Ann-Margret Says Her Greatest Achievement Was the Marriage She Shared With Roger Smith

A Love Story That Became More Important to Her Than Fame

Ann-Margret built the kind of career that made her one of Hollywood’s most recognizable performers, but decades of films, music, awards, and public attention never became the accomplishment she valued most.

Known for her beauty, energy, humor, and talent, the Swedish-American actress and singer became a major star during the 1960s and remained a familiar figure for generations. Yet when reflecting on her life, Ann-Margret has repeatedly returned to something far more personal: the marriage she shared with actor and manager Roger Smith.

From Sweden to Hollywood Stardom

Born in Sweden, Ann-Margret eventually became closely associated with classic Hollywood and some of the most memorable films of the 1960s.

Her performances in movies such as Bye Bye Birdie and Viva Las Vegas helped establish her as a major star, while her combination of acting, singing, dancing, and unmistakable screen presence distinguished her from many of her contemporaries.

Her career eventually brought two Academy Award nominations and decades of entertainment work. She also remained musically active later in life, releasing her debut rock album, Born to Be Wild, only recently.

Her personal life generated almost as much public interest as her professional work, particularly because of her famous relationship with Elvis Presley.

However significant that romance became in Hollywood history, Elvis was ultimately not the man with whom Ann-Margret would build her life.

Meeting Roger Smith Changed Her Personal Life

Ann-Margret had relationships with well-known figures including Eddie Fisher and Elvis Presley, but actor Roger Smith eventually became the man who won her heart.

Smith had already established himself as a handsome Hollywood leading man through projects including 77 Sunset Strip and Mister Roberts. Accustomed to receiving attention from women, he noticed immediately that Ann-Margret responded differently.

He later remembered, “Every other woman I met was falling all over me,” before adding, “But this innocent, fresh-faced beauty only spoke to me when I spoke to her and the rest of the time ignored me.”

The two initially met through their Hollywood careers during the 1960s, but their relationship did not become serious until 1965.

One element that helped Smith connect with Ann-Margret was her enthusiasm for motorcycles. She loved riding, owned several motorcycles, and even had an extensive collection of riding clothes.

Smith recognized that shared interest could help him stand apart from the other men around her.

”When I first started going out with her, there were a lot of guys hanging around. But they didn’t ride motorcycles. So I figured if I had one, it would help. So I bought one and we went out ridning together. It helped,” he said.

By their third date, Ann-Margret had already developed a powerful sense that Smith was different from the men she had known before.

“I knew he would protect me. I knew that I could depend on him. I sensed it completely,” she said years later.

Their 1967 Wedding Did Not Begin as She Imagined

Ann-Margret and Roger Smith married in 1967, beginning a partnership that would ultimately last half a century.

The ceremony itself, however, was far from the romantic wedding Ann-Margret had imagined.

They married in Las Vegas in what she remembered as a ”cigarette-smoke-filled room at the Riviera Hotel”, and the experience left her emotional.

”This is not the way I envisioned my wedding,” she recalled.

Her tears became so noticeable that she believed people around them misunderstood the reason she was crying.

”I think everyone thought I was pregnant because I was crying though the whole thing. But we did it.”

The disappointment surrounding the ceremony did not predict the marriage that followed. Instead, the relationship became the most important and enduring partnership of Ann-Margret’s life.

Roger Smith Became Her Husband and Manager

As their marriage developed, Smith became much more than Ann-Margret’s husband.

He eventually stepped away from his own acting ambitions and became closely involved in managing his wife’s career. He believed she possessed exceptional raw talent and decided that supporting her professionally was more meaningful to him than pursuing his own path as a Hollywood star.

Ann-Margret described how completely Smith filled the different roles she needed in her life.

“Now in Roger I’ve found all the men I need rolled into one — a father, a friend, a lover, a manager, a businessman,” she said in 1972.

She added, “It’s perfect for me. I couldn’t exist without a strong man.”

Smith also became instrumental in reshaping Ann-Margret’s professional image.

Earlier in her career, she had frequently been associated with a glamorous “sex kitten” image. Smith understood that building a lasting career would require giving her opportunities to move beyond that reputation and demonstrate greater dramatic range.

His decisions helped her pursue increasingly complex work, including her acclaimed performance in Carnal Knowledge in 1971.

Smith Found Happiness in Supporting Her Career

Helping Ann-Margret succeed did not make Smith feel that he had sacrificed something essential. Instead, he came to believe that their relationship gave him the happiness he had been searching for.

He explained that being with her changed the way he viewed his own life.

”When I met Ann-Margret, I felt happy for the first time in my life,” Smith said.

He continued, ”Once I found Ann-Margret, I couldn’t stand to be without her and, surprisingly, she couldn’t stand to be without me.”

Their partnership therefore became both personal and professional. They spent enormous amounts of time together and faced the pressures of Hollywood as a team.

Ann-Margret Faced Addiction and a Devastating Accident

Their marriage included major successes, but it was also tested by difficult periods.

During parts of the 1970s, Ann-Margret struggled with pills and alcohol and found it difficult at times to distinguish fantasy from reality.

Another enormous challenge arrived in 1972, when she suffered a terrifying accident during a performance in Lake Tahoe, Nevada.

Ann-Margret fell approximately 22 feet from a platform at the Sahara Hotel and landed in an orchestra pit.

The fall caused extensive facial injuries, breaking nearly every bone in her face and creating a medical emergency that could have ended very differently.

She underwent reconstructive facial surgery. Her mouth had to be wired shut, and she temporarily depended on a liquid diet while recovering from her injuries.

Despite the seriousness of what happened, Ann-Margret returned remarkably quickly.

Only 10 days and 59 stitches after the accident, she made a dramatic return to the stage, arriving on her Harley-Davidson motorcycle and reappearing before an audience with the showmanship that had become part of her public identity.

Roger Smith Played an Important Role in Her Recovery

Smith’s support became especially significant immediately after the accident.

When Ann-Margret was seriously injured, he rushed to reach her and arranged for her to receive specialized medical treatment.

He piloted a stolen plane from Burbank, California, and helped get her to surgeons at UCLA Medical Center.

The episode reflected the intense commitment that had come to define their marriage. Smith had already become deeply involved in protecting Ann-Margret professionally, but during one of the most dangerous moments of her life, his focus shifted entirely toward helping her survive and recover.

Roger Smith’s Illness Changed Their Lives

Years later, the roles within the relationship shifted dramatically.

In 1980, Smith was diagnosed with myasthenia gravis, an incurable neuromuscular disease.

The condition affected his ability to function normally and sometimes left him unable even to get out of bed in the morning.

Travel became difficult, and because Smith had been so closely involved in managing Ann-Margret’s career, his declining health affected both their personal life and their professional routines.

By 1985, his condition entered remission, allowing the couple to regain some normality.

Ann-Margret returned more actively to nightclub performances, including her popular Las Vegas appearances, with Smith once again offering support.

The Couple Tried to Have a Child Together

When Smith’s symptoms became less severe, the couple made another effort to have children together.

Ann-Margret had already embraced her role as stepmother to Smith’s three children from a previous marriage, but she also hoped to have a biological child.

The couple consulted fertility specialists and explored their possibilities, but they were ultimately unable to conceive.

Ann-Margret later described not having a child of her own as one of the greatest disappointments she experienced.

Despite that sadness, her marriage to Smith continued to provide the emotional center of her life.

Ann-Margret Became Roger Smith’s Caregiver

As Smith grew older, his health problems became increasingly demanding.

In addition to myasthenia gravis, he struggled with Parkinson’s disease for many years.

Ann-Margret eventually reduced her own professional commitments in order to care for him.

She explained her decision in simple terms.

”I kept saying no, no to everything because I was taking care of him. If you’re a spouse, if one of you has a broken wing, the other takes over,” she said.

The devotion Smith had shown when Ann-Margret needed support earlier in their marriage was now reflected in the care she provided to him.

Roger Smith Died in 2017

Ann-Margret and Roger Smith remained married until his death in 2017.

Smith was 84 when he died at Sherman Oaks Hospital in Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles, from complications associated with myasthenia gravis.

His death ended a marriage that had lasted approximately five decades and had survived career pressures, severe injuries, illness, personal struggles, and the disappointments that accompanied their inability to have children together.

For Ann-Margret, losing her longtime husband was devastating.

However, when she later reflected on the relationship, she focused not simply on the loss but on what the two of them had successfully created together.

The Achievement Ann-Margret Values Most

For someone with such a long entertainment career, Ann-Margret could have selected many professional achievements when asked what made her proudest.

Instead, she chose her marriage.

”When I look back at my life, I am most proud of my marriage,” she said.

She explained why the relationship remained such an important achievement to her.

“We both wanted it to work. And it did work. We were together night and day. We loved each other and we were always in each other’s corner.”

Those words summarize a partnership that operated far beyond the glamorous image associated with Hollywood couples.

A 1985 Photograph Captured Their Bond

One photograph taken in New York on January 1, 1985, offers a memorable glimpse of Ann-Margret and Roger Smith together.

The couple appeared elegant at a major event, representing the polished Hollywood image that had followed them throughout their careers.

Yet the photograph also carried additional meaning because it was taken during a period when Smith had already been dealing with serious health problems.

His condition had not yet completely overtaken his life, and the couple remained publicly united as they continued balancing his illness with Ann-Margret’s career.

The image therefore became more than a glamorous photograph of two entertainment figures. It reflected a relationship that had already endured challenges and would go on to survive many more.

A Hollywood Partnership That Lasted for Decades

Ann-Margret’s professional history contains famous films, acclaimed performances, music, awards recognition, and a long list of memorable moments.

She experienced worldwide fame, worked alongside major stars, survived a nearly fatal accident, and continued performing through changing eras of entertainment.

But her own reflections make clear that those accomplishments do not stand above everything else.

Roger Smith became the person who supported her career, helped reshape her professional direction, stayed beside her during personal struggles, and rushed to her aid following one of the most serious accidents of her life.

In return, Ann-Margret remained beside him during years of serious illness and eventually stepped away from work when caring for him became the priority.

Their story began with a Hollywood courtship and a motorcycle, continued through an imperfect Las Vegas wedding, and lasted until Smith’s death 50 years later.

For Ann-Margret, that enduring partnership ultimately became more meaningful than any role, performance, award, or headline from her extraordinary career.