Born Maj-Britt Wilkens on March 22, 1934, in Lidingö, outside Stockholm, she grew up far from the glamour of international cinema.
Her path to stardom began unexpectedly while she was working as an assistant to a photographer in Stockholm, Sweden. There, in the early 1950s, she was discovered by Italian filmmakers Mario Soldati and Carlo Ponti, who were searching for a fresh, unconventional young actress.
She made her film debut in Italy in adventure and drama films, including Jolanda, the Daughter of the Black Corsair (1953), and quickly became a familiar face in European cinema. Her work in Italy eventually led to a role in King Vidor’s lavish 1956 adaptation of War and Peace, starring Audrey Hepburn and Henry Fonda.
That performance caught the attention of Buddy Adler, head of 20th Century Fox, who offered her a long-term studio contract.
Britt moved to Hollywood in the late 1950s and was soon cast opposite major stars. She appeared with Robert Mitchum in the Korean War drama The Hunters (1958) and played a romantic interest to Marlon Brando in The Young Lions (1958). Her breakthrough came in Edward Dmytryk’s 1959 remake of The Blue Angel, where she took on the iconic role of cabaret performer Lola-Lola, faContinue reading…
