Date of Birth
Birth Name
Ann-Margret Olsson
This Swedish-born actress and singer has remained one of the most famous sex symbols and actresses since the early 1960s, and has continued her career through the following decades. Born in Sweden on April 28, 1941, she came to America at age 6. She studied at Northwestern University and left for Las Vegas to pursue a career as a singer. She was discovered by George Burns and soon afterward got both a record deal at RCA and a film contract at 20th Century Fox. In 1961, her single "I Just Don't Understand" charted in the Top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100 Charts. Her acting debut followed the same year as Bette Davis' daughter in Frank Capra's Pocketful of Miracles (1961). She appeared in the musical State Fair (1962) a year later before her breakthrough the following year.
With Bye Bye Birdie (1963) and Viva Las Vegas (1964) opposite Elvis Presley, she became a Top 10 Box Office star, teen idol and even Golden Globe winning actress. She was marketed as Hollywood's hottest young star and in the years to come got awarded the infamous nickname "sex kitten." Some of her pictures, like The Cincinnati Kid (1965) with Steve McQueen, were hits. While others such as Bus Riley's Back in Town (1965) and Murderers' Row (1966), were ripped apart by critics. She couldn't escape being typecast because of her great looks. By the late 1960s, her career stalled, and she turned to foreign films and television for new projects. She returned and was back in the public image with Hollywood films like C.C. and Company (1970), Las Vegas sing-and-dance shows and her own television specials.
She finally overcame her image when she co-starred with Jack Nicholson in Carnal Knowledge (1971), receiving an Academy Award nomination and succeeding in changing her image from sex kitten to respected actress. A near-fatal accident at a Lake Tahoe show in 1972 only momentarily stopped her career. She made a recovery and was again Oscar-nominated in for her performance in Tommy (1975), the rock opera film of the British rock band The Who. Her film career continued successfully into the late '70s with starring roles in films like Magic (1978). She wowed the critics with her performances in Who Will Love My Children? (1983) (TV) and the remake of A Streetcar Named Desire (1984) (TV) (TV), the first of many projects to earn her Emmy nominations.
After starring in a string of forgettable films throughout the 80s, she had one of the biggest commercial successes of her career with Grumpy Old Men (1993) as the object of desire for Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau, and it's equally successful sequel, Grumpier Old Men (1995) withSophia Loren. Ann-Margret has also performed with such notable leading men as Al Pacino, John Wayne, Anthony Hopkins, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Gene Hackman, Vince Vaughn, and John Travolta, vintage actresses such as Julie Andrews and Janet Leigh, as well as contemporary female stars like Jennifer Aniston and Cameron Diaz. She continues to act in the 1990s and 2000s, with lead roles in TV and independent films, and supporting roles in Hollywood mainstream pictures such as Any Given Sunday (1999), Taxi (2004/I), The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause (2006), and The Break-Up (2006).
Since 1967 she has been married to Roger Smith, and is the stepmother of his three children. Ann-Margaret is considered iconic and legendary, remaining one of Hollywood's top sex symbols and one of the most famous women in America.
Spouse
| Roger Smith | (8 May 1967 - present) |
Trivia
1995: Chosen by Empire magazine as one of the 100 Sexiest Stars in film history (#10).
1972: Survived a dramatic 22-foot fall from a stage in a Lake Tahoe, NV, concert. She broke an arm, suffered five fractures of five facial bones including a smashed cheekbone, and a brain concussion. 10 weeks later to the day, she was back on stage in Las Vegas.
Was a cheerleader at New Trier High School in Winnetka, Illinois. Other New Trier graduates include Ralph Bellamy, Charlton Heston, Rock Hudson, Hugh O'Brien, Bruce Dern, Penelope Milford, Virginia Madsen and Liz Phair.
Attended Northwestern University (Evanston, IL).
She formed a lifelong bond of friendship with Elvis Presley in their first pairing in Viva Las Vegas (1964). It was kept alive by Elvis' habit of sending a bouquet of flowers to all of her stage-show appearances, until he died in 1977. She reveals her romance with Elvis in her autobiography.
8/19/2000: She suffered three broken ribs and a fractured shoulder when she was thrown off a motorcycle she was driving in rural Minnesota.
November 1960: Discovered by actor/comedian George Burns when he heard her sing in a campus musical at Northwestern University and hired her to be a part of his Las Vegas act.
Appeared on a network TV show featuring up-and-coming talent, and lost to a man who played "Lady of Spain" by blowing onto a leaf.
Appeared on the cartoon show "The Flintstones" (1960) as "Ann-Margrock".
Measurements: 35-23-35 (in 1965), 36D-25-36 (in 1986), (Source: Celebrity Sleuth magazine)
Speaks Swedish fluently.
She is a member of Kappa Alpha Theta sorority. She was initiated in the Tau chapter (Northwestern) in 1960.
Is portrayed by Rose McGowan in Elvis (2005) (TV).
Rode a 500cc Triumph T100C Tiger motorcycle in The Swinger (1966) and the same model fitted with a non-standard electric starter in her stage show. A keen motorcyclist, she was featured in Triumph Motorcycles' official advertisements in the '60s--for obvious reasons!.
Toured Vietnam with the USO during the Vietnam war.
She had two Billboard Club Play charting hits.: in 1979 with "Love Rush," which climbed to #8, and in 1980 with "Midnight Message," that peaked at #12.
Was first choice to play Gypsy Rose Lee in Gypsy (1962).
Is not a natural redhead. That was Sydney Guilaroff's idea. The legendary hairdresser was also responsible for turning Lucille Ball into a redhead.
Both films for which she was Oscar nominated, Carnal Knowledge (1971) and Tommy (1975)), also co-starred Jack Nicholson.
Her mother's name is Anna.
Wrote her autobiography when she heard that an unauthorized biography was in the works and wanted to beat the unauthorized biography to press.
Turned down the leading roles in Cat Ballou (1965) and Bonnie and Clyde (1967) for better-paying but lower-quality films.
Ann-Margret and George Burns (who discovered her) were both Oscar nominees in 1975 (respectively for Tommy (1975) and The Sunshine Boys (1975/I). Mr. Burns won but not Ann-Margret.
Combining her previous work in Viva Las Vegas (1964) with Elvis Presleyand guest starring on "The Flintstones" (1960) as Ann-Margrock, she sang the title song in the Flintstones live action movie prequel The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas (2000).
Personal Quotes
The critics had an image of me, and they wouldn't accept any other . . . I was a cartoon character. A joke.
I was very flattered by the sex-kitten thing because I never thought of myself as that.
[on Elvis Presley] He's an animal. Definitely an animal. A very interesting animal.
Bye Bye Birdie [1963]
Viva las Vegas [1964]
The Pleasure Seekers [1964]
Stagecoach [1966]
The Swinger [ 1966]
R.P.M [1970]
C.C. & Company [1970]
Tommy [1975]
Joseph Andrews [1977]
Magic [1978]
A Tiger's Tale [1988]
there are so many more, so many not available on VHS let alone DVD.
Love her!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteMs. Olssen is a saga of such low self esteem, starry-eyed couch casted Hollywood wannabe that few redeeming factors can salvage her. While God forgives all she possibly can polish her shameful past performances the world noticed by nursing (privately, this time, Ms. Olssen) her I'll husband in his dark days of health. May God bless her, bless them, and their children.
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