Ann-Margret's Most Iconic Roles
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Ann-Margret
Born April 28, 1941, Swedish-American singer and actress Ann-Margret Olsson, or better known as just Ann-Margret, has swept Hollywood by storm! With six Emmy Awards and five Golden Globes under her belt, and classic films including Bye Bye Birdie (1963) and Grumpy Old Men (1993), here is a look back at her most iconic roles!
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"The Female Elvis Presley"
Ann-Margret began her music career in the 1960s, and 1961 marked the release of her debut album, And Here She Is: Ann-Margret. To sell albums, producers dubbed her the female version of Elvis having her sing some of his classic hits like "Heartbreak Hotel". She would peak on the charts with successful hits including "I Just Don't Understand" and disco hit "Love Rush"!
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'Pocketful of Miracles'
Not long after her singing career began, Ann-Margret would also break into film! Her film debut came in 1961 alongside the well-distinguished Bette Davis in Pocketful of Miracles.
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'Bye Bye Birdie'
Beginning to gain a name for herself in Hollywood, 1963's Bye Bye Birdie would make Ann-Margret a huge star! After the success of the musical comedy, she was invited to sing "Baby Won't You Please Come Home" for President Kennedy's private birthday celebration
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'Viva Las Vegas'
Ann-Margret's next big role would lead her to finally meet her male singing counterpart, "The King of Rock and Roll", Elvis Presley! For 1964's Viva Las Vegas, the pair would record three duets together including the famous "The Lady Loves Me"!
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'The Cincinnati Kid'
Ann-Margret's next iconic role teamed her up with the other king, "The King of Cool", Steve McQueen! 1965's The Cincinnati Kid would move Ann-Margret's image from innocent into more experienced and gritty characters.
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'Carnal Knowledge'
The late 1960s and early 70s were a busy time for Ann-Margret. In addition to filming the popular 1971 film Carnal Knowledge, she would spend a lot of time performing on stage in Vegas, as well as in Vietnam performing for U.S. servicemen. She would also marry her husband and later manager, Roger Smith in 1967!
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'The Train Robbers'
1973 would become Ann-Margret's Western debut alongside the ever-handsome John Wayne! Looking as gorgeous as ever on-screen, Ann-Margret was testing out the famous "grapefruit diet" at the time and had lost twenty pounds!
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'Tommy'
1975's musical Tommy would lead Ann-Margret to win one of her many Golden Globes for Best Actress! Around the same time, Ann-Margret was also being considered to play "Sandy Dumbrowski" in 1978's Grease, and she would have been given the role if not for her older age! In the end she lost the role to Olivia Newton-John, but the producers renamed the character to "Sandy Olsson" in honor of Ann-Margret!
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'Grumpy Old Men'
Moving to the 1990s, Ann-Margret was still seeing successes in her older age. 1993's Grumpy Old Men placed Ann-Margret alongside stars Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau! The film was so successful that Ann-Margret would star in its sequel, Grumpier Old Men in 1995!