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Ann-Margret Biography

(1941–)

Related Works

1964 Viva Las Vegas
1962 State Fair
1966 Made in Paris

2000 Perfect Murder, Perfect Town (TV Miniseries)
1964 Kitten with a Whip
1982 Lookin' to Get Out
1965 The Cincinnati Kid
2000 The Last Producer
1970 C.C. and Company
1984 A Streetcar Named Desire (TV Movie)
1963 Bye Bye Birdie
1986 52 Pick-Up
1961 Pocketful of Miracles
1966 Murderers' Row
1994 Nobody's Children (TV Movie)
1966 Stagecoach
1968 Rebus
1991 Our Sons (TV Movie)
1993 Grumpy Old Men
1978 The Cheap Detective
1987 A Tiger's Tale
1978 Magic
1992 Newsies
1996 Blue Rodeo (TV Movie)
1979 The Villain
1973 The Outside Man
1988 A New Life
1970 R.P.M.
1964 The Pleasure Seekers
1982 I Ought to Be in Pictures
1995 Grumpier Old Men
1975 Tommy
1971 Carnal Knowledge
1980 Middle Age Crazy
1973 The Train Robbers
1965 Bus Riley's Back in Town
1987 The Two Mrs. Grenvilles (TV Movie)
1994 Scarlett (TV Miniseries)
1977 The Last Remake of Beau Geste
1967 Criminal Affair
1968 The Prophet
1998 Life of the Party: The Pamela Harriman Story (TV Movie)
1999 Happy Face Murders (TV Movie)
1977 Joseph Andrews
2000 The 10th Kingdom (TV Miniseries)
1999 Any Given Sunday
1985 Twice in a Lifetime
1996 Seduced by Madness (TV Movie)
1967 The Tiger and the Pussycat
1982 The Return of the Soldier
1993 Queen (TV Miniseries)
1976 The Twist
1965 Once a Thief
1966 The Swinger
1994 Following Her Heart (TV Movie)
1983 Who Will Love My Children? (TV Movie)

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Actress, singer, dancer. Born Ann-Margret Olsson, on April 28, 1941, in Valsjobyn, Sweden. Ann-Margret was born into a tightly knit family in a small fishing village near the Arctic Circle. Her parents, Gustav and Anna, migrated to America after World War II, and settled in the Chicago suburb of Fox Lake. The Olsson’s eventually relocated to Wilmette, Illinois, where they lived in the funeral parlor that employed Anna.

Ann-Margret was an introverted child, who found it difficult adjusting to American culture. In her early years, she used her love for song and dance as a means of expressing herself. She began to sing at weddings, private parties, and church socials. By the time she was 14, she had appeared in a number of school revues and drama productions, and was a frequent winner at local talent contests.

After graduating high school in 1959, Ann-Margret enrolled at Northwestern University as a speech major. Within her first few months at college, she teamed up with three male students to form a jazz combo - The Suttletones. After her freshman year, she withdrew from school, and headed for the West Coast with her newly formed band. They spent most of their time performing at various cabaret clubs in Reno, Las Vegas, and Southern California.

While performing in the lounge of the Dunes Hotel in Las Vegas, Ann-Margret was given the opportunity to audition for Hollywood veteran George Burns. Immediately after, he invited her to perform for a 10-night engagement at the Sahara Hotel, where the 18-year-old earned rave reviews. A succession of offers followed, including a record contract from RCA, and a seven-year film contract from 20th Century Fox.

In the early 1960s, Ann-Margret's burgeoning career was chronicled in Life magazine, who classified her as Hollywood's next young starlet. She made her film debut as Bette Davis' daughter in Frank Capra's Pocketful of Miracles (1961), and released her first album And Here She Is , Ann-Margret. In 1963, she co-starred in the film adaptation of the Broadway play Bye Bye Birdie, alongside Dick Van Dyke. By the end of year, she had also established herself as a recording star with two albums, and five additional hit singles that appeared on the Bye Bye Birdie soundtrack. In addition, she was invited to serenade President John F. Kennedy at his 46th birthday party.

In 1964’s Viva Las Vegas, Ann-Margret was noted for her performance as Elvis Presley's love interest, a role that she was rumored to play on and offscreen. She continued to make a series of mildly successful films, including Kitten with a Whip and The Pleasure Seekers (both 1964). Although big box-office draws, Ann-Margret's early roles merely exploited her sex appeal, including her portrayal as Steve McQueen's promiscuous wife in The Cincinnati Kid (1965).

In 1968, Ann-Margret was contracted by CBS to host a number of television specials, which featured Lucille Ball, Danny Thomas, and Jack Benny. During her time with CBS, she continued to regularly perform in Vegas, where she was often referred to as "The Queen of Vegas" and "The Swedish Meatball."