Ann-Margret is a legend in the entertainment industry, and she has starred in many memorable roles, including “Bye Bye Birdie,” “Viva Las Vegas,” “Carnal Knowledge,” and “Magic.” In addition to a successful career, she also had a thriving personal life and was married to her late husband, Roger Smith, for 50 years. He was also her manager.
Ann-Margret Is Proud of Her Marriage to Roger Smith
Smith was an entertainment industry veteran with roles in “77 Sunset Strip” and “Man of a Thousand Faces.” He and Ann-Margret met in 1961. At the time, he was married, and it would be many years before they became romantically involved. However, the couple did eventually find their way to each other and married in May 1967 in a ceremony in Las Vegas.
“I really am most proud of my marriage,” Ann-Margret told Parade in an interview published on Thursday, April 16. “Roger meant everything to me. We were together [a total of] 54 years. It just flew by because it was really good. I sure miss him! He took great care of me.”
Smith died on June 4, 2017. He was 84 (the same age that Ann-Margret is now). In her interview, Ann-Margret opened up about her loss and the way her life has changed because of it. “Oh, God, I loved his sense of humor! Loved it,” she said of what she misses about him the most. “We would always talk about things that we had done and faux pas that we had made. We laughed a lot. I miss the laughter.”
She also described him as someone who was “very sensitive,” adding, “He never really showed that to anybody [else]. It was something we shared. He was shy in communicating with people.”
Ann-Margret & Roger Smith Celebrated 50 Years of Marriage
Smith and Ann-Margret had a beautiful love story, and this is not the first time that the actress has reflected on their relationship in an interview. In a chat with People in March 2017, months before Smith’s passing, she revealed she had known he was the one for her from early in their relationship. “I knew he would protect me, I knew that I could depend on him. I sensed it completely,” she said.
She continued, “We laugh at ourselves. We get into weird situations. If you can’t laugh at yourself you are in trouble. We laugh before everyone else does.”