Ann-Margret is most known for her role as Elvis Presley’s sweetheart in the 1964 film Viva Las Vegas. A “devastating” fall she suffered a short time later, however, demanded extensive facial surgery.
Ann-Margret, a Swedish-American actress, had a terrible fall just a few years after impressing audiences as Rusty Martin opposite Elvis Presley in 1964’s Viva Las Vegas. The actress suffered a “devastating facial injury in 1972 when Ann-Margret fell 22 feet during a performance at a Lake Tahoe casino,” according to Showbiz CheatSheet.
According to the New York Times, Ann Margret was having surgery for facial fractures on September 14, 1972.
“Ann-Margret underwent facial surgery today at the University of California, Los Angeles Medical Center after suffering major injuries in a fall from a stage platform,” according to the article.
“The surgery took about three hours. Hospital officials said they would not comment on the actress and dancer, 31, until later.”
“Ann-Margret suffered multiple facial fractures, a concussion, a fractured jaw, and a broken arm after falling from a 22-foot platform right before her performance at a Lake Tahoe casino on Sunday.”
There were even claims that the actress had damaged her kneecap in the incident, but these were later debunked.
Ann-Margret said in a 1983 interview that her husband, Roger Smith, insisted on flying her to Los Angeles for oral surgery to cure the significant damage and retain her legendary beauty.
The actress stated in her memoirs Ann-Margret: My Story, published in 1994, that Elvis had helped her get through this difficult time.
Rumor has it that the two were dating while Viva Las Vegas was being filmed.
Even though they had split up a few years before and had both moved on, she said he had already brought her flowers.
He asked to see her in her suite one evening when they were in Las Vegas.
“He was pretty curious about my rehabilitation and the accident,” Ann-Margret says.
Elvis said he missed having me in his life: “It was so easy for us to sink back into the closeness we’d always loved.”
Ann-Margret stated in an interview with Roger Ebert that she received “thousands of letters” while healing.
The NHS warns that plastic or cosmetic, reconstructive surgery “has an associated risk” because facial surgery is a serious treatment.
“The degree of danger is influenced by the size of the afflicted region, the surgeon’s expertise, and the patient’s general condition,” according to the NHS.
“While certain procedures have unique risks, common concerns include discomfort and suffering.”
