Ann-Margret
Ann-Margret (born
April 28,
1941) is a
Sweden-born actress and singer. Born
Ann-Margret Olsson in Valsjöbyn,
Jämtland, Sweden, she moved to the
United States when young, and grew up in
Winnetka, Illinois. She attended
Northwestern University, and was discovered singing in a
cabaret by
George Burns.
Ann-Margret and Elvis
in Viva Las Vegas
She got her start in
Pocketful of Miracles in
1961, and followed that up with the successful film
State Fair the following year. But it was her starring role as the all-American teenager in
Bye Bye Birdie which made her a star. When she filmed
Viva Las Vegas with
Elvis Presley the following year, she made a life-long friend. Presley continued to send her flowers at the opening of each of her stage show appearances until he died. When
The Flintstones created a character named "Ann-Margrock", she had arrived.
In 1971, she starred in Mike Nichols' Carnal Knowledge, marking a change from her sex-kitten musical roles. She garnered a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. The following year, while performing at Lake Tahoe, Nevada, she fell 22 feet from the stage and suffered injuries which put her out of commission for several months.
In 1975 she starred as the title character's mother in Tommy, and received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress.
Other films include Joseph Andrews, A Tiger's Tale, Newsies, 52 Pick-Up and Grumpy Old Men.
She has been married to actor Roger Smith since 1967. Smith suffers from myasthenia gravis, and Ann-Margret has devoted much of her life to tending him.
Ann-Margret has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6501 Hollywood Blvd.