Dismissed early in her career as a mere "sex kitten," Ann-Margret would prove a tremendous talent, not only... (Learn more)
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Ann-Margret’s Milestones
| Acknowledged she was an alcoholic and began treatment | |
| Inspired and voiced the character of Ann-Margrock on an episode of "The Flintstones" (ABC) | |
| Moved with family to Wilmette, Illinois, where they lived in the funeral parlor at which her mother was receptionist | |
| Performed regularly in Las Vegas; became known for a time as 'The Queen of Vegas', 'The Swedish Meatball' and, again in reference to her Scandinavian origins, 'The Vegas Valkyrie' | |
| Turned down the female lead in "Cat Ballou" (1965) | |
| 1941 | Born in Valsjobyn, a tiny Swedish town near the Arctic Circle |
| 1946 | Moved with mother to Fox Lake, Illinois, near Chicago; father had emigrated from Sweden several years earlier |
| 1954 | At age 13, won a dancing and singing talent contest on a local TV station (date approximate) |
| 1957 | Appeared on "Ted Mack's Amateur Hour" (ABC), winning prize as first runner-up |
| 1958 | Made professional performing debut singing with Danny Ferguson's band for one summer month at the Muehlebach Hotel in Kansas City |
| 1959 | Formed jazz combo, the Suttletones, with three male classmates at Northwestern University; worked in Chicago nightclubs on weekends |
| 1960 | Continued on with group to Los Angeles; found agents; worked in Newport Beach, California and Elko and Reno, Nevada |
| 1960 | Left school; headed for Las Vegas with group to play gig at the Nevada Hotel in June; job failed to materialize |
| 1960 | Noticed by George Burns while singing and playing the maracas in the lounge of the Dunes Hotel in Las Vegas; hired for $100 per night for ten nights to perform in his Christmas show at the Congo Room of the Sahara Hotel |
| 1961 | Film acting debut as Bette Davis' daughter in Frank Capra's "A Pocketful of Miracles" |
| 1961 | First major TV appearance on the "Jack Benny Show" (CBS) led to a contract with 20th Century-Fox and her first movie |
| 1961 | Released first album "And Here She Is--Ann-Margret" |
| 1961 | Signed recording contract with RCA (date approximate) |
| 1962 | Performed the Oscar-nominated song "Bachelor in Paradise" at the Academy Awards ceremony; received write-up in Show Magazine that said: "In the space of three minutes, Ann-Margret became the hottest name in town" |
| 1962 | Played sweet-but-seductive bombshell-next-door in third-rate film remake of the musical "State Fair" |
| 1963 | Co-starred as Kim McAfee in the film adaptation of the Broadway hit "Bye Bye Birdie"; sang on the popular soundtrack album |
| 1963 | Sang at President John F Kennedy's 46th birthday party, just as Marilyn Monroe had the year before |
| 1964 | Made motion picture exhibitors poll of top ten boxoffice stars, placing eighth; acted opposite Elvis Presley in "Viva Las Vegas"; also starred in "Kitten with a Whip" and "The Pleasure Seekers" |
| 1964 | Performed at President Lyndon B Johnson's inaugural gala |
| 1965 | Displayed plenty of cleavage in her sexy portrayal of Steve McQueen's trampy wife in "The Cincinnati Kid" |
| 1968 | Hosted first TV special, "The Ann-Margret Show" (CBS) |
| 1970 | Elicited some favorable reviews for her turn in Stanley Kramer misfire, "R.P.M" |
| 1971 | Received increased critical respect and a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination for her role in "Carnal Knowledge", directed by Mike Nichols |
| 1972 | Fell 22 feet from a stage platform while performing at the Sahara Hotel, Lake Tahoe, Nevada (November 10); was in a coma for three days; suffered concussion and many fractures, including ones in her left arm, jaw, and five other facial bones; returned to the stage in ten weeks |
| 1973 | Acted opposite John Wayne in "The Train Robbers" |
| 1973 | Starred in TV musical variety special, "Ann-Margret ... When You're Smiling" (NBC), an edited version of her Las Vegas stage act; was her most popular TV special, drawing over 51 million viewers |
| 1975 | Earned Oscar nomination as Best Actress for her turn as Nora Walker Hobbs in "Tommy", Ken Russell's film version of the Who's rock opera |
| 1975 | Entertained President and Mrs Ford and the Shah and Empress of Iran at the White House |
| 1977 | Headlined as Lady Booby in Tony Richardson's "Joseph Andrews", the director's failed attempt to recapture the glory of his "Tom Jones" (1963) |
| 1978 | Gave another well-received performance alongside Anthony Hopkins in "Magic", directed by Richard Attenborough |
| 1979 | Acted with Kirk Douglas and Arnold Schwarzeneggar in Hal Needham's "The Villain" |
| 1980 | Starred in last TV variety special (to date) "Ann-Margret's Hollywood Movie Girls" (ABC) |
| 1981 | First film with Walter Matthau, "I Ought to Be in Pictures" |
| 1982 | Portrayed Alan Bates' doting cousin in "The Return of the Soldier" |
| 1983 | TV dramatic debut, "Who Will Love My Children?" (ABC); earned her an Emmy nomination; first collaboration with director John Erman who convinced her to shed her "glamour" image for the part of an Iowa farm wife dying of cancer |
| 1984 | Scored a triumph as Blanche DuBois in the ABC-TV remake of "A Streetcar Named Desire", earning a second Emmy nomination; again directed by Erman |
| 1985 | Played home-wrecking other woman in "Twice in a Lifetime", co-starring Gene Hackman and Ellen Burstyn |
| 1986 | Turned in fine performance as Roy Scheider's wife in John Frankenheimer's "52 Pick-Up" |
| 1987 | Earned another Emmy nomination for her miniseries debut, "The Two Mrs. Grenvilles" (NBC), helmed by Erman; starred opposite Claudette Colbert who was returning to the screen after a 25-year absence |
| 1991 | Made NYC debut at Radio City Music Hall |
| 1993 | Co-starred with Jack Lemmon and Matthau in the hit comedy "Grumpy Old Men" |
| 1993 | Picked up fourth Emmy nomination for the miniseries "Queen" (CBS), helmed by Erman; played a woman who aged from 35 to 85, ending up with a dowager's hump, bad teeth and failing eyesight (contact lenses gave the appearance of cataracts) |
| 1994 | Portrayed madam Belle Watling in CBS miniseries "Scarlett", adapted from Alexandra Ripley's "sequel" to "Gone With the Wind"; sixth collaboration with Erman; network censors cut one of her scenes for US version |
| 1994 | Produced (through Ann-Margret Productions) and starred in "Following Her Heart" (NBC), directed by Lee Grant; first time singing in a TV-movie; her mother helped her rehearse her role as a Swedish immigrant, guaranteeing an authentic accent |
| 1995 | Reprised her role in the sequel "Grumpier Old Men" |
| 1996 | Played a popular teacher who uses her wiles to convince three students into killing her husband in the fact-based NBC miniseries "Seduced By Madness: The Diane Borchardt Story"; produced through Ann-Margret Productions |
| 1998 | TV series debut as regular, starring in the short-lived CBS midseason replacement "Four Corners"; show cancelled after three episodes aired; produced through Ann-Margret Productions |
| 1998 | Won plaudits (and a fifth Emmy nod) for her impersonation of Pamela Harriman in the Lifetime biographical movie "Life of the Party: The Pamela Harriman Story" |
| 1999 | Portrayed the estranged mother of a football team owner (Cameron Diaz) in Oliver Stone's "Any Given Sunday" |
| 1999 | Was almost unrecognizable as a wily grandmother who frames her abusive younger boyfriend in "Happy Face Murders" (Showtime); first collaboration with actress Marg Helgenberger |
| 2000 | Acted in Burt Reynolds' "The Last Producer" (shot in 1999); screened at Cannes; aired on USA Network in 2001 |
| 2000 | Essayed the role of a 200-year-old Cinderella (who looks 55) in NBC fantasy miniseries "The 10th Kingdom" |
| 2000 | Reteamed with Helgenberger (as Patsy Ramsey) for CBS miniseries "Perfect Murder, Perfect Town", a look at the murder of JonBenet Ramsey |
| 2001 | Co-starred in "A Woman's a Helluva Thing" (filmed 1999); screened at Seattle Film Festival |
| 2001 | Starred as Miss Mona in a national tour of "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas"; debut as a musical theater performer; briefly withdrew from performances in late February to care for her ill mother |
| 2006 | Cast as Santa's mother-in-law in "The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause" |
| 2006 | Joined with Vince Vaughn and Jennifer Aniston in the comedy "The Break-Up" |
| 2007 | Co-starred with Billy Zane in the psychological thriller, "Memory" |
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