Marie Osmond biography

Synopsis

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.

After its first season, the show was moved to its production to a studio facility the Osmond family had built in their hometown of Orem, Utah.

Going Solo

Despite their fame, both Donny and Marie remained devoted to their family and true to their Mormon faith. As their religion prohibits alcohol, coffee, tea, and premarital sex, the Osmonds were known to change the lyrics of songs rather than to compromise their beliefs. Following her parents' rules, Marie was not allowed to go on a date alone with a guy until she was 18. At the age of 18, she was already thinking ahead to marriage, telling People magazine: "I'm not in any rush, but by the time I'm 21 I'll probably want to get serious. Showbiz isn't for eternity. Marriage is."

By the end of 1970s, television audiences had tired of the squeaky clean brother-sister act and their renditions of older, more family-friendly songs. Disco and more urban style music was all the rage, making the Osmonds seem completely out of step with the times. The show—then known as The Osmond Family Hour—left the air in May 1979.

Her show may have been cancelled, but Osmond continued to have some success on television. She had her own limited-run variety show Marie from 1980 to 1981 and then made a series of television movies. In 1979, Osmond starred with James Woods and Timothy Bottoms in The Gift of Love. She went on to play her own mother Olive in 1982's Side By Side: The Story of the Osmond Family. In 1985, Osmond served as the co-host for Ripley's Believe It Or Not.

Reviving her country music career, Osmond scored several hits in the 1980s. She hit the top of the country charts twice in 1985 with "There's No Stopping Your Heart" and "Meet Me in Montana"—a duet with Dan Seals. The next year, her duet with Paul Davis, "You're Still New to Me," also reached the number one spot.

Transitions

In her personal life, this was a time of transition. She had divorced her first husband, actor Stephen Craig, in 1985. The couple had one child together, a son named Stephen. In 1986, Osmond married music producer Brian Blosil. Osmond and Blosil would eventually have a family of eight children with her son Stephen, two children of their own, and four children they adopted together.

With some of her children, Osmond toured with a special Christmas show during the 1980s and 1990s. She spent a lot of time on the stage in musicals. Playing Maria, Osmond starred in 1994-1995 touring production of The Sound of Music. She made her Broadway debut in 1997 as Anna in The King and I. Reuniting with her brother Donny, Osmond co-hosted a syndicated daytime talk show in 1998, which lasted two seasons. That same year, Osmond and her husband announced that they were divorcing, but they later reconciled.

In 2001, Osmond received a lot of media attention for her candid memoir about her struggle with postpartum depression Behind the Smile. She shared the emotional and psychological difficulties she faced after the birth of her son Matthew.

Two years later, Osmond and the rest of her family received a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame for their contributions to the entertainment industry.

More recently, Osmond has appeared on reality television shows. She was a judge on Celebrity Duets in 2006. She also made headlines that same year for what was initially reported as a suicide attempt. According to her representative, however, Osmond was hospitalized for a bad reaction to a medication, not for attempting suicide. She spent several days in an Orem, Utah hospital before being released.

Family Tragedy

In 2007, Osmond and her husband announced their separation. That same year, she went on to become one of the finalists in the wildly popular celebrity dance competition Dancing with the Stars (season 5). During the filming of Dancing with the Stars, Osmond experienced many physical and emotional hardships. She passed out on one episode of the show, following her performance.

Two weeks later, Osmond lost her father, George, who died at his home in Utah while she was in California. She was still mourning the death of her father when she publicly acknowledged that her son, Michael Blosil, was in rehab for substance abuse problems. Tragically, in February 2010, Osmond's son Michael committed suicide by jumping from the eighth floor of his Los Angeles apartment. At the time of her son's death, Osmond and her brother Donny were performing a variety show at the Flamingo Resort in Las Vegas. (She and Donny had shared host duties for the Miss USA pageant and America's Favorite Mom just before their Las Vegas show premiered.)

New Directions

Despite experiencing deep personal tragedy, Osmond remains upbeat. In May 2011, at age 51, she remarried ex-husband Stephen Craig, and she continues to perform shows with her big brother.

In addition to her entertainment career, Osmond has been active in business pursuits as well as charitable works. She sells a line of Marie Osmond Fine Porcelain Collector Dolls, which she started in 1991. She also launched a line of crafting products called Crafting with Marie. Additionally, she has found time to help others, co-founding the Children's Miracle Network in 1983, and continuing to raise funds on its behalf. The organization supports children's hospitals in the United States and Canada.