ANN-MARGRET
Information FromIMDb
Date of Birth
28 April 1941, Valsjöbyn, Jämtlands län, Sweden
Birth Name
Ann-Margret Olsson
Nickname
Slugger
Height
5' 3½" (1.61 m)
Spouse
Roger Smith (8 May 1967 - present)
Mini Biography
Born in Sweden on April 28, 1941, this future actress and singer 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, she had her first taste of stardom when her single "I Just Don't Understand" reached Number Four on the Billboard Hot 100 Charts. Her acting debut followed the same year as Bette Davis' daughter in Frank Capra's remake Pocketful of Miracles (1961). She starred in the musical State Fair (1962) a year later before her breakthrough the following year.
With the blockbuster films Bye Bye Birdie (1963) and Viva Las Vegas (1964) (where she starred opposite Elvis Presley), Ann-Margret became a Top 10 Box Office star, teen idol, and Golden Globe winning actress. For the next three years, she was one of the most popular actresses in the world, marketed as Hollywood's top star, and got awarded the infamous nickname "sex kitten."
She subsequently starred in a string of films, most notably The Cincinnati Kid (1965), a critical and box office hit which paired her with fellow superstar Steve McQueen and showcased her infamous sex appeal. Other films, 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. As a result, her career cooled down in the late 1960s, and she turned to foreign films, Las Vegas sing-and-dance shows and television specials for new projects. But such foreign films as The Tiger and the Pussycat (1967) were not widely released in the U.S., and her mainstream films, such as C.C. and Company (1970), were poorly received by both critics and audiences.
Her floundering career was rescued when she finally overcame her bimbo image with Carnal Knowledge (1971), a controversial success co-starring Jack Nicholson. For this performance she received her first Academy Award nomination and succeeded 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, following her role opposite John Wayne in The Train Robbers (1973), she was Oscar-nominated again for her performance in Tommy (1975), the rock opera film of the British rock band The Who. Afterwards she starred in Magic (1978) with Anthony Hopkins and Cactus Jack (1979) with Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Features in the '80s included The Return of the Soldier (1983), Twice in a Lifetime (1985), and less prominently, Lookin' to Get Out (1982), a film now only notable for featuring the screen debut of future superstar Angelina Jolie. Ann-Margret received the first of many Emmy nominations for her performance in Who Will Love My Children? (1983) (TV), and was subsequently hand-picked by Tennessee Williams to star in an adaptation of his play A Streetcar Named Desire (1984) (TV).
One of her biggest commercial successes in years came with Grumpy Old Men (1993), in which she played the object of desire of Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau, followed by the equally successful sequel, Grumpier Old Men (1995) with Sophia Loren. She continues to act consistently in the 1990s and 2000s, with lead roles in made-for-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).
Married to Roger Smith since 1967, Ann-Margret remains one of Hollywood's top sex symbols and now has iconic and legendary status.
IMDb Mini Biography By: Moonie
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" (1959) 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 Presley and guest starring on "The Flintstones" (1959) as Ann-Margrock, she sang the title song in the Flintstones live action movie prequel The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas (2000).
Almost married Burt Sugarman in the 1960s.
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.
Salary
State Fair (1962) $500 per week
Filmography
Actor
2011 Cunning Little Vixen (pre-production)..Elena (rumored)
2011/III Lucky....Pauline
2010 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (TV series)– Sqweegel (2010) … Margot Wilton
2010 Army Wives (TV series)– Guns & Roses (2010) … Aunt Edie
2010 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (TV series)– Bedtime (2010) … Rita Wills
2009/I Old Dogs...Martha
2009 All's Faire in Love...Mrs. Banks
2008 The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond...Cornelia
2006/II Memory...Carol Hargrave
2006 The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause...Sylvia Newman
2006 The Break-Up...Wendy Meyers
2004/I Taxi...Mrs. Washburn
2004 A Place Called Home (TV movie)...Tula Jeeters
2003 Third Watch (TV series)
– Payback (2003) … Barbara Halsted
– Surrender (2003) … Judge Barbara Halsted
– Goodbye to All That (2003) … Barbara Halsted
2002 Interstate 60: Episodes of the Road...Mrs. James
2001 A Woman's a Helluva Thing (TV movie)...Claire Anders-Blackett
2001 Blonde (TV mini-series)...Della Monroe
2000 Popular (TV series)– Are You There God? It's Me Ann-Margret (2000) … God
2000 The Last Producer...Mira Wexler
2000 The 10th Kingdom (TV mini-series)– Episode #1.9 (2000) … Cinderella
2000 Perfect Murder, Perfect Town: JonBenét and the City of Boulder (TV movie)...Nedra Paugh
2000 Touched by an Angel (TV series)– Millennium (2000) … Angela
1999 Any Given Sunday...Margaret Pagniacci
1999 Happy Face Murders (TV movie)...Lorraine Petrovich
1998 Life of the Party: The Pamela Harriman Story (TV movie)...Pamela Harriman
1998 Four Corners (TV series)...Amanda "Maggie" Wyatt
1996 Blue Rodeo (TV movie)...Maggie Yearwood
1996 Seduced by Madness: The Diane Borchardt Story (TV mini-series)
– Episode #1.1 (1996) … Diane Kay Borchardt
– Episode #1.2 (1996) … Diane Kay Borchardt
1995 Grumpier Old Men...Ariel Gustafson
1994 Following Her Heart (TV movie)...Lena
1994 Scarlett (TV mini-series)– Episode #1.1 (1994) … Belle Watling
1994 Nobody's Children (TV movie)...Carol Stevens
1993 Grumpy Old Men...Ariel Truax
1993 Queen (TV mini-series)...Sally Jackson
1992 The News Boys...Medda Larkson
1991 Our Sons (TV movie)...Luanne Barnes
1988 A New Life...Jackie Jardino
1987 A Tiger's Tale...Rose Butts
1987 The Two Mrs. Grenvilles (TV movie)...Ann Arden Grenville
1986 52 Pick-Up...Barbara Mitchell
1985 Twice in a Lifetime...Audrey Minelli
1984 A Streetcar Named Desire (TV movie)...Blanche DuBois
1983 The Return of the Soldier...Jenny Baldry
1983 Who Will Love My Children? (TV movie)...Lucile Fray
1982 Lookin' to Get Out...Patti Warner
1982 I Ought to Be in Pictures...Steffy Blondell
1980 Middle Age Crazy...Sue Ann Burnett
1979 Cactus Jack...Charming Jones
1978 Magic...Peggy Ann Snow
1978 The Cheap Detective...Jezebel Dezire
1977 The Last Remake of Beau Geste...Flavia Geste
1977 Joseph Andrews...Lady Booby alias 'Belle'
1976 Folies bourgeoises...Charlie Minerva
1975 Tommy...Nora Walker
1973 The Train Robbers...Mrs. Lowe
1972 Un homme est mort...Nancy Robson
1971 Dames at Sea (TV movie)...Ruby
1971 Carnal Knowledge...Bobbie
1970 Swing Out, Sweet Land (TV movie)...Entertainer at Valley Forge
1970 C.C. and Company...Ann McCalley
1970 R.P.M....Rhoda
1969 Appointment in Beirut...Singer
1968 Criminal Symphony...Leticia
1968 Mr. Kinky...Maggie
1967 The Tiger and the Pussycat...Carolina
1966 Murderers' Row...Suzie
1966 The Swinger...Kelly Olsson
1966 Stagecoach...Dallas
1966 Made in Paris..Maggie Scott
1965 The Cincinnati Kid...Melba
1965 Once a Thief...Kristine Pedak
1965 Bus Riley's Back in Town...Laurel
1964 The Pleasure Seekers...Fran Hobson
1964 Kitten with a Whip...Jody Dvorak
1964 Viva Las Vegas...Rusty Martin
1963 The Flintstones (TV series)– Ann-Margrock Presents (1963) … Ann-Margrock (voice)
1963 Bye Bye Birdie...Kim McAfee
1962 State Fair...Emily Porter
1961 Pocketful of Miracles...Louise
