Ann Margret Olsson was born April 28, 1941, in Valsjobyn, Jamtland, Sweden. Her parents, Anna Aronsson and Gustav Olsson, raised her in a Lutheran home, and she remains Lutheran to this day.
Margret and family moved to the United States when she was still a child, and she was raised in Wilmette, Illinois. She pursued her secondary education at Northwestern University, but never secured her degree. In 1949, Margret was officially made a United Sates citizen.
Initially pursuing her talents as a singer and dancer, she was discovered by comedian George Burns in a nightclub. By 1961, her young talent earned her a recording contract with RCA. But the success she found singing was no match to the success she found on-screen. Her contract expired in 1966, and both parties opted not to renew.
In addition to the recording contract, 1961 brought Margret’s screen debut with the Frank Capra directed Pocketful of Miracles, starring Glenn Ford, Bette Davis, Hope Lange, and Peter Falk. But it was her role in 1963’s Bye Bye Birdie, beside Janet Leigh, Dick Van Dyke, and Maureen Stapleton that really made her a familiar face to the movie-going public.
Capitalizing on her portrayal as the female Elvis Presley, Margret co-starred with the King himself in the 1964 film Viva Las Vegas. Their professional career quickly became personal, and their resulting affair caused quite a media stir. In turn, this caused considerable consternation from Priscilla Presley. Although Elvis eventually called the relationship with Margret off, they remained close friends until his death.
Meanwhile, Margret’s film career continued to thrive. Working steadily, 1971 brought the film Carnal Knowledge, with Jack Nicholson, Candice Bergen, and Rita Moreno. It also brought Margret’s first Oscar nomination. 1975 proved to be another winner for Margret when she took a role in the Pete Townshend written film Tommy, with fellow performers Oliver Reed, Roger Daltrey, Elton John, Eric Clapton, and John Entwistle. For her role, she earned her second Oscar nomination.
Margret appeared in a slew of films for the next decade, the most notable being A Streetcar Named Desire. Based on the Tennessee Williams play, Margret portrayed Blanche DuBois opposite Treat Williams, Beverly D Angelo, and Randy Quaid.
Although she always found steady work, Margret received a career boost in 1993 when she appeared in the highly commercial and well-received film Grumpy Old Men. Her co-stars included Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau, Daryl Hannah, Kevin Pollak, Ossie Davis, and Christopher McDonald. 1995 brought the well-received sequel Grumpier Old Men with cast addition Sophia Loren.
Her most recently project was the thriller Memory, opposite Billy Zane and Dennis Hopper.
Margret released an autobiography in 1994 titled Ann Margret: My Story, and she was played by actress Rose McGowan in the 2005 made-for-TV production, Elvis.
Margret married fellow actor Roger Smith May 8, 1967. Shortly after, Smith fell ill with myasthenia gravis, which effectively ended his performing career. Margret spent many years caring for him until 1985, when his diseased was deemed in remission. They have no children together.
YUDDY
