Anthony Steel; British Matinee Idol

Anthony Steel, 80, a British matinee idol in the early 1950s whose career faltered in Hollywood after he married Swedish actress Anita Ekberg. Born in London, Steel was the son of an Indian army officer. Educated at Cambridge, Steel served in the British army during World War II and took up acting after the war. Steel starred in a string of adventure films for the J. Arthur Rank studio, including “Where No Vultures Fly,” “The Malta Story,” “The Sea Shall Not Have Them” and “Storm Over the Nile.” He was one of Britain’s biggest movie stars when he married Ekberg in 1956 and moved to Hollywood. He failed to find roles to suit him there, and was generally referred to in the popular press as Mr. Ekberg. Their marriage eventually collapsed, and Steel returned to Britain. He appeared in several mediocre European films during the 1970s, including “The Story of O,” and made guest appearances in British television programs in the 1980s. On March 21 in Northwood, Middlesex.