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'Ann-Margret' (born April 28, 1941) is a five-time Golden Globe Award-winning, Academy Award, Emmy Award and Grammy nominated Swedish actress, singer and dancer.

Contents

Biography

Early life

Recording career

Film career

Trivia

Filmography

Television work

Discography

Theatre productions

Awards

References

External links

Biography

Early life

Ann-Margret was born 'Ann-Margret Olsson' in Valsjöbyn, Jämtland, Sweden^[1] to Anna Aronsson and Gustav Olsson, a native of Örnsköldsvik. She grew up in a small town 'of lumberjacks and farmers high up near the Arctic Circle'.^[2] Her father worked in the United States during his youth and immigrated back in 1942, working with the Johnson Electrical Company. Ann-Margret and her mother moved to the United States four years later and her mother worked as a funeral parlour receptionist^[3] after her father became too ill for his job.http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/contributor/1800011586/bio She grew up in Wilmette Illinois and attended Northwestern University for a time but did not graduate. She became a naturalised citizen of the United States in 1949. She was discovered singing in a nightclub by George Burns. She was often referred to as a 'sex-kitten' and the 'female Elvis'.

Recording career

Ann-Margret started recording for RCA in 1961 but her recording career was not as successful as her concurrent movie career. She had a sexy throaty singing voice and RCA attempted to capitalise on the 'female Elvis' comparison by having her record a version of 'Heartbreak Hotel' and other songs stylistically similar to Presley's. She scored the minor hit 'I Just Don't Understand' which entered the Billboard Top 40 in the third week of August 1961 and stayed six weeks, peaking at 17. Her only charting album was ''The Beauty and the Beard'' (1964) on which she was accompanied by trumpeter Al Hirt. Her contract with RCA ended in 1966.

Film career

In 1961, Ann-Margret made her film début in ''Pocketful of Miracles'', starring Bette Davis, Glenn Ford, and Hope Lange, a remake of the 1933 film ''Lady for a Day''; both versions were directed by Frank Capra. She followed that role with the successful 1962 remake of Rodgers' and Hammerstein's musical ''State Fair''. Her next starring role, as the all-American teenager in ''Bye Bye Birdie'', made her a major star. When she filmed ''Viva Las Vegas'' with Elvis Presley the two began an affair that received considerable attention from the gossip columnists. The reports led to a showdown with Priscilla Presley, described by Priscilla in her 1985 book, ''Elvis and Me'', including a discussion of Ann-Margret's attempt to "cut her off at the pass" with a press announcement that she and Elvis were engaged to be married. Although he ended the affair, Presley remained a friend and continued to send Ann-Margret flowers at the opening of each of her stage appearances until he died. Of all the Hollywood starlets with whom he had worked or had a relationship, Ann-Margret was the only one to attend his funeral.
In 1963, Ann-Margret guest-starred in an episode of ''The Flintstones'', voicing "Ann-Margrock," an animated version of herself. Decades later, she recorded the theme song to the live-action film ''The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas'' in character as Ann-Margrock. The song she recorded was a modified version of the "Viva Las Vegas" theme.

Ann also co-starred along with friend Dean Martin in the spy spoof ''Murderer's Row'' (1966). In March 1966, Ann-Margret and entertainers Chuck Day and Mickey Jones teamed up for a USO tour to entertain U.S. servicemen in remote parts of Vietnam and other parts of Southeast Asia. She still has great affection for the veterans and refers to them as "my gentlemen."^[4] Ann-Margret, Day and Jones reunited in November 2005 for an encore of this tour for veterans and troops at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada.^[5]
In 1971, she starred in Mike Nichols's ''Carnal Knowledge'', marking a significant change from her sex-kitten musical roles and garnering a nomination for an 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 that put her out of commission for several months. Throughout the 1970s, Ann-Margret balanced her live musical performances with a string of critically acclaimed dramatic film roles that played against her glamorous image. These included ''Tommy'' in 1975, for which she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress. In addition, she has been nominated for ten Golden Globe Awards and has won five times, including her Best Actress for ''Tommy.'' She also did a string of successful TV specials, starting with ''The Ann-Margret Show'' for NBC in 1968. Now in her mid-60s, she continues to act in films.
In 1994, she published an autobiography titled ''Ann Margret: My Story'' (ISBN 0-399-13891-9). She has been married to actor Roger Smith since 1967. Smith suffers from myasthenia gravis, and his wife has devoted much of her life to caring for him. In 2001 Ann-Margret made her first appearance in a stage musical, playing the character of Mona Stangley in a new touring production of ''The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas''. In 1995, she was chosen by ''Empire Magazine'' as one of the 100 Sexiest Stars in film history; she ranked 10th.
She has also filmed the movie "Mem-o-re," in which she stars with Billy Zane and Dennis Hopper.
Ann-Margret has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6501 Hollywood Blvd. Rose McGowan portrayed Ann-Margret in the 2005 television miniseries, ''Elvis.''

Trivia

In 1989 a photo of Oprah Winfrey graced the cover of TV Guide and although the head was Oprah's the body came from a 1979 publicity shot of Ann-Margret. The photo was created without the permission of either Winfrey or Ann-Margret.^[6] The photo was later mentioned in the television sitcom ''Mama's Family'' episode 127 entitled 'Pinup Mama'.
Ann-Margret is not a natural redhead: her real hair colour is 'natural blonde'. The hair colour was the idea of Sydney Guilaroff, the legendary hairdresser who changed the hair colour of other famous actresses such as Lucille Ball.

Filmography

★ ''Pocketful of Miracles'' (1961)

★ ''State Fair'' (1962)

★ ''Bye Bye Birdie'' (1963)

★ ''Viva Las Vegas'' (1964)

★ ''Kitten with a Whip'' (1964)

★ ''The Pleasure Seekers'' (1964)

★ ''Ann-Margret: Made in Paris'' (1965) (short subject)

★ ''Bus Riley's Back in Town'' (1965)

★ ''Once a Thief'' (1965)

★ ''The Cincinnati Kid'' (1965)

★ ''Made in Paris'' (1966)

★ ''Stagecoach'' (1966)

★ ''The Swinger'' (1966)

★ ''Murderers' Row'' (1966)

★ ''The Tiger and the Pussycat'' (1967)

★ ''The Prophet'' (1968)

★ ''Seven Men and One Brain'' (1968)

★ ''Rebus'' (1969)

★ ''R.P.M.'' (1970)

★ ''C.C. and Company'' (1970)

★ ''Carnal Knowledge'' (1971)

★ ''The Outside Man'' (1972)

★ ''The Train Robbers'' (1973)

★ ''Tommy'' (1975)

★ ''The Twist'' (1976)

★ ''Joseph Andrews'' (1977)

★ ''The Last Remake of Beau Geste'' (1977)

★ ''The Cheap Detective'' (1978)

★ ''Magic'' (1978)

★ ''The Villain'' (1979)

★ ''Middle Age Crazy'' (1980)

★ ''The Return of the Soldier'' (1982)

★ ''Lookin' to Get Out'' (1982)

★ ''I Ought to Be in Pictures'' (1982)

★ ''Twice in a Lifetime'' (1985)

★ ''52 Pick-Up'' (1986)

★ ''A Tiger's Tale'' (1988)

★ ''A New Life'' (1988)

★ ''Newsies'' (1992)

★ ''Grumpy Old Men'' (1993)

★ ''Grumpier Old Men'' (1995)

★ ''Blue Rodeo'' (1996) (TV)

★ ''The Limey'' (1999) (scenes deleted)

★ ''Any Given Sunday'' (1999)

★ ''The Last Producer'' (2000)

★ ''Interstate 60'' (2002)

★ ''Taxi'' (2004)

★ ''Mem-o-re'' (2005)

★ ''Tales of the Rat Fink'' (2006) (documentary) (voice)

★ ''The Break Up'' (2006)

★ '' (2006)

★ ''The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond'' (2008)

Television work

★ ''The Ann-Margret Show'' (1968)

★ ''Ann-Margret: From Hollywood with Love'' (1969)

★ ''Dames at Sea'' (1971)

★ ''Ann-Margret: When You're Smiling'' (1973)

★ ''Ann-Margret Olsson'' (1975)

★ ''Ann-Margret Smith'' (1975)

★ ''Ann-Margret: Rhinestone Cowgirl'' (1977)

★ ''Ann-Margret: Hollywood Movie Girls'' (1980)

★ ''Who Will Love My Children?'' (1983)

★ ''A Streetcar Named Desire'' (1984)

★ ''The Two Mrs. Grenvilles'' (1987)

★ ''Our Sons'' (1991)

★ '' (1993) (miniseries)

★ ''Following Her Heart'' (1994)

★ ''Scarlett'' (1994) (miniseries)

★ ''Seduced by Madness: The Diane Borchardt Story'' (1996)

★ ''Blue Rodeo'' (1996) (TV)

★ ''Four Corners'' (1998) (canceled after 4 episodes)

★ ''Life of the Party: The Pamela Harriman Story'' (1998)

★ ''Happy Face Murders'' (1999)

★ ''Perfect Murder, Perfect Town: JonBenét and the City of Boulder'' (2000)

★ ''The 10th Kingdom'' (2000) (miniseries)

★ ''Popular (TV Show)'' (2001)

★ ''Blonde'' (2001) (miniseries)

★ ''A Woman's a Helluva Thing'' (2001)

★ ''A Place Called Home'' (2004)

Discography

'Singles'

★ I Just Don't Understand (1961) U.S #17

★ It Do Me So Good (1961) U.S #97

★ What Am I Supposed To Do (1962) U.S #85

★ Sleep In The Grass (1969) U.S #113 (Bubbling Under Chart)

★ Midnight Message (1980) U.S #12 (Club Play Chart)
'Albums'

★ And Here She Is...Ann-Margret (1961)

★ One the Way Up (1962)

★ The Vivacious One (1962)

★ Bachelor's Paradise (1963)

★ Beauty and the Beard (1964) (with Al Hirt) U.S. #83

★ David Merrick Presents Hits from His Broadway Hits (1964) (with David Merrick) U.S #141

★ Songs from "The Swinger" (And Other Swingin' Songs) (1966)

★ The Cowboy and the Lady (1969) (with Lee Hazlewood)

★ Ann-Margret (1979)

★ God Is Love: The Gospel Sessions (2001)

★ Ann-Margret's Christmas Carol Collection (2004)

★ Love Rush (reissue of "Ann-Margret") (2007)

★ Everybody Needs Somebody Sometimes (single, reissue) (2007)
'Soundtracks'

★ State Fair (1962) U.S #12

★ Bye Bye Birdie (1963) U.S #2

★ The Pleasure Seekers (1965)

★ Tommy (1975) U.S #2

★ Newsies (1992) U.S #149

Theatre productions

★ ''Love Letters'', with Burt Reynolds

★ ''The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas'' (2001, touring production)

Awards

Year	Group	Award	Won?	Film
1962	Grammy Awards	Best New Artist	No
	Golden Laurel	Top Female New Personality	Yes
	Golden Globe	Most Promising Newcomer-Female	Yes
1963	Golden Laurel	Top Female Musical Performance	Yes	State Fair
	Golden Laurel	Top Female Star	No
1963	Golden Laurel	Top Female Comedy Performance	Yes	Bye Bye Birdie
	Golden Laurel	Top Female Star	No
	Golden Globe	Best Motion Picture Actress- Musical/Comedy	No	Bye Bye Birdie
	Photoplay Awards	Most Popular Female Star	Yes
1965	Golden Laurel	Musical Performance, Female	Yes	Viva Las Vegas
1966	Golden Laurel	Musical Performance, Female	Yes	Made in Paris
1967	Golden Laurel	Top Female Star	No
1972	Academy Award	Best Actress in a Supporting Role	No	Carnal Knowledge
	Golden Globe	Best Motion Picture Actress in a Supporting Role	Yes
1975	Academy Award	Best Actress in a Leading Role	No	Tommy
	Golden Globe	Best Motion Picture Actress- Musical/Comedy	Yes
1978	Golden Globe	Best Motion Picture Actress in a Supporting Role	No	Joseph Andrews
1979	Saturn Award	Best Actress	No	Magic
1981	Genie Award	Best Performance by a Foreign Actress	No	Middle Age Crazy
1983	Emmy	Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or a Special	No	Who Will Love My Children?
	Golden Apple Award	Female Star of the Year	Yes
1984	Emmy	Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or a Special	No	A Streetcar Named Desire
	Golden Globe	Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV	Yes	Who Will Love My Children?
1985	Golden Globe	Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV	Yes	A Streetcar Named Desire
1987	Emmy	Outstanding Lead Actress in a Mini Series or a Special	No	The Two Mrs. Grenvilles
	Crystal Award	Women in Film Award	Yes
1988	Golden Globe	Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV	No	The Two Mrs. Grenvilles
1993	Emmy	Outstanding Lead Actress in a Mini Series or a Special	No
1994	Golden Globe	Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV	No
1999	Emmy	Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie	No
	Golden Globe	Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV	No
	SAG Awards	Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a TV Movie or Miniseries	No
2001	Grammy Awards	Best Southern, Country, or Bluegrass Gospel Album (God is Love: The Gospel Sessions)	No
2002	GMA Dove Awards	Best Country Album (God is Love: The Gospel Sessions)	No
2005	CineVegas International Film Festival	Centennial Award	Yes

References

1. http://www.brannagetgard.se/karta.png
2. http://www.adherents.com/people/pa/AnnMargret.html
3. http://www.filmreference.com/film/9/Ann-Margret.html
4. http://4dw.net/tommyblue43/Vietnam.html
5. http://www.lasvegasevents.com/news.php?id=58
6. http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/photos/oprah.html see Oprah/Ann hoax

External links

★

★ Official web site

★ The Unofficial Home Of The Fantastic Ann-Margret site from Sweden

★ Ann-Margret Magazine by Gary Wheeler

★ Very nice photo scans at photoactor.com

★ http://www.geocities.com/shakin_stacks/annmargret.txt

★ http://members.aol.com/stoneforst/stonemain/annmarg1.htm

★ http://elviswomen.greggers.net/annmargret.htm

★ http://www.angelfire.com/biz2/vivaannmargret/front.html

★ Ann of a Thousand Knights at Snopes.com

★ [http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0101/01/lkl.00.html Interview with Larry King,