foray into the Hollywood sphere would mean she would have Sellers glued to her side.
20th Century, Wikimedia Commons
17. They Became Constant Co-Stars
Ekland and Sellers even shared the same agent, and Sellers took complete advantage of this inside track in the worst way. He convinced the agent to turn down roles on Ekland’s behalf, instead installing his young bride as his co-star in several of his films.
Ekland and Sellers starred alongside each other in A Carol for Another Christmas, After the Fox, and The Bobo. This creative relationship was far from fruitful. Each film that Sellers and Ekland made together was a commercial flop, putting a larger strain on their already fraying marriage.
18. Her Marriage Was A Living Nightmare
When looking back on her old diaries, Ekland notes a repeated use of the Swedish word for "fight". This indicated that life in the Sellers-Ekland household was far from blissful. Sellers would constantly threaten Ekland with divorce, only to pull back at the last second and act as if nothing had happened. But it gets sadder.
19. She Couldn't See The Truth
Ekland, in a sheer state of confusion, couldn’t immediately see the awful situation for what it was. “I realized it wasn’t right,” she eventually stated, “someone putting me through emotional and psychological warfare". Sellers and his tireless temper would test Ekland's endurance for such horrible treatment.
20. She Rejected Her Pin-Up Status
Another confusing aspect of Ekland’s life was her reputation as a pin-up. Having grown up in austere, conservative Stockholm under strict parents, the perception that Swedish women were sexually free totally baffled her. This coquettish energy added to her appeal.
It even caught the attention of an infamous magazine magnate, which caused even more trouble in her marriage.
21. Hugh Hefner Targeted Her
Hugh Hefner threw a wrench in the works of Ekland’s marriage when he convinced her husband that he had scandalous photographs of Ekland in her birthday suit. Hefner hoped that this would be enough bait to trick Sellers, both an insanely jealous spouse and an avid photographer, into supplying the naughty pictures himself.
This resulted in the most ridiculous situation imaginable.
22. Her Husband Didn't Believe Her
This accusation was at odds with Ekland as a person, who by her own admission was “very prudish". She was so camera-shy when it came to scenes with adult content that she would cover herself in black tape to preserve her modesty. Despite this, Sellers didn’t believe her—even when it turned out that the "naughty" photos Hefner had exposed nothing but a bare shoulder.
Ekland was horrified that her husband, someone who purported to know her inside and out, would accuse her of doing something so out of character.
The Graham Stark Photographic Library, Getty Images
23. She Endured The Pettiest Of Arguments
It didn’t take much to raise Sellers’ blood pressure—in fact, it took shockingly little. Ekland could do something as simple as speak to her mother in Swedish and it would incite an argument that would last for hours upon hours.
Once, Ekland gave paparazzi permission to snap a photo of the married couple at the Excelsior Hotel in Rome. It snapped something else in Sellers. He berated her all night long, resulting in noise complaints from the other guests.
REPORTERS ASSOCIES, Getty Images
24. She Fled Home To Sweden
When Sellers demanded that their shared agent remove Ekland from his sight, she hid in another hotel until she could hop on a flight to Sweden. There, Ekland reunited with Victoria, the daughter she had with Sellers, who was being looked after by a nanny in the UK.
Despite Sellers’ pleading to reconcile, Ekland was positive of one thing—their disastrous marriage had finally reached its conclusion.
25. Her Daughter Suffered
During divorce proceedings, things naturally got ugly between Ekland and Sellers; the pair fought even more than usual. One of the main points of argument was the welfare of their daughter Victoria. Sellers would stress the importance of having custody of Victoria, but when she would come to visit, he would simply hire nannies to watch her.
26. Her Marriage Only Lasted Four Years
In 1968, the High Court granted Ekland a decree nisi for her divorce from Sellers. He chose not to contest—a wise move on his part. In the grand scheme of marriages, four years seems like a short amount of time. But, Ekland stressed that only someone “mentally super-strong” could have tolerated Sellers’ treatment throughout that hellish period.
However, there was a silver lining.
27. She Hung Out With The Royals
Luckily, Ekland’s bougie upbringing made her a perfect contender for hanging about with Sellers’ royal admirers. Instead of spending her weekends partying, she was dining out with Princess Margaret or hunting expeditions with the Queen.
Her previous life as a Swedish socialite who was friendly with the king made her feel totally at ease in the British upper crust. So at ease that she even romanced one of them.
Onbekend, CC0, Wikimedia Commons
28. She Also Dated A Royal
Ekland’s reemergence onto the dating scene was different to your average fresh divorcée. One of her first forays into new romance was with Lord Lichfield, the Queen’s cousin. However, this creative streak wasn’t enough to hold Ekland’s interest—she dumped him for being “a bit dull”. Clearly, her previous romance had upped her expectations for romantic excitement.
29. She Hooked Up With A Heartthrob
Finished with British royalty for the time being, Ekland set her sights on someone a little more trendy. The notorious Warren Beatty was Hollywood’s lover boy du jour, and even Ekland couldn’t resist getting in on the action. “He could handle women as smoothly as operating an elevator,” she wrote in her memoir.
But it comes as no surprise, given Beatty’s reputation, that their relationship wasn’t entirely above board.
Unknown Author, Wikimedia Commons
30. She Had To Hide From His Girlfriend
During Ekland and Beatty’s little tryst, he was publicly dating actress Julie Christie. They couldn’t appear in public for fear that Christie would find out about them, so Ekland and Beatty rendezvoused at adult cinemas. She couldn’t understand why Beatty would want to watch other people hooking up on-screen.
“To me, that’s just bizarre,” she said, “What kind of pleasure do you get out of it?” Beatty didn’t last long on her roster—Ekland quickly got what modern linguists would refer to as "the ick" and moved on.
news service, Wikimedia Commons
31. She Revived Her Career
William Friedkin, the directorial mastermind behind The Exorcist, cast Ekland in his 1968 movie musical The Night They Raided Minsky’s. Filming ran concurrent to Ekland’s divorce proceedings from Sellers—and was reportedly a driving force behind Ekland and Sellers’ split.
Sellers was incensed by the risqué scenes Ekland performed in the film and this added fuel to the fire of their divorce. But, in a way, it was the best kind of revenge.
United Artists, The Night They Raided Minsky's (1968)
32. She Made A Splash
Minksy’s premiered four days after Ekland finalized her divorce. Her performance in the film won her the critical acclaim she always dreamed of. She remembers the film as a favorite of hers, citing Friedkin’s directing style as “specific and honest and young. He got the performance out of me that I knew I had in me".
It was officially the start of a brighter chapter.
United Artists, The Night They Raided Minsky's (1968)
33. She Had An It Girl Era
Finally living as a free, successful woman, the world became Ekland’s oyster. She completely embraced her status as a groovy 70s pin-up, taking full advantage of the new audience awarded to her by her breakout role in Minsky’s.
Ekland starred alongside Michael Caine in the iconic film Get Carter—and the role fully established her as one of the era’s foremost blonde bombshells. As the decade progressed, she did become a fixture of a certain genre—but it was a far cry from the arm candy roles she had played so far.
34. She Played A Ditzy Bond Girl
Ekland’s turn as Mary Goodnight in 1974's The Man with the Golden Gun was as iconic as it was thankless. Often slated as one of James Bond’s more incapable companions, Ekland’s performance mostly served to further her status as a 70s looker. Despite this, Ekland remains in staunch defense of her place in the Bond girl lineup.
Eon Productions, The Man with the Golden Gun (1974)
35. She's Proud Of Her Bond Girl Status
Ekland certainly has something to say about being a "Bond girl": “I’m the proudest Bond girl there is because there are not a lot of us left, and there won’t be any in future,” Ekland has stated, believing the decline of the Bond girl of her time is down to the film industry’s move toward political correctness.
These modern social mores were certainly not part of her high-octane lifestyle in the 1970s, especially when it came to dating rockstars.
Eon Productions, The Man with the Golden Gun (1974)
36. She Romanced Rod Stewart
A fateful LA party studded with rock royalty brought Ekland and Rod Stewart together. Stewart passed up the opportunity to jam with Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, and Sir Paul McCartney to instead sit and canoodle with Ekland.
The energy between the two was palpable from the start; saucy actress Joan Collins introduced them and they became completely inseparable. But these two love birds came from completely different worlds.
W. Punt , CC0, Wikimedia Commons
37. She Introduced Him To Culture
Ekland came from a high-class pedigree and Stewart is a working-class builder’s son—tales like Lady and the Tramp come to mind when considering these two. Especially when you think about how Ekland and Stewart used to dress up in evening gowns and three-piece suits just to dine alone at home. But that was just the tip of the iceberg.
38. He Didn't Treat Her Like A Princess
Ekland enriched Stewart’s life with vintage clothes, art, and lessons in sophistication. Stewart, on the other hand, was extremely pragmatic in his relationship with Ekland—he rarely bought her gifts and even insisted she pay her share of the rent and phone bill.
This was hardly the star treatment she had received in her marriage to Peter Sellers, but she was madly in love all the same—and when it comes to love, some things never change.
Allan warren, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
39. She Fell Back Into Bad Habits
One of the major downfalls of Ekland’s four-year marriage to Sellers was that it caused her to neglect her film career right when it was due to begin. Her relationship with Stewart came with a similar price, but this time Ekland was turning down opportunities right when her stardom was at its peak. It gets worse.
40. Her Love Story Turned Sour
Once again, Ekland found herself sacrificing her professional success for a man, leaving her home in London to join Stewart in Los Angeles. Their shared flame snuffed out after two years, with Ekland taking out a 12.5 million dollar lawsuit against Stewart.
The love affair came to a bitter end, with no sweet reminiscing on Ekland’s part. “I don’t ever think about him now,” she said.
41. She Was Part Of A Love Quadrangle
Think the dating pool is small now? You can’t imagine what it was like to navigate the 1970s as Britt Ekland. During her days as a girl-about-town, Ekland slept with actor George Hamilton, whose ex-wife Alana ended up marrying her ex Rod Stewart after his split with Ekland.
The Swedish star attributes this to the fame circle being half the size it is today during her most notorious era. “Compared with other, younger women, I really had very few [affairs],” Ekland has explained, “The thing that gave me that reputation is because they were all famous". But we can’t let Ekland off that easy.
42. She Was A Notorious Flirt
Even if the scene was smaller, she was an admitted wild child in the 70s. “Oh, yes, I could have anybody I wanted,” Ekland said, but it was not because she was a promiscuous person. She wanted to flex her power as one of the zeitgeist’s dream girls and flirt until she could flirt no more.
Ekland enjoyed the art of the chase more than she did the main event but maintained an impressive roster of lovers all the same.
43. She Married A Younger Man
Ekland entered cougar territory when she, at age 41, married then-23-year-old Slim Jim Phantom, drummer for Stray Cats. Despite their age difference, their marriage was the most positive of all Ekland’s experiences, as well as the longest. Their marriage lasted eight happy years.
Ekland refers to Phantom as “a wonderful ex” and Phantom also speaks highly of her, saying, "I can really only say positive stuff about my time with her. We were truly in love.
44. She Had A Child In Every Decade
Ekland became a mother for the third time in 1988, welcoming her son Thomas Jefferson to the world. Slim Jim Phantom became her third baby daddy, preceded by Lou Adler, who fathered son Nicolai, and Peter Sellers, who fathered her only daughter Victoria.
Ekland credits motherhood with keeping her life on track, marveling at having had a child in her 20s, 30s, and 40s. But after baby number three, the actress knew she wanted a major life change.
45. She Swore Off Men
Given Ekland’s complicated relationship with her exes, she decided that she didn’t want to introduce another man into her children’s lives following her divorce from Phantom. She felt she had made a lot of mistakes with her children by introducing men into their lives, and gave up her boyfriend habit.
But that didn't mean she was through with making a few more mistakes.
46. She Was An Advocate For Plastic Surgery
When you look like Britt Ekland, it stands to reason that you want to stay looking like Britt Ekland for as long as humanly possible. And the woman herself agrees—Ekland has long been a fan cosmetic refinement, but even she has her reservations.
She believes that no one under 40 has any business being in a plastic surgeon’s office, as a practice like that is strictly for preserving a youthful glow.
47. …But Regrets Her Botched Lip Fillers
Ekland would come to eat her words after a disastrous experience with a lip-plumping procedure. She has had to endure constant ridicule on social media thanks to the botched surgery, plus the extremely painful corrective procedures that haven’t quite worked.
Ekland has hit back at people who point out the flawed fillers and accuse her of ruining her once iconic beauty, saying, “I didn’t do that purposely; I don’t want to look like this, but I have no choice. I’ve learned to live with it, so you better learn to live with it".
48. Her Mirror Is Still Her Best Friend
Ekland is the first to admit to her indefatigable vanity. She still gets Botox, even with her plastic surgery nightmares of the past, and remains proud of her jaw-defining facelift that she got over 20 years ago. At the end of the day, she understands that her beauty is the key to her success.
“I’ve been looking like Britt Ekland since Britt Ekland was invented,” she has wryly stated, “And I refuse to give up now".
49. Her Marriage Became Film Fodder
In 2004, Ekland came face to face with her own doppelganger when she attended the premiere of The Life and Death of Peter Sellers alongside actress Charlize Theron. Theron portrayed Ekland in the film, alongside Geoffrey Rush as Peter Sellers.
Ekland became highly emotional as she watched the film, revisiting both her harrowing and fond memories of her marriage to Sellers.
HBO, The Life and Death of Peter Sellers (2004)
50. She Was An OG Scream Queen
Before there was Mia Goth, Sarah Michelle Gellar, or even Jamie Lee Curtis, there was Britt Ekland. During her reign of the 70s, Ekland made her mark on the horror genre by starring in several pictures, proving her endless range. In 1972, Ekland starred in What the Peeper Saw, Endless Night, and Asylum.
Moreover, the most famous feature of Ekland’s horror oeuvre is a favorite among fans of the genre—but filming was rife with controversy.
Harbour Productions Limited, Asylum (1972)
51. She Played A Pagan Seductress
In 1973, Ekland portrayed the wanton Willow MacGregor in The Wicker Man, widely considered the "Citizen Kane of horror movies”. Despite the critical lauding of the film, the production was far from a pleasant walk along the Scottish coastline. Ekland herself has refused to speak about the film for years, saying that it was “every man for himself”.
Considering what Ekland had to endure during her time filming The Wicker Man, her past distaste for the film comes as no surprise.
British Lion Film Corporation, The Wicker Man (1973)
52. She Couldn't Bare All
One of Ekland's gripes with the filming of The Wicker Man was quite intimate. Her role as the saucy innkeeper’s daughter required her to perform a stripped-down dance number. Ekland insisted that she would only appear disrobed from the waist up, as she had just discovered that she was three months pregnant with her son Nic and felt quite body conscious.
But production needed that bottom shot, so they came up with a crafty solution.
British Lion Film Corporation, The Wicker Man (1973)
53. She Had A Double
Producers hired the help of an exotic dancer from Glasgow named Lorraine Peters who happily provided them with the missing element of their scene. This was no shade toward Ekland’s sensual appeal, as The Wicker Man set her up to take on one of the most enviable roles of her career, cementing her place in the pop culture canon.
British Lion Film Corporation, The Wicker Man (1973)
54. Her Husband Spied On Her
If there was one moment that convinced Ekland her marriage to Sellers was a mistake, it came soon after she moved to Hollywood, when she received a rambling, three-page letter from Sellers that exposed his paranoia about her cheating with her Batasi co-star, John Leyton. He even recruited the help of old friends and fellow Batasi cast members, David Lodge and Graham Stark, to spy on Ekland on set.
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