These days, younger moviegoers may have no idea who Ann-Margret is, but she was once one of the biggest names in Hollywood. Two years after making her feature film debut alongside the famous Bette Davis in Pocketful of Miracles, she dazzled in the breakout hit Bye-Bye Birdie. This musical was full of catchy tunes, but nobody liked the songs as much as they liked Ann-Margret. Her character falls head over heels with an Elvis-like character, something almost every woman watching could sympathize with. As for the men, they were too busy wishing they could date this beautiful actress, and she soon became a national symbol.
Ann-Margret acted with Elvis in her very next film (Viva Las Vegas), cementing her status as a bona fide Hollywood legend. Over time, though, she became less and less prominent, eventually falling off the pop culture radar altogether. But she popped back up recently at a USO event intended to honor the 85-year-old entertainer. All these decades after her Hollywood debut, Ann-Margret still looks absolutely stunning. And in honor of a lifetime of achievements, we decided this was the perfect time to catch up on a lifetime of accomplishments from this amazing actress.
The birth of a star
After reading that intro (you didn’t skip the intro, did you?!?), you already know a bit about how Ann-Margret got her start in Hollywood. It all started in 1961, when she made her debut in the film Pocketful of Miracles. The movie wasn’t a huge hit, but it did give this new actor screen time alongside some major movie celebs, including Peter Falk and Bette Davis. Two years later, she starred in Bye-Bye Birdie, a musical that quickly became a critical and commercial smash. Ann-Margret then became a world-famous sex symbol, and her career took off in some unexpected ways.
For example, after her breakout role in Bye-Bye Birdie, Ann-Margret voiced a cartoon version of herself on The Flintstones: Ann-Margrock. Still, if Bye-Bye Birdie had been her only real hit, the actor would likely have faded into insignificance after a year or two. But then she starred in Viva Las Vegas with Elvis Presley, the undisputed King of Rock’N’Roll. The signified that she was now one of Hollywood’s brightest new stars. She spent the next few years acting in other films (including Made In Paris and Carnal Knowledge) and has spent decades as a successful actor.
This Bye-Bye Birdie Star Still Looks Absolutely Stunning
