EKLAND, BRITT

Contributed by: The James Bond Movie Encyclopedia by Steven Jay Rubin

(October 6, 1942–     ; birth name: Britt-Marie Eklund): Swedish actress—ex-wife of comedy legend Peter Sellers, onetime lover of rocker Rod Stewart—who portrayed daffy Mary Goodnight in The Man with the Golden Gun. Ekland impressed producers Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman with her voluptuousness, although the producers were later surprised to discover that she was pregnant at the time.

Indeed, her full, sensuous lips, gorgeous eyes, and enticing accent enhanced a character that in the Bond books had been nothing more than Bond’s secretary. But the impact was blunted by the pure silliness of her role. She spends most of the film either locked in the trunk of Scaramanga’s flying car or stuck in the closet of 007’s hotel room while Bond (Roger Moore) makes love to Andrea (Maud Adams).

A native of Stockholm, Ekland made her credited motion picture debut in director George Marshall’s crime comedy The Happy Thieves (1961), which also featured future Bond player Joseph Wiseman (Dr. No). Specializing in light comedy (hence her comfort in the Mary Goodnight role), Ekland later appeared in After the Fox (1966); The Bobo (1967), opposite her husband, Peter Sellers; and The Night They Raided Minsky’s (1968). One of her steamier roles was playing Willow the island barmaid in The Wicker Man (1973), which also featured her costar in The Man with the Golden Gun, Christopher Lee. Interestingly, Ekland starred in the 1983 crime drama Doctor Yes: The Hyannis Affair.

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