Marie Osmond
Olive Marie Osmond (born October 13, 1959)[1] is an American singer, actress, television personality, author and businesswoman. She is known for her girl next door image and her decades-long career in many different areas. As a singer, she has had several chart-topping country music songs such as "Paper Roses" and "Meet Me in Montana". As a television personality, she has been a host of Donny & Marie (alongside brother Donny Osmond) and more recently on The Talk. As an actress, she had appeared in television films and Broadway musicals. As a businesswoman and author, she has written several books and helped found the Children's Miracle Network.
Marie Osmond
1973–present
- Singer
- actress
- television personality
- author
- businesswoman
8
- George Osmond (father)
- Olive Osmond (mother)
Donny Osmond (brother)
The eighth of nine children in the Osmond entertainment family, she made her television debut on The Andy Williams Show. At age 13, she established a career as a country recording artist and with her debut single "Paper Roses" (1973). She began recording alongside Donny Osmond, which ultimately turned into the siblings having their own syndicated variety show through 1979. In the early 1980s, the Osmond family lost a majority of their fortune and Marie performed alongside her siblings. She also attempted an acting career, experimenting with the variety show Marie. She then refocused her attention towards the country genre and signed a contract with Capitol Records in 1985. Between 1985 and 1990, she had three number one singles and released several albums including There's No Stopping Your Heart (1985).
In the 1990s, Osmond established her own collection of dolls which were sold on the QVC network. In 1994 she made her Broadway debut in The King and I and then in 1997 in The Sound of Music. Between 1998 and 2000, she reunited with Donny Osmond for the network talk show Donny & Marie. During this period, she publicly spoke about her struggles with postpartum depression, which were later recorded in her book Behind the Smile: My Journey Out of Postpartum Depression. In 2004, she hosted her own radio series titled Marie & Friends and in 2008 appeared in a season of Dancing with the Stars.
Between 2008 and 2019, she reunited again with Donny Osmond for a residency at the Flamingo hotel in Las Vegas. The show was given critical acclaim and later spawned an album of duets between the pair in 2009. In 2010, she returned to recording as a solo artist with the studio album I Can Do This. It was followed in 2016 by the country album Music Is Medicine and then in 2021 by the classical album Unexpected. Osmond also co-hosted The Talk between 2019 and 2020. She also appeared in several Lifetime television films such as The Christmas Edition in 2020.
Childhood[edit]
Osmond was born in Ogden, Utah. She was the eighth of nine children (and only daughter) born to Olive May and George Virl Osmond. Her brothers are Virl, Tom, Alan, Wayne, Merrill, Jay, Donny, and Jimmy Osmond. She was raised as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.[2] Virl and Tom were both born deaf. Her remaining brothers began performing from an early age as a barbershop quartet and eventually found success on The Andy Williams Show in the 1960s.[3] Her brothers' success prompted the family to move to Los Angeles. In 1964, Marie made her first televised appearance on The Andy Williams Show at four years old.[2]
A majority of Marie's childhood was spent at home with her mother Olive, her two eldest brothers (Virl and Tom) and her two youngest brothers (Donny and Jimmy).[4] Marie was closest to Donny during childhood and the pair often played together. "Donny and I were rambunctious playmates who never gave our mother a moment to rest," Osmond recounted in her book Behind the Smile: My Journey Out of Postpartum Depression.[5] She also accompanied her brothers to concerts in her early childhood, often helping organize stage equipment and wardrobes.[6] When the family was home, they spent a lot of their free time singing and harmonizing with each other. "I never knew a day of my childhood life where music wasn't being played, practiced, written or sung," she recalled in 2009.[7]
Music career[edit]
1973–1979: Teenage country music success and collaborations with Donny[edit]
By 1970, her brothers formed their own group The Osmonds. During this period, they rose to commercial stardom with a series of successful pop singles. It was then suggested that Marie could have her own music career.[8] Marie chose to be marketed as a country music artist, explaining that it was the only genre that allowed women to have a family and career.[9] As a preteen, she recorded a demonstration tape singing Dolly Parton's "Coat of Many Colors". It was subsequently heard by Don Ovens of MGM Records. Ovens was impressed by her singing and signed her to a solo recording contract with MGM's Nashville division.[10]
Business career[edit]
Children's Miracle Network[edit]
Osmond was inspired to help sick children after watching how her deaf siblings struggled learning to speak and communicate. Her parents also encouraged her to help support individuals in need. "My parents strongly believed that philanthropy was not only something we could do in our spare time but something that was to be part of our weekly schedule," she recalled.[126] In 1981, Osmond and her brothers were hosting actor John Schneider at their home. Both Schneider and Osmond had a passion for helping sick children.[127] The result was the pair co-founding the Children's Miracle Network Hospitals.[128] The organization provides funds to sick children and their donations are given to hospitals across the country.[129] Since its creation, the organization has been said to have raise $7 billion dollars for children.[130][131] Osmond has collaborated and met with hundreds of families since its creation[132] and is part of the program's annual broadcast to raise funds.[133] "I’m grateful that Children’s Miracle Network has given families access to financial and emotional support, technology, and the best research available, so they don’t have to figure it out on their own the way my mother did," she wrote in 2009.[134]
Doll business[edit]
Osmond and her mother started collecting dolls as a young child. In each city her family would tour in, they would purchase a doll as a souvenir.[135] During her free time, Osmond started sculpting her own dolls in adulthood. Ultimately, it turned into a business in 1990 titled Marie Osmond Fine Porcelain Dolls. Osmond's dolls were also sold at Wal-Mart retailers starting at $29 dollars. Other dolls were sold in prices between $65 and $2000.[136] She also debuted her doll collection on the QVC network during this period. Among her most notable was the Olive May doll, based on her own mother.[137] The doll later set a collectible record on QVC, selling three million dolls in less than 15 minutes.[138] A total of 40 dolls in six different series comprised the original porcelain collection. They were titled: Victoriana Collection, Classic Reproductions, Children of the World, Children of All Ages and Miracle Children (in reference to Children's Miracle Network).[139] In 2001, Osmond claimed that she had made an estimated 550 dolls.[140] According to her official website, Osmond is now "retired" from the doll-making industry.[141]
Nutrisystem[edit]
In the 2000s, Osmond had gained roughly 40 pounds. When her mother suffered a stroke, she told her daughter, "Marie, don't do what I did. Take care of yourself."[142] In 2007, she chose to make a change to her lifestyle and physical wellness after her children became increasingly worried about her weight. "If I didn't feel a sense of urgency to do something for myself, I need to do it for my own children," she wrote in her autobiography.[143] The same year, Osmond found the Nutrisystem program and she lost a total of 50 pounds. She reportedly went from being a size 14 to a size four. Osmond then became a spokesperson for the brand shortly after losing the weight.[144] On Nutrisystems's official website, Osmond is listed under their category labeled "success stories" where she explains her journey with the program.[145] She has since created a program through the company called "Complete 50" for women age 50 and older.[146]
Writing career[edit]
Osmond is the author of four books, three of which have made The New York Times Best Seller list.[147][148] Her first was 2001's Behind the Smile: My Journey Out of Postpartum Depression. It was co-written with Marcia Wilkie and Osmond's physician Dr. Judith Moore.[149] The book described how Osmond suffered from postpartum depression following the birth of her child in the late 1990s. Her hope was that giving voice to postpartum depression would inspire other women take action of their own mental health.[150] Ability magazine positively remarked that the book "candidly discloses her experience" with postpartum depression.[151] The book made Osmond the first celebrity to speak openly about postpartum depression.[116]
Osmond and Marcia Wilkie then co-authored a second book in 2009 titled Might as Well Laugh About It Now.[152] The memoir discussed highlights and memories from her life. "I really wanted to put some things down that were really meaningful to me. It’s really about attitude ... you can either let life get you down or you can laugh about it," she told the San Diego Union-Tribune.[153] Along with positive memories, Osmond also described some challenging points in her life.[154] Deseret News called the book both "funny" and "moving". "The book is easy to read and is written in a conversational tone that makes the reader feel as though Osmond is a friend retelling stories from her life instead of a distant celebrity," highlighted Emiley Morgan.[155]
Osmond wrote two books in the 2010s decade. In 2010, she penned a book of handcrafted project designs called Marie Osmond's Heartfelt Giving: Sew and Quilt for Family and Friends,[156] (Martingale & Company).[157] The "how-to" book gave step-by-step instructions of crafts people can make using a sewing machine.[158] In 2013, Osmond's third book was released titled The Key Is Love. The book consisted of anecdotes from her personal life, many of which circled back to her own mother. Osmond notably talked about her son's death in the book.[159][160]
Public image[edit]
Along with her siblings, Osmond's public image has been described as being "squeaky clean".[161] She has also been described as the "girl next door".[69] When describing her image, the News & Record wrote, "Maybe Marie Osmond needs to get in a brawl in a cool L.A. club, snatch up a Sharon Stone-type film role or start hanging out with Madonna in Miami."[162] The Washington Post explained that the Osmond family were "squeaky-clean Mormons who, by all accounts, never indulged in the better-known temptations of showbiz."[163] At one point, she was offered five million dollars to appear in Playboy magazine. However, she later declined, saying, "I could have used [the money]. I wouldn't want to see my mom like that, and I really wanted to be a mom."[164] In describing her own public image, Osmond commented, "Those people [reviewers] probably still see a naive little girl in their minds. I have to laugh at people like that because you cannot grow up in the business and not see everything and then some. The reviewers can stay back in that time, but I'm moving forward."[162]
Personal life[edit]
Relationships, marriages and children[edit]
Before marrying, Osmond was briefly engaged to acting student Jeff Crayton in May 1979, an acting student. However, the broke their engagement in July 1979.[165] She also dated singer Andy Gibb around the same time.[166] In 1981, she briefly dated actor and fellow Children's Miracle Network founder John Schneider.[126]
Osmond has been married three times, including twice to the same spouse.[167] In 1982, she wed her first husband Steve Craig.[168] Craig was a basketball player for Brigham Young University at the time of their dating.[169] The couple had Osmond's first child Stephen James Craig Jr. in 1983. The couple divorced in 1985.[167] "Steve and I had made several attempts to go back and make our very young marriage work, but it failed. I was being scrutinized in the tabloids and the paparazzi seemed to show up wherever I went. I was emotionally exhausted," she wrote in her autobiography.[170] In 1986, she remarried record producer Brian Blosil in a private ceremony with her family in attendance.[171] Osmond was drawn to Blosil's "dry sense of humor" after meeting him at a family party.[170] Osmond and Blosil had seven children, five of whom were adopted. Their two biological children are Rachael and Matthew. Their five adopted children are Jessica, Michael, Brandon, Brianna, and Abigail.[172] After 21 years of marriage, the couple divorced in 2007.[167] Both parties released a joint statement stating that neither one assigned fault for the divorce.[173]
Following her second divorce, Osmond said she "never wanted to be married again".[167] Osmond and her former husband Steve Craig then reunited after their son arranged a meeting.[174] They rekindled their relationship and secretly dated for two years before revealing it publicly. "I didn't want anybody to get hurt, you know if it didn't work out. And gosh, it just worked out," Osmond said.[175] The couple then remarried on May 5, 2011 in a private ceremony at the Las Vegas Mormon Temple.[167] For the ceremony, Osmond wore her dress from the pair's original 1982 wedding.[176] The couple remarried a few months before attending their son's wedding.[177] "The thing about a second marriage is that you realize things you thought were so important, aren't. I love being with my husband. He is the sweetest man I know. He lives to serve and really listens to people's needs," she told People magazine.[167]
It was also revealed that Osmond's daughter identifies as a lesbian. In a later interview, Osmond commented, "I know how I love my children and I know God loves all of his children as a father. I pray for everyone to use their lives to be happy and feel accomplished. That is what this life is for."[178]
In March 2020, Osmond stated that she will leave her fortune to charity upon her death, stating that it would be a disservice to her children to leave the money to them, and noting that they need to make their own money.[179]
Personal setbacks and challenges[edit]
In 1976, Karl Engemann began managing the recording careers of Donny, Marie, Jimmy Osmond and the Osmond Brothers group. In 1979, Engemann was appointed personal manager at various career stages of all the Osmond children, and eventually only of Marie. In December 2009, Marie parted company with Karl Engemann.[180][181][182][183] Osmond and her law firm wrote that Engemann made "repeated defamatory and derogatory comments to third parties, multiple breaches of fiduciary duties, entering into unauthorized commitments, seeking to obtain monies outside the purview of the management agreement and other violations of his obligations."[184]
In 1999, Osmond publicly spoke about her battle with postpartum depression after giving birth to her last child.[186] She spoke in detail about her challenges in her 2001 book Behind the Smile.[187] In the book, she explained that it felt "much darker" than the baby blues and that she was "fading away minute by minute".[188] Osmond started experiencing panic attacks,[189] fatigue,[190] neck pain (which resulted in a hospital visit)[191] and suicidal ideations.[192] In one instance, she drove miles up California's Pacific Coast Highway leaving her children in the care of two nannies who did not know where she was going.[193] She then received a call from her husband who convinced her to pull off the highway and check into a hotel.[194] She then began receiving natural healing treatments through physician Dr. Judith Moore.[195] Osmond found that both medication and therapeutic mind-body work ultimately lifted her depression.[196] After discussing postpartum depression on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Osmond said that she received "thousands of emails and handwritten letters" from people about their own struggles with the disease.[197]
Osmond also revealed in her 2001 book that she had been sexually abused in her youth. Her abuser was not publicly revealed.[198][199] She believed that the abuse resulted her in her struggles with postpartum depression. "In my life, the normally positive quality of putting others first resulted in long-term negative effects because it was out of balance," she wrote.[200] She later revealed that her childhood abuse also resulted in developing body dysmorphia.[201][202]
In August 2006, several U.S. tabloids suggested that she had attempted suicide. Those reports were denied by her publicity team, which claimed she had suffered an adverse reaction to a medication she was taking.[203][204]
On February 26, 2010, Osmond adopted son Michael took his own life[205] after jumping off an eighth-floor balcony.[206] He reportedly battled depression and addiction and had been in rehabilitation at the age of 12.[207] He was also bullied from a young age.[208] Osmond wrote in her 2013 book The Key Is Love that he had been "emotionally down" in the weeks prior to his suicide.[209] Osmond later revealed that she had missed a phone call from her son shortly before his death[210] because she was onstage in Las Vegas.[209] An autopsy found no drugs in his system.[211] Osmond returned to work two weeks following her son's death. "The stage is my safe place. It doesn't scare me like it scares people. And I knew if I didn't get back onstage I may never get back onstage."[212]