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Marie Osmond biography

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Singer, actress, and television personality, Marie Osmond was half of the brother-and-sister duo Donny and Marie, with her brother Donny Osmond.


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Born Olive Marie Osmond on October 13, 1959, in Ogden, Utah, Marie Osmond is often best remembered for her collaboration with her brother as the singing duo Donny and Marie, who were popular for music albums and a TV series.

Early Life

Singer, actress, television personality and businesswoman Marie Osmond was born Olive Marie Osmond on October 13, 1959, in Ogden, Utah. While she has achieved a number of successes as a solo artist, an actress, and a businessperson, Marie Osmond is often best remembered for her collaboration with her brother as the singing duo Donny and Marie. The only girl out of nine children, she was raised in an unusual show business family. Some of her older brothers started singing together as the Osmond Brothers. Managed by their father George, the group's musical career took off after an appearance on The Andy Williams Show in 1962. They became regular guests on the show and eventually became an international pop sensation.

As a toddler, Marie appeared with her brothers on The Andy Williams Show. Williams joked that she was the "newest Osmond brother," but it was not long before she did join the famous Osmond Brothers on stage. In her later memoir, Behind the Smile: My Journey Out of Postpartum Depression, Osmond commented that she had little time for a normal childhood. She and her siblings worked hard, "memorizing scripts, learning to sing a song in Swedish ... for a foreign tour, spending long days dancing, playing instruments, and singing." She also indicated in her memoir that she had been sexually abused as a child.

'Donny and Marie'

In 1973, Osmond had her first taste of solo success with her rendition of "Paper Roses," which climbed to the top of the country music charts and broke into the top five on the pop charts. The subsequent album bearing the single's title also did well with country music fans. Her next two efforts, In My Little Corner of the World (1974) and Who's Sorry Now (1975) were unable to match her earlier accomplishments.

Teaming up with her older brother Donny, Osmond scored two pop hits, "Morning Side of the Mountain" and "I'm Leaving It All Up to You" in 1974. A wholesome and photogenic pair, they were featured in their own television special in 1975, which was a hit with viewers. This led to the siblings getting their own variety show the following year.

Debuting in January 1976, Donny and Marie was a hour-long program filled with songs and skits. Donny was "a little bit rock and roll" while Marie was "a little bit country," according to the lyrics of their theme song. In addition to her work on the show, Marie had schoolwork to contend with as she was only 16 years old when the program first aired.

Donny and Marie had many guest stars, including comedian Paul Lynde, Andy Williams, Kris Kristofferson, and Andy Gibb. Most of all, the show featured the much of the Osmond family from younger brother Jimmy to the original members of the Osmond Brothers—Alan, Wayne, Merrill, and Jay.

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