Ann-Margret was born Ann-Margret Olsson in a small town in Sweden. On the day her family migrated to the U.S. in 1946, her father took her to Radio City Music Hall. This is where she became interested in performance arts. However, it was George Burns who discovered her talent and introduced her to show business.
She became an American sex symbol after her role in “Viva Las Vegas”. She also had a two-year-long affair with Elvis Presley. Ann-Margaret was nominated for an Academy Award for the films “Carnal Knowledge” and “Tommy”. She continues to work to this day, with features in “Madmen”, “The Kominsky Method”, and a regular role on “Happy!”
Betty White (born 1922)
Betty White has charmed audiences her whole life. Her sweet and innocent demeanor is inevitably sliced by a laser-tongue remark that leaves people in hysterics. With a career spanning over 80 years, White has been recognized by many awards, but she is also part of television history. In the early 1950s, she became one of the first women producers.
The smash-hit "Golden Girls" became the most successful show White has starred in. Known for saying, “Retirement is not in my vocabulary,” she sure lives up to it. In 2010, at 88 years old, she hosted "SNL" and brought in the best ratings of the season as the oldest person ever to host the show. Yet, in December of 2021, she took her last breath. She's the type of person we will never forget.
Sir Sean Connery (born 1930)
Sir Sean Connery had humble beginnings as the son of a cleaned and a lorry driver from Edinburgh, Scotland. At 12 years old, Connery quit school to get a job as a milkman. By age 23, he was set to become a professional footballer or an actor. Obviously, he chose the latter.
After a handful of minor roles on British TV and film, Connery scored his big break as James Bond. His James Bond movies grossed $2.2 billion and gained him other roles in different blockbusters. In 2000, he was knighted for Services to Film Drama. With a career spanning more than six decades, Connery ultimately retired in 2012 and passed away in 2020 at 90 years old.
Richard Simmons (born 1948)
Richard Simmons was a huge 1980s celeb born to show business parents in New Orleans, Louisiana. He became a health nut and owner of a fitness club after he managed to go from an obese 268-pound teen to dropping an astounding 123 pounds. By the 1960s, he launched a career as a motivational fitness advisor with his show, "The Richard Simmons Show".
He was one of the pioneers of group exercise on TV, long before yoga was a thing. His approach gradually went out of style until he ultimately went into seclusion from public life. In November 2016, his fitness gym closed. He’s now in his 70s and keeping a low profile.
Mel Brooks (born 1926)
This comedic genius is also an American filmmaker, an actor, a writer, and a composer. He created "Young Frankenstein" in 1974, which may well be the funniest movie ever made. He’s also responsible for hilarious films like "The Producers" (1967), "Blazing Saddles" (1974), and "Robin Hood: Men in Tights" (1993). Brooks continues to work into his 90s!
In 2001, he achieved EGOT recognition (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony awards), becoming part of a very short and exclusive list. Mel Brooks grew up in New York to a Jewish family. He fought in WWII, on which he said, “I’m grateful to the army. Grateful to Hitler too. "The Producers" made me the first Jew in history to make a buck out of Hitler.”