I just adore Ann-Margret – she is such a warm, sweet and stylish woman.
Known for her searing beauty and undeniable talent, she has won hearts both on and off screen, famously dating Elvis Presley and being one of the few Hollywood stars to wholeheartedly support our Vietnam troops.
Yet despite her iconic career and universal admiration, she believes her greatest achievement lies elsewhere….
Perhaps it’s my deep connection to Sweden, but I have to say that Ann-Margret is a personal favourite of mine. She is simply incredible and all of her work speaks for itself. With her delightful humour and genuine charm, she continues to fascinate and inspire.
And her ageless beauty is natural and unassuming, unlike many in Hollywood.
As recently as last year, the Swedish-American actress and singer released her debut rock album Born to Be Wild, according to The New York Times.
To say that Ann-Margret has survived everything would be an understatement. The iconic two-time Oscar nominee, who was born in northern Sweden, rose to fame with memorable roles in classic 1960s films like Bye Bye Birdie and Viva Las Vegas.
You can read about her colourful romance with Elvis Presley here, but the truth is he was never the man of her life.
Meeting Roger Smith
Although she dated stars like Eddie Fisher and Elvis Presley, it was Roger Smith who won Ann-Margret’s heart.
The strikingly handsome dark-haired actor rose to fame thanks to striking roles in films such as ‘77 Sunset Strip’ and ‘Mr Roberts’. As the quintessential Hollywood heartthrob, he is used to conquering women effortlessly.
Swedish actress, singer and dancer Ann Margret, 01.05.1967. (Photo by Avalon/Getty Images)
But Ann-Margret was not an easy woman to conquer.
‘All the other women I met fell all over me,’ he recalled. ‘But this innocent beauty with a fresh face only spoke to me when I spoke to her and ignored me the rest of the time.’
The couple first crossed paths in the 1960s, having naturally met through their Hollywood careers. However, it wasn’t until 1965 that they began seriously dating.
According to some reports, Roger first invited the Swedish star to one of his performances at a San Francisco club. But he had another trick up his sleeve.
He knew that Ann-Margret was an avid motorbike enthusiast. She loved to ride, and she had several motorbikes at home, as well as a whole wardrobe of motorbike gear.
‘When I first started dating her, there were a lot of guys around. But they didn’t ride motorbikes. So I figured if I had one, it would help. So I bought one and we started riding together. It helped,’ he told NEA.
By the third date, Ann-Margret was sure Roger Smith was the man she had always been looking for.
‘I knew he would protect me. I knew I could rely on him. I felt that completely,’ she told People in a 2017 interview.
Tears of sadness
The couple tied the knot in 1967, and their marriage was everything Ann-Margret could have dreamed of. But not many people know that their union started off badly. During the wedding ceremony in Las Vegas, in a ‘cigarette smoke-filled room at the Riviera Hotel,’ the ‘Bye Bye Birdie’ star began to cry.
‘This is not how I imagined my wedding,’ Ann-Margret told People and added: ‘I think everyone thought I was pregnant because I was crying during the whole thing. But we did it.’
Thankfully, the traumatic wedding experience didn’t matter in the end.
Soon Roger Smith took on the role of his wife’s manager. He believed in her, admired her, and sacrificed his own acting career to support her. Roger felt that Ann-Margret had more ‘raw talent’ than he did and wanted to be there for her.
Roger Smith in sunglasses and Ann-Margret in the back seat of a limousine; circa 1970; New York City. (Photo by Art Zelin/Getty Images)
‘Now in Roger I have found all the men I need – father, friend, lover, manager, businessman,’ the actress told Rex Reed in 1972.
‘He’s perfect for me. I can’t exist without a strong man.’
Smith helped Ann-Margret redefine her career and played a key role in steering her away from her ‘sex kitten’ image, realising that she needed to evolve further if she was to stay in Hollywood for the long haul. His strategic decisions allowed Ann-Margret to take on more challenging roles, which eventually led to her breakthrough film Carnal Knowledge in 1971.
By supporting her in what she wanted to do, Roger Smith found that he began to like himself much more. Being with Ann-Margret became more important to him than all his childhood dreams of becoming a famous actor.
‘When I met Ann-Margret, I felt happy for the first time in my life,’ Smith told the New Yorker. ‘Once I found Ann-Margret, I couldn’t live without her anymore, and surprisingly, she couldn’t live without me.’