Ann Magnuson
A downtown New York art scene fixture who channeled a chaotic, satirical energy into character-driven performances, film, and music.
Born 1956 (age 70)·American actress, performance artist, singer·Birthday: January 4·Baby Boomers
Biography
Ann Magnuson emerged from the combustible New York City club scene of the 1980s as a master of subversive persona. At venues like Club 57 and the Mudd Club, she crafted chaotic, witty performance art pieces, embodying a rotating cast of bizarre characters that skewered pop culture and celebrity. This chameleonic energy propelled her into film and television, where she brought a distinct, off-kilter presence to roles in everything from indie cult films like 'Making Mr. Right' to mainstream hits like 'Clear and Present Danger.' Never confined to one medium, she also fronted the band Bongwater, releasing albums that were as much spoken-word collage as rock music. Magnuson's career is a testament to the power of downtown artistic ethos, proving that a sharp, satirical intelligence could infiltrate and enliven mainstream entertainment.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Ann was born in 1956, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Ann Was Born
The biggest hits of 1956
#1 Movie
The Ten Commandments
Best Picture
Around the World in 80 Days
#1 TV Show
I Love Lucy
Ann's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1956Born
Elvis Presley appears on The Ed Sullivan Show
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $10,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Heartbreak Hotel" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: Around the World in 80 Days
1961Started school
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
1969Became a teenager
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1972Could drive
Watergate break-in; last Apollo Moon mission
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $19,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" — Roberta FlackBest Picture: The Godfather
1974Could vote
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1977Turned 21
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1986Turned 30
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1996Turned 40
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
2006Turned 50
Twitter launches; Pluto reclassified as dwarf planet
Gas: $2.59/galHome: $174,700Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Bad Day" — Daniel PowterBest Picture: The Departed
2016Turned 60
Donald Trump elected president; Brexit vote
Gas: $2.14/galHome: $181,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Love Yourself" — Justin BieberBest Picture: Moonlight
2026Turned 70
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Was a central creative force at the influential East Village nightclub Club 57, hosting and performing avant-garde shows in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
- Co-founded and was the lead vocalist for the experimental art rock band Bongwater, which released several albums in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
- Starred as the lead in the 1987 Susan Seidelman film 'Making Mr. Right,' playing a publicist who falls for an android.
Did You Know?
She hosted the MTV game show 'Remote Control' during its first season in 1987.
She voiced the character of Kat in the animated television series 'Capitol Critters'.
She performed a one-woman show, 'You Could Be Home Now,' at the New York Shakespeare Festival/Public Theater.
“I'm interested in the artifice of identity, the characters we perform for each other.”
