Who was the ‘Swedish actress’ with the Beatles in Greece?
A woman who appears in footage of the trip bears a surprising resemblance to a 1960s Hollywood star
A report in a Greek newspaper1 of the Beatles’ day trip from Athens, before they embarked on their island cruise, refers to a surprising member of their entourage.
After Paul McCartney and Julian Lennon had got in the sea at the beach of Itea, we are told, they were joined by others: Jane Asher, Cynthia Lennon, Pattie Harrison, and fourthly, “a Swedish actress in the party who kept her name secret”2.
This reference to a Swedish actress has always confused me. I wondered whether it could have been a kind of in-joke referring to Pattie’s sister, Paula Boyd, who was on the trip. After all, Paul McCartney has confessed that the Beatles at times tried to “plant lies to the press” and “award each other points for the best story printed”3.
The previously unknown footage that apparently shows George Harrison on the island of Monolia, though, suggests another possibility. Could the unidentified blonde woman walking behind Harrison be this same “Swedish actress”?
It’s an intriguing possibility, made all the more intriguing by the fact that this person does have a resemblance to a popular Swedish actress of the time.
Ann-Margret Olsson
In my view, the woman bears a surprising similarity to Ann-Margret Olsson. Ann-Margret (who was known by her first name) was a Swedish-American actress and singer who rose to fame through her roles in films such as 1963’s Bye Bye Birdie and Viva Las Vegas the following year.
Ann-Margret’s on-screen chemistry with Elvis Presley in the latter led to reports of a romance between the pair. (In her autobiography4, Ann-Margret says that the two were “seeing each other”, commenting that Elvis “touched something deep within my psyche”.)
Ann-Margret also had some connections to the Beatles. The group covered her song ‘I just don’t understand’ in 1963 for a BBC radio show. And in fact during the group’s 1964 US tour, Ringo Starr had to deny rumours that he and Ann-Margret were romantically involved (there’s no evidence to suggest that they were).
Interestingly, Ann-Margret did spend considerable time in Europe in 1967, acting in several Italian films. But there is one important fact that makes it very unlikely she was with the Beatles in Greece (at least, not in July 1967). At exactly the same time as their trip, she was appearing in her own live show at the Riviera Hotel in Las Vegas.
From 11 July, the performance ran every day until mid-August5. The Los Angeles Times wrote the day ahead of the opening night that it was “one of the most expensive acts ever brought to Vegas” reportedly costing about $100,000 ($1m in today’s money). On 13 July, the same newspaper praised the first night of Ann-Margret’s “highly polished, skilfully devised show”, noting that she would put on “fourteen – or is it fifteen? – shows a week for five weeks”.
With that schedule from 11 July to 15 August, it clearly would have been impossible for Ann-Margret to join the Beatles in Greece (members of the group were there from 20 July to 31 July). That leaves two possible explanations. Either the woman in the clip isn’t Ann-Margret, or the footage was taken on a different visit to Greece.
Another trip?
It’s worth noting that according to one newspaper, George Harrison and Paul McCartney did make another trip to Greece. The Daily Express reported on 22 August that the two had “returned to Athens to sort out details” of the planned island purchase with Jeffrey Maunsell, who was a solicitor at Goodman Derrick. But if this second trip did happen, by the time the newspaper article appeared the two Beatles were back in London6. And even if for some reason Ann-Margret did join them in Greece in August, that wouldn’t explain the reference to the “Swedish actress” at Itea in July.
Given that we only have about a second of footage to go on, there remain many unknowns. And the apparent resemblance of the woman walking behind Harrison to Ann-Margret could well just be a coincidence. But whatever the case, the appearance of the woman in this film, and her unknown identity - as well as the newspaper’s mention of a supposed Swedish actress - add further puzzling dimensions to the Beatles’ Greek trip.
The clip appears at 1:43
To Vima, 25 July 1967
In Greek: Μιά Σουηδή ἤθοποιός τῆς παρεάς ποὐ κρατάει μυστικό τό ὄνομά της
Barry Miles, Many Years from Now (1997)
Ann-Margret: My Story (1994)
In her autobiography, Ann-Margret says the opening night was on June 7, 1967 – but based on the newspaper reports, this appears to be inaccurate.
The Beatles recorded ‘Your Mother Should Know’ at Chappell Recording Studios, London on 22 and 23 August.
Good catch! I
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