Ekland, Britt (1942- )

Swedish actor. Typifying the Nordic blond sex symbol, she became famous for her marriage to English comedian Peter Sellers 1964-68 and her tempestuous relationship with English rocker Rod Stewart during the late 1970s. She generated much hype for her striptease in The Night They Raided Minsky's (1968). Other films include the cult horror classic The Wicker Man (1973) and the James Bond adventure The Man with the Golden Gun (1974).

With Sellers she made the Neil Simon crime caper Caccia alla volpe/After the Fox (1966) and the comedy The Bobo (1967). Other films include the thriller The Double Man (1967) with Yul Brynner and the gangster classic Get Carter (1971) with Michael Caine. Her career declined from the 1980s, during which she appeared in a string of low-budget sex comedies, with the notable exception of the Profumo scandal exposé Scandal (1989). From the 1990s she produced fitness videos and appeared in UK theatre, especially pantomimes.

She was born in Stockholm, Sweden. After attending drama school and joining a theatre troupe, she appeared in films in Italy. She published an autobiography, True Britt, in 1980. She was also married to Stray Cats drummer Slim Jim Phantom (1960- ) 1984-92.