[1] Björk was born in Tällberg, Dalarna and attended the Royal Dramatic Training Academy from 1942 to 1945.

Anita Björk played leading roles in film in a number of genres, including thrillers and crime mystery dramas such as Det kom en gäst (1947), Moln över Hellesta (1956), Damen i svart (1958), Mannekäng i rött (1958) and Tärningen är kastad (1960).

Her most famous role was probably her title role in Alf Sjöberg's film adaption of Strindberg's Miss Julie (1951) that was awarded the grand prize at Cannes Film Festival.

In the book-length interview Hitchcock/Truffaut (Simon and Schuster, 1967), Hitchcock said he had hired Björk as the female lead for I Confess in 1952 after seeing her in Miss Julie.

In 2009, Björk performed in A. R. Gurney's play Kärleksbrev (Love Letters) at the Royal Dramatic Theatre opposite Jan-Olof Strandberg (Lilla scenen; March–April, 2009).