Ann-Margret

Ann-Margret Olsson was the daughter of Anna Regina (nee Aronsson), and Carl Gustav Olsson. She is from Ornskoldsvik. The family moved back to Valsjobyn in Jamtland. Then she described Valsjobyn as a tiny village comprised of "lumberjacks" as well as farmers situated just over the Arctic Circle. Ann-Margret, her mother , and her father came to the United States on November 1946. Her father took her to Radio City Music Hall the first day. They moved to Wilmette (Illinois) which is located just from Chicago. In 1949, she was an naturalized American citizen. Ann-Margret started dancing at the Marjorie Young School of Dance. She had an unnatural talent right from the beginning and was able to effortlessly follow the steps. Her parents were supportive and she made all of her costumes. Ann-Margret's mother worked as a receptionist at a funeral parlor following the loss of her husband to an injury that was serious when working. Ann-Margret was just a teenager, and was a guest on Don McNeill's Breakfast Club, Morris B. Sachs Amateur Hour and Ted Mack's Amateur Hour. She was a student at New Trier High School located in Winnetka, Illinois and continued her acting career. In 1959, she enrolled at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. She was a member of the sorority Kappa Alpha Theta. She did not complete her degree until the year 2000. She was a member of the Suttletones group, and was a performer at the Mist in Chicago. Following her performance, she travelled to Las Vegas to meet up with a date from the club. They traveled to Los Angeles, California. Georgia Lund, their agent who helped them get clubs in Newport Beach (California) and Reno (Nevada). The group toured the Dunes in Las Vegas where they were also joined by Tony Bennett and Al Hirt. George Burns saw her performance and asked her to join his Christmas show. Burns and Burns performed an impromptu soft-shoe show. Variety reported that George Burns is "a gold mine in Ann Margret... She has a distinctive style that is able to guide her to stardom."