Francais | English | Espanõl

Ann-Margret

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search
Ann-Margret & Elvis in Viva Las Vegas

Ann-Margret (born April 28, 1941) is a Swedish-born actress and singer who was born Ann-Margret Olsson in Valsjöbyn, Jämtland, Sweden. She moved to the United States when she was young and grew up in Wilmette, Illinois. She attended Northwestern University and was discovered singing in a nightclub by George Burns. She was often referred to as a "sex-kitten" and the "female Elvis".

Contents

[edit] 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 comparable to Eartha Kitt or Nancy Sinatra, and RCA attempted to capitalize on her "Female Elvis" comparison by her recording a version of Presley's "Heartbreak Hotel" and other songs stylistically similar to Presley. She scored one minor hit, "I Just Don't Understand" (which entered the Billboard Top 40 in the third week of August 1961 and stayed 6 weeks, peaking at #17.) Her only charting album is The Beauty and the Beard (1964), on which she was accompanied by trumpeter Al Hirt. The contract with RCA ended in 1966.

[edit] Becoming a Movie Star

In 1961 she also made her film début for in Pocketful of Miracles, starring Bette Davis, Glenn Ford, and Hope Lange, a remake of the Oscar-winning 1933 film Lady for a Day; both versions were directed by the great Frank Capra. She followed that role with the successful remake of Rodgers' and Hammerstein's musical State Fair in 1962. 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 in various media. The reports led to a showdown with a very worried Priscilla Beaulieu, which she recounts in her 1985 book, Elvis and Me, including Ann-Margret's attempt to "cut her off at the pass" with a press announcement that Ann-Margret and Elvis were engaged to be married. Although he ended the affair, Presley remained a friend and continued to send her flowers at the opening of each of her stage appearances until he died. Of all the Hollywood starlets he had worked with or had a relationship with, Ann-Margret was the only one to attend his funeral.

In 1963, Ann-Margret was featured and guest-starred, in animated form, in an episode of Hanna-Barbera's The Flintstones as "Ann-Margrock." 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-Margret as she appeared in The Flintstones.

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". [1] Ann-Margret, Day and Jones reunited for an encore of this tour for veterans and troops at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada in November 2005. [2]

In 1971, she starred in Mike Nichols's Carnal Knowledge, marking a change from her sex-kitten musical roles, garnering 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 that put her out of commission for several months. Throughout the 1970s, Ann-Margret balanced her live performances with a string of critically acclaimed dramatic film performances that played against her glamorous image, including Tommy in 1975, for which she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress. In addition, she has been nominated for ten Golden Globe Awards, winning five times including 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 movies.

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 Ann-Margret 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.

She has also filmed the movie "Mem-o-re", where she stars with Billy Zane and Dennis Hopper.

[edit] Trivia

  • In 1995, she was chosen by Empire Magazine as one of the 100 Sexiest Stars in film history; she ranked 10th.
  • Rose McGowan portrayed Ann-Margret in the 2005 television miniseries Elvis.
  • Is a member of the Lutheran Church.
  • 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 Winfrey or Ann-Margret and caused a big stir. see Oprah/Ann hoax The hoax photo was also mentioned and referenced in the television sitcom Mama's Family, episode 127 entitled "Pinup Mama".

[edit] Filmography

[edit] Television work

[edit] Theatre productions

[edit] Awards

Year Group Award Won? Film
1962 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
1976 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 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 Queen
1994 Golden Globe Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV No Queen
1999 Emmy Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie No Life of the Party: The Pamela Harriman Story
Golden Globe Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV No Life of the Party: The Pamela Harriman Story
2001 Grammy Awards Best Southern, Country, or Bluegrass Gospel Album (God is Love: The Gospel Sessions) No
2002 Dove Awards Best Country Album (God is Love: The Gospel Sessions) No
2005 CineVegas International Film Festival Centennial Award Yes





[edit] External links


Persondata
NAME Olsson, Ann-Margret
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Ann-Margret
SHORT DESCRIPTION Actress, singer
DATE OF BIRTH April 28, 1941
PLACE OF BIRTH Valsjöbyn, Jämtland, Sweden
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH
de:Ann-Margret

es:Ann-Margret fr:Ann-Margret pt:Ann-Margret sv:Ann-Margret

Retrieved from "http://en.wikivisual.com/index.php/Ann-Margret"
Personal tools