Elvis Presley was an American entertainer who achieved great initial success as a singer and stage performer. He publicly expressed an early career goal of following in the footsteps of his role models James Dean and Marlon Brando to become a top dramatic actor.[1] His manager Colonel Tom Parker's persistent lobbying of William Morris Agency president Abe Lastfogel for a Presley screen test paid off on March 26, 1956, when the singer auditioned at Paramount for a supporting role in The Rainmaker.[2] Although not chosen for the part, he signed a contract with Paramount producer Hal Wallis on April 25 that also allowed him to make films with other studios.[3]
His feature debut was in Love Me Tender in 1956 for 20th Century Fox, which was the biggest acting debut of all time,[4] with the commercial success of the soundtrack EP being a bellwether for the next three Presley films, Loving You, Jailhouse Rock, and King Creole. Elvis returned to acting after leaving the army in 1960, with G.I. Blues and a dramatic western Flaming Star. The popularity of his romantic musicals established a formula for the coming years, with Elvis films being credited as the start of the modern music video.
Over time, Presley became bitter that his hopes for dramatic roles were not coming to fruition,[5] stating that Clambake was his worst film. He began to complain about the deteriorating quality of the films and his belief that his manager's objectives were more monetary than anything else.[6] This resulted in a change to his acting career and a stop to the formula films in 1968, after which Presley starred in the western Charro!, and the drama Change of Habit.[7]
At the expiration of all studio contracts, he returned to live entertaining and soon became the biggest star in Las Vegas history and on tour in America.[8] The two concert documentaries in 1970 and Elvis on Tour in 1972 were the final theatrical releases for Presley.[9] Both were among the most successful concert documentaries of their day, with Elvis on Tour winning prestige with a Golden Globe award and starting off the career of Martin Scorsese.
Presley was the highest paid actor in Hollywood, but said that he didn't need money to be successful[10] and that no amount of money was necessary for him to take a good role.
It was expected for Presley to be paid his usual million dollar salary to star in A Star is Born. Although interested in the role, Presley was ultimately not hired as Parker believed Presley would not receive top billing, and attempted to negotiate a higher salary and percentage of the films gross profits.[11] The documentary film The New Gladiators remained unfinished at the time of his death.[12]
Over the years and with a reassessment of his acting career, roles in films like Charro! or Wild in the Country have led to Presley receiving praise as an actor.[13] [14] Many consider him to have been the best and most successful singer-actor in Hollywood history.[15]
| Title | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1956 | Stage Show | 6 episodes at the CBS studios in New York City, NY: January 28, February 4, 11, 18, March 17, 24; Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey's show, produced by Jackie Gleason as a lead-in for his show | [16] |
| 1956 | Texaco Star Theatre | 2 episodes: April 3 aboard the USS Hancock in San Diego, CA; June 5 NBC studios Los Angeles, CA | [17] |
| 1956 | Teenage Dance Party | June 16; hosted by Wink Martindale, WHBQ-TV Memphis, TN (interview only) | [18] |
| 1956 | Hy Gardner Calling | July 1 television interview, WRCA-TV, New York City, NY (interview only) | [19] |
| 1956 | July 1; NBC, New York City, NY | ||
| 1956–57 | 3 episodes: September 9, October 28, 1956; January 6, 1957, CBS New York City, NY | [20] | |
| 1960 | Taped March 26, in Miami, FL; aired on ABC May 12 | [21] | |
| 1968 | Elvis: The 1968 Comeback Special | Also known as One Night With You; June taping at NBC Los Angeles, CA; air date December 3 | [22] |
| 1973 | Aloha from Hawaii Via Satellite | Kui Lee Cancer Fund benefit concert at Honolulu's Neal S. Blaisdell Center broadcast by NBC world-wide January 14 | [23] |
| 1977 | Elvis in Concert | The last concert tour before Presley died; broadcast by CBS after his death; has never been re-broadcast or officially released on home video | [24] |
| Title | Studio | Role | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1956 | Love Me Tender | 20th Century Fox | Clint Reno | First feature film role. Caused a protest among fans at the film's premiere when they learn that Presley's character dies at the end of the film, triggering an alternate ending. Includes the song "Love Me Tender". | [25] |
| 1957 | Loving You | Paramount Pictures | Jimmy Tompkins (Deke Rivers) | [26] | |
| 1957 | Jailhouse Rock | MGM | Vince Everett | Added to the National Film Registry in 2004. Title song listed at #24 in AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs.[27] | [28] |
| 1958 | King Creole | Paramount Pictures | Danny Fisher | Banned in Mexico after a riot ensued at the Las Americas cinema in Mexico City, where the movie had its premiere. Final film before military service. | [29] |
| 1960 | G.I. Blues | Paramount Pictures | Tulsa McLean | Banned in Mexico after a similar riot took place, also at the Las Americas cinema in Mexico City. All further Elvis films banned as a result, with the restriction being lifted in 1971. | [30] |
| 1960 | Flaming Star | 20th Century Fox | Pacer Burton | A single film still from the film was used by Andy Warhol in 26 of his silkscreen paintings, eight of which are known to have garnered US$375 million at auction and in private sales. The paintings include Triple Elvis and Eight Elvises. | [31] |
| 1961 | Wild in the Country | 20th Century Fox | Glenn Tyler | [32] | |
| 1961 | Blue Hawaii | Paramount Pictures | Chad Gates | [33] | |
| 1962 | Follow That Dream | Mirisch Company | Toby Kwimper | [34] | |
| 1962 | Kid Galahad | Mirisch Company | Walter Gulick / Kid Galahad | [35] | |
| 1962 | Girls! Girls! Girls! | Paramount Pictures | Ross Carpenter | [36] | |
| 1963 | It Happened at the World's Fair | MGM | Mike Edwards | Filmed at the Seattle World's Fair | [37] |
| 1963 | Fun in Acapulco | Paramount Pictures | Mike Windgren | Filmed in Acapulco by the 2nd unit crew with Elvis double (without Elvis who was persona non grata in Mexico) in November 1962, with filming resuming in Hollywood in January 1963 at Paramount Studios, with Elvis filming his scenes in studio in front of screen with scenes filmed at the Mexican location. The movie was not shown in Mexico, whose government only lifted its Presley ban in the summer of 1971, when Elvis: That's the Way It Is opened outside the US. | [38] |
| 1964 | Kissin' Cousins | MGM | Josh Morgan / Jodie Tatum | Featured Presley in a dual role. Filmed after Viva Las Vegas | [39] |
| 1964 | Viva Las Vegas | MGM | Lucky Jackson | Filmed before Kissin' Cousins | [40] |
| 1964 | Roustabout | Paramount Pictures | Charlie Rogers | [41] | |
| 1965 | Girl Happy | MGM | Rusty Wells | [42] | |
| 1965 | Tickle Me | Allied Artists | Lonnie Beale / Panhandle Kid | [43] | |
| 1965 | Harum Scarum | MGM | Johnny Tyronne | [44] | |
| 1966 | Frankie and Johnny | United Artists | Johnny | [45] | |
| 1966 | Paradise, Hawaiian Style | Paramount Pictures | Rick Richards | [46] | |
| 1966 | Spinout | MGM | Mike McCoy | [47] | |
| 1967 | Easy Come, Easy Go | Paramount Pictures | Lt. (j.g.) Ted Jackson | Filmed after Double Trouble | [48] |
| 1967 | Double Trouble | MGM | Guy Lambert | Filmed before Easy Come, Easy Go | [49] |
| 1967 | Clambake | United Artists | Scott Heyward | [50] | |
| 1968 | Stay Away, Joe | MGM | Joe Lightcloud | Filmed after Speedway | [51] |
| 1968 | Speedway | MGM | Steve Grayson | Filmed in part at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, NC, with various NASCAR drivers of the day contributing. Filmed before Stay Away, Joe | [52] |
| 1968 | Live a Little, Love a Little | MGM | Greg Nolan | [53] | |
| 1969 | Charro! | National General | Jess Wade | [54] | |
| 1969 | MGM | Walter Hale | [55] | ||
| 1969 | Change of Habit | Universal | Dr. John Carpenter | Final feature film role. | [56] |
| 1970 | MGM | Himself | Concert documentary | ||
| 1972 | Elvis on Tour | MGM | Concert documentary, co-winner Golden Globe for Best Documentary 1972 | [57] |