Actors

Ann-Margret

Bill Thompson

In the early 1960s you would have been hard pressed to find an entertainer who was hotter, more popular, and more in demand than singer and actress and Margaret.

The young star, born in Sweden as Ann Margaret Olsen, captivated everyone’s attention.  With her combination of Scandinavian beauty, a youthful s*******, at a sort of undercurrent of danger, it’s easy to see why Ann-Margret quickly became so popular.

Many said she appeared to be a female Elvis. And, by 1964, she was starring alongside the real Elvis Presley in the movie Viva Las vegas- and famously having an affair with the king.

But her star didn’t fade. Well into the 60s, ’70s, ’80s, and beyond, and Margaret has remained a popular favorite.

In 1994 she was prompted to write her autobiography. And that’s what I had a chance to meet her.

So here now, a candid and emotional interview with Ann-Margret, from 1994:

And Margaret will be 82 next month. Her most recent screen appearance was in 2017.

Her husband, Roger Smith, died in 2017 after 50 years of marriage.

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Michael York

Bill Thompson
Photo: Allan warren

For over five decades actor Michael York has been a fixture in Britain and in the US, in film and on television.

Beginning in the late 1960s, York starred in a number of huge hit movies, including Romeo and Juliet, Cabaret, and Logan’s Run. Younger fans may even remember him best from his role in the Austin Powers series.

In 1992. Michael York published an autobiography, and that’s when I had the chance to talk with him.

So here now, from 1992, Michael York.

Michael York is 80 now. He and Pat live in Minnesota.

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Charles Grodin

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Chris Lemmon

Bill Thompson

Father’s Day is coming up in about a week, and today. I wanted to share with you an interview I did a few years ago about a Hollywood father-son story.

Photo: Alan Light

For the better part of four decades, one of America’s favorite actors was Jack Lemmon.

He made some 60 movies. He was nominated for eight Academy Awards, and won the Oscar twice,for Mr. Roberts, and for Save The Tiger.

Younger audiences may remember him best for his roles in the comedies Grumpy, Old Men and Grumpier Old Men.

And starting in the 1970s, Jack Lemmon’s son Chris also established himself as a performer. The younger lemon is a talented actor, screenwriter, and musician.

And in 2006, he published a book, a tribute to his dad, called A Twist of Lemmon.

And that book was nothing like so many Hollywood tell-alls.

So here now, from 2006, Chris Lemmon.

Jack Lemmon died in 2001. He was 76.

Chris Lemmon will be 68 later this month. He lives in Connecticut.

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Lucie Arnaz

Bill Thompson

It’s mother’s Day weekend. So today on Now I’ve Heard Everything a conversation with a woman whose mother was, and is, one of the world’s most famous women, the great Lucille Ball.

I met Lucie Arnaz in 1997 when she was on tour promoting a CD-ROM project she had created called “Lucy and Desi: The Scrapbook.

She was also promoting a companion project, a kind of do-it-yourself family, scrapbook and album, and she was encouraging other sons and daughters to create family memories.

Now, you’ll probably chuckle a bit when you hear us discussing such “cutting edge” technologies as the CD-ROM, but in 1997, they really were.

So here now, from 1997, Lucie Arnaz.

Lucie Arnaz will be 71 in July. She lives in California.

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Joan Benny
Lorna Luft

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Edie Adams

Bill Thompson

Edie Adams was a very popular movie and television star in the 1950s, known widely for her comic impersonations of sexy singers, and her own wonderful singing voice.

But eventually she became even more widely known for being the wife of legendary television comic Ernie Kovacs. The two of them were a hugely popular comic duo.

But their story had a tragic end. In early 1962, Kovacs was killed in an auto accident. He was the only occupant of the car, and it was never known precisely what happened to cause the accident.

I met Edie Adams in 1990, when she finally wrote the book that publishers had been after her to write ever since Ernie kovacs’s death.

So here now, from 1990, Edie Adams.

Edie Adams died in 2008. She was 81.

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Audrey Meadows
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Stephen Collins

Bill Thompson
Photo: Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ

For 11 seasons on the TV series 7th Heaven, Stephen Collins played The Rev. Eric Camden, a Protestant minister who headed a family of seven.

But Collins had a long and impressive acting resume before that, including TV shows and movies. He was in the first Star Trek movie in 1979.

But when I met him in 1994, it was to talk about a novel he had written, a thriller called Eye Contact.

And given the legal troubles Collins faced a decade later the subject matter now sounds a little problematic. More on that later.

So here now, from 1994, Stephen Collins.

Stephen Collins is 74 now. His career ended in 2014, after he admitted to “inappropriate sexual conduct” with three underage girls.

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Dwayne Hickman

Bill Thompson

In the early 1960s, one of America’s most popular teenagers was an actor who wasn’t even a teenager .

Dwayne Hickman played the clean cut, girl. Crazy, likable lead in the TV sitcom The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis.

After the series ended, Hickman appeared in several beach movies alongside such figures as Frankie Avalon and Annette Funiciello.

Later, he became a television executive, working with CBS on many iconic TV series

In 1994 Hickman wrote a memoir, and that’s when I have the chance to meet him.

So here now, from 1994, Dwayne Hickman.

Dwayne Hickman died this past January. He was 87.

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Judith Belushi

Bill Thompson

Tomorrow, March 5th, is the 40th anniversary of the untimely deaf of comedian. John Belushi.

Belushi was one of the original cast members of Saturday Night Live when it premiered in 1975, and he was the star movies like Animal House and The Blues Brothers.

But John Belushi also had a substance abuse problem, and on March 5th, 1982, he died in a Los Angeles hotel room. A woman named Cathy Smith was accused of administering a fatal speedball to Belushi.

And suddenly, at the age of 31, his high school sweetheart Judy was left a widow.

A few years later, Judith Belushi wrote a memoir of her experience. And that’s when I met her.

So here now, from 1990, Judith Belushi.

Judith Belushi Pisano is 71 now. She and Victor Pisano divorced a couple of years ago.

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Terri Irwin
Bill Kinison

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Ali MacGraw

Bill Thompson

Back to back major movie roles in 1969 and 1970 made the young Ali MacGraw one of the world’s most popular actresses.

Her portrayal of Jennifer Cavallari in 1970s “Love Story” remains a film classic to this day.

As the years went by, Ali MacGraw starred in more major movies. She married actor. Steve McQueen. Later she was married to director Robert Evans.

Finally, in 1991, McGraw wrote her autobiography. That’s when I met her and we had a Frank conversation about her career and her personal life.

So here now, from 1991, Ali MacGraw.

Ali MacGraw is 82 now. She lives in New Mexico.

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Erich Segal

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William Shatner

Bill Thompson

Back in the fall of 1993, when I had scheduled an interview with actor. William shatner, it was fascinating to watch the generational divide in the office where I worked.

When he walked in, the oldest among us could be heard saying Captain Kirk is here!

The next oldest we’re saying TJ hooker is here!

And the youngest, at that point in the early ’90s, we’re saying the guy from rescue 911 is here!

William Shatner has undoubtedly been one of the most durable actors of our time, appealing across generations and across genres.

But to most, he is still most commonly remembered as captain James t. Kirk of The starship Enterprise. You remember, that 5-year mission to explore new worlds, that ended up only lasting three seasons?

By the time Shatner published his book Star Trek Memories in the Fall of 93. He had learned that not all of his Star Trek co-stars regarded him so very highly after all. As you’re about to hear.

So here now from 1993 William Shatner:

William Shatner is 90 now and os still acting.

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