This Sunday morning, Swedish actress Anita Ekberg passed away in Rome after suffering from a long illness. She was 83 years old. According to People Magazine, Ekberg is known for her role in Federico Fellini's 1960 movie "La Dolce Vita," where she was an iconic screen siren.

BBC reports that Ekberg - who was a former Miss Sweden - was branded as a "sex goddess" for her role in the movie. This label comes from a specific scene where she wades through Rome's Trevi Fountain in an eye-catching strapless dress.

Born in Sweden, Ekberg was crowned Miss Sweden at the age of 20. She then traveled to Atlantic City to compete in Miss Universe, which she did not win. She did, however, get a Hollywood acting contract with Universal Pictures.

She was later sent to Italy, where she played Henry Fonda's unfaithful wife in "War and Peace" (1956). That same year, she won a Golden Globe as a promising newcomer. While in Italy, she was discovered by Fellini, who immediately cast her in what would become her biggest role in "La Dolce Vita."

In a 1999 interview, she said of her period of fame, "They would like to keep up the story that Fellini made me famous, Fellini discovered me. So many have said they discovered me." 

That being said, it was Fellini's vision of water cascading down Ekberg's body that ultimately got her the most attention. Her curves came as both shocking and alluring to many audiences - the Vatican even condemned her performance - but Ekberg was always proud of her body.

She stated, "I'm very proud of my breasts, as every woman should be... It's not cellular obesity, it's womanliness."

It seems that throughout her life, Ekberg wasn't scared of anything - not even death. She once said, "I don't know if paradise or hell exist, but I'm sure hell is more groovy."