Liberty Lighthouse Journal: DOSSIER: ANN-MARGRET

“I'm the only one of all my friends that doesn't cook. But I don't cook, and I don't care.”

BORN: April 28^th 1941 in Valsjöbyn, Jämtlands Iän, Sweden.

BIRTH NAME: Ann-Margret Olsson

HEIGHT: 5' 3”

Ann-Margret born in Sweden, daughter of Anna Regina and Carl Gustav Olsson. Her father emigrated to the United States but returned to Sweden in 1937 and married Anna Aronsson. After Ann-Margret was born, Gustav wanted to emigrate again with the family. His wife hesitated so Gustav emigrated alone, but later joined by his wife and daughter in 1946.

Ann-Margret's first dance lessons was at Marjorie Young School of Dance. Her mother made all of her costumes by hand. To support the family, her mother became a funeral parlor receptionist after her husband suffered a severe injury on his job. Ann-Margret appeared on the Morris Sach Amateur Hour, Don McNeil's Breakfast Club, and Ted Mack's Amateur Hour.

She attended New Trier School in Winnetka, Illinois and continued to star in theater. In 1959, she enrolled at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois and was a member of the sorority Kappa Alpha Theta. She did not graduate.

She was part of a group known as the Suttletones who went to the Dunes in Las Vegas. George Burns heard of her performance and she auditioned for his annual holiday show.

Ann-Margret began recording for RCA Victor in 1961. Her debut album, And Here She is: Ann-Margret, was recorded in Hollywood. Later albums were produced in Nashville with Chet Atkins on guitar, the Jordanaires (Elvis Presley's backup singers), and the Anita Kerr Singers, with liner notes by mentor George Burns. She had a sexy contralto singing voice and was called the “female Elvis”. Her only charting album was Beauty and the Beard (1964), accompanied by trumpeter Al Hirt.

Ann-Margret appeared on The Jack Benny Program in 1961 (season 11, episode 24). She also sang at the Academy Awards presentation in 1962. Her contract with RCA Victor ended in 1966.

In 1961, she filmed a screen test at 20^th Century Fox and signed a seven-year contract. She made her film debut in a loan-out to United Artists in Pocketful of Miracles with Bette Davis, directed by Frank Capra.

Next she performed in the Rogers and Hammerstein musical State Fair in 1962 opposite Bobby Darin and Pat Boone.

In the late 1970s and early 1980s she had hits on the dance charts.

In 2001, working with Art Greenhaw, she recorded the album God is Love: The Gospel Sessions. Her album Ann-Margret's Christmas Carol Collection was recorded in 2004.

Her next starring role was as the teenager Kim in Bye Bye Birdie (1963), which made her a major star. The premiere at Radio City Music Hall, was the highest first-week grossing film to date at the Music Hall. She appeared on the cover of Life magazine for the second time. She was then asked to sing “Baby Won't You Please Come Home” at President John F. Kennedy's private birthday party at the Waldorf-Astoria, one year after Marilyn Monroe's famous “Happy Birthday” song.

Ann-Margret met Elvis Presley on the MGM soundstage when the two filmed Viva Las Vegas (1964). She recorded three duets with Elvis for the film: “The Lady Loves Me”, “You're The Boss”, and “Today, Tomorrow, and Forever”; only “The Lady Loves Me” made it into the final film and none were released until after Presley's death, due to concerns by Colonel Tom Parker that Ann-Margaret's presence threatened to overshadow Elvis. Ann-Margret introduced Elvis to David Winters, whom she recommended as a choreographer for their film. It was the first of four movies with Elvis that Winters choreographed and first of five films for Ann-Margret, including Kitten with a Whip (1964), Bus Riley's Back in Town (1965), Made in Paris (1966), and The Swinger (1966), and two TV specials with Ann-Margret.

In 1963, Ann-Margret guest-starred in a popular episode of the animated TV series The Flintstones, voicing Ann-Margrock, an animated version of herself. Decades later, she recorded the theme song, a modified version of Viva Las Vegas theme, to the live-action film The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas.

While she was working on the film Once a Thief (1965), she met her future husband Roger Smith, who was a star in the television series 77 Sunset Strip, and who was performing a club show with Bill Cosby and Don Adams. That meeting began their courtship, which was resisted by her parents.

Ann-Margret starred in The Cincinnati Kid (1965) opposite Steve McQueen. She also starred with her friend Dean Martin in the spy-spoof Murderers' Row (1966). Also in 1966 she was lead character in The Swinger with Tony Franciosca.

Her hair color is brunette, but Sydney Guilaroff, her hairdresser had the idea to change her hair color to red as actresses like Lucille Ball did.

BOB HOPE USO SHOW - 1966

She was offered the title role in Cat Ballou (1965), but her manager turned it down without telling her. In March 1966, Ann-Margret, Chuck Day and Mickey Jones teamed up for a USO tour to entertain troops in remote parts of Viet Nam. Ann-Margret did an encore tour with Day and Jones in 2005 for veterans and troops at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada.

In 1967, Ann-Margret gave her first live performance in Las Vegas with her husband Roger Smith taking over as her manager after that engagement. Elvis and his entourage came to see her during the show's five-week run and celebrated backstage. According to Ann-Margret's autobiography, Elvis sent her a guitar-shaped floral arrangement for each of her Vegas openings.

SANTA CLAUSE 3

After the first Vegas run ended, she followed with a CBS television special The Ann-Margret Show, produced and directed by David Winters in 1968, with guest-stars Bob Hope, Jack Benny, Danny Thomas, and Carol Burnett. Then she returned to Saigon as part of Hope's Christmas Show. A second CBS television special followed: Ann-Margret: From Hollywood With Love, directed and choreographed by David Winters with guest-stars Dean Martin and Lucille Ball. It was nominated for Outstanding Choreography.

In 1970, she returned to films with R.P.M. Co-starring with Anthony Quinn and C.C. and Company with Joe Namath.

In 1971, she starred in Carnal Knowledge with Jack Nicholson and received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress and won the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress.

In 1972, she performed with John Wayne in The Train Robbers in Durango, Mexico.

On Sunday, September 10^th 1972, while performing at Lake Tahoe, she fell 22 feet from an elevated platform to the stage and suffered injuries including a broken left arm, cheekbone, and jawbone. She required facial reconstructive surgery that required wiring her mouth shut and putting her on a liquid diet. She was not able to work for ten weeks.

For her contributions to the film industry, Ann-Margret received a motion pictures star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1973. Her star is located at 6501 Hollywood Boulevard.

In 1975, after filming The Train Robbers with John Wayne, she was cast in the musical Tommy, for which she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress. In addition, she has been nominated for 10 Golden Globe Awards, winning five.

On August 17^th 1977, Ann-Margret and Roger Smith traveled to Memphis to attend Elvis Presley's funeral. Three months later, she hosted Memories of Elvis featuring scenes of the Elvis 1968 TV and Aloha from Hawaii specials.

Other notable films she co-starred during late 1970s: Joseph Andrews (1977), The Last Remake of Beau Geste (1977), the horror thriller Magic (1978) with Anthony Hopkins and a cameo role in The Cheap Detective (1978).

Ann-Margret starred opposite Bruce Dern in Middle Age Crazy (1980). In 1982, she co-starred with Walter Matthau and Dinah Manoff in Ought to Be in Pictures. Also in 1982, the film Lookin' to Get Out was released, that was filmed two year before. She co-starred with Jon Voight and played the mother of Angelina Jolie who was five-years-old. Towards the end of 1982, she appeared in The Return of the Soldier with Alan Bates, Glenda Jackson, and Julie Christie.

She starred in the two TV movies: Who Will Love My Children? (1983) and A Streetcar Named Desire (1984) winning Golden Globe Awards for both.

After Barbara Stanwyck won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie in 1983 for her role in The Thorn Birds, she mentioned Ann-Margret's performance in Who Will Love My Children?, stating:

“I would like to pay a personal tribute at this time to a lady who is a wonderful entertainer … I think she gave one of the finest, most beautiful performances I have ever seen … Ann-Margret, you were superb.”

In 1985, she performed with Gene Hackman in Twice in a Lifetime. In 1986 she appeared with Roy Scheider in 52 Pick-Up. In 1987, she co-starred with Elizabeth Ashley and Claudette Colbert (her last film) in the NBC two-part series The Two Mrs. Grenvilles. She earned an Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress.

In 1991, she starred in the TV film Our Sons opposite Julie Andrews. In 1992, she co-starred with Robert Duval and Christian Bale in the Disney musical Newsies.

In 1993, Ann-Margret starred in the hit comedy Grumpy Old Men with Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon. In the sequel Grumpier Old Men (1995), her character was replaced by Sophia Loren.

In 1994, Ann-Margret published an autobiography titled Ann-Margret: My Story, where she revealed her battle with alcoholism and her recovery. In 1994 she portrayed Belle Watling in Scarlett, a television miniseries, based on the 1991 book of the same name written by Alexandra Ripley as a sequel to Gone with the Wind 1936 novel by Margaret Mitchell. In 1995, she was chosen by Empire as the 10^th of the 100 Sexiest Stars in film history.

She made guest appearances on television shows Touched by an Angel in 2000 and three episodes of Third Watch in 2003. In 2001, she made her first appearance in a stage musical in The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. She played Jimmy Fallon's mother in the 2004 comedy Taxi, co-starring Queen Latifah.

In 2006, Ann-Margret had supporting roles in box-office hits: The Break-Up with Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn and The Santa Clause 3 with Tim Allen.

She also starred in Memory (2006) with Billy Zane and Dennis Hopper. In 2009, she appeared in the comedy Old Dogs with John Travolta and Robin Williams.

2021

Ann-Margret guest-starred in an episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit in 2010. She also appeared in Army Wives, in the episode “Guns and Roses” in 2010. Also in 2010 she appeared in the CBS CSI.

In 2011, she co-starred with Andy Williams for a series of concerts at his Moon River Theater in Branson, Missouri. They were the last performances for Williams before his death in 2012.

In 2014, she appeared in a recurring role in the Showtime series Ray Donovan. In 2018, it was announced that she had joined the second season of the Syfy series Happy! in a recurring role.

In 2018 she guest-starred in The Kominsky Method with Alan Arkin.

PERSONAL LIFE

Ann-Margret has no children, but is the stepmother of three children of her husband Roger Smith who is her manager. She and Smith were married from May 8, 1967 until his death on June 4^th 2017. Before this she dated Eddie Fisher and romantically linked to Elvis Presley.

An avid motorcyclist, she rode a 500 cc Triumph T100C Tiger in The Swinger (1966) and used the same model with an electric starter in her stage shows and TV specials. She was featured in Triumph Motorcycles official advertisements in the 1960s. She suffered three broken ribs and a fractured shoulder when she was thrown off a motorcycle in rural Minnesota in 2000.

In a 2012 interview, she stated:

“All my life I've had this feeling, deep, deep, deep inside of me … my faith and feelings. … I mean you go outside and you see flowers. You see the trees. You see all your loved ones, you see … and then you think of Who created it all.”

50th Anniversary

Ann-Margret was awarded an honorary doctoral degree in Humane Letters by the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

In 2005 in the CBS miniseries Elvis, she includes her affair with Elvis Presley during the filming of Viva Las Vegas. She was portrayed by actress Rose McGowan. (The video of her reflections with Elvis is submitted below).

TRIVIA

Was a cheerleader at New Trier High School in Winnetka, Illinois.
Speaks Swedish fluently.
During the Vietnam War, she toured with the USO to entertain troops. She still has a great affection for the veterans and refers to them as “my gentlemen”. She confessed that she was deeply upset because some soldiers whose hand she had shaken died a few days later.
She was the first choice to play Gypsy Rose Lee in the comedy-drama musical Gypsy (1962), before Natalie Wood was cast.
Wrote her autobiography when she heard that an unauthorized biography was in the works and wanted to beat the unauthorized version to press.
She was offered the title roles in Cat Ballou (1965) and Bonnie and Clyde (1967), but her agent turned them down without telling her. His excuse was she could make more money in other films, despite them being lower-quality. Her husband, Roger Smith, took over as her manager/agent.
She became a naturalized citizen of the United States in 1949.
Paul Lynde played her father in Bye Bye Birdie (1963).
In 2013, her popularity resurged because of an episode of the television series Mad Men (2007).
Performed in her first nightclub act in more than a decade at the MGM Grand Las Vegas. Her last performance was at Caesars Atlantic City 11 years before (2003).
She was cast as Peter Fonda's ex-wife in the crime drama The Limey (199), but most of her scenes ended up on the cutting room floor.
Is one of six Swedish actresses to be nominated for a Golden Globe Award. The others are Ingrid Bergman, Anita Ekberg, Lena Olin, Rebecca Ferguson and Alicia Vikander. The only Swedish actor to be nominated is Max von Sydow.
Her husband, Roger Smith, who later became her agent and produced C.C. & Company (1970) for her, died less than a month after their 50^th wedding anniversary after a long illness.