Priscilla Presley
Encyclopedia
Priscilla Presley is an American
actress
and businesswoman
. She is the ex-wife of singer Elvis Presley
, and the mother of singer-songwriter
Lisa Marie Presley
.
Priscilla was chairwoman of the board
of Elvis Presley Enterprises
from 1982 to 1998, helping to turn Graceland
into a multi-million dollar tourist attraction. As an actress, Priscilla is best known for co-starring with Leslie Nielsen
in the three successful Naked Gun films between 1988 and 1994, for her five-year run playing the character Jenna Wade
on the television series Dallas
, and for co-hosting the short-lived ABC television series Those Amazing Animals
.
in Norway
to the United States in the beginning of the 1900s. He married Lorraine Davis, who was of Scots-Irish and English
descent. They had three children: Albert Jr. (March 1922), James Richard (March 1924) and Anna Lillian Iversen (March 1926). Later she was called, or her name was changed to, Ann. She was called Rooney (short for Annie Rooney) as a child. At the age of 19 she became mother of Priscilla. They both still have cousins in Norway. In a letter to the City Hall of Egersund, Ann asked for information about their relatives, and wrote that Priscilla was interested in knowing about them; Presley's parents then visited family members in Norway in 1992.
Presley has a square named after her in Egersund – Priscilla Presleys plass. When she was told about this tribute being planned, by a visiting Norwegian relative (summer 2007), and asked what she thought, she answered: "Oh, it's marvellous!". The area is in the street outside the house where her grandfather was born in 1899, and lived. Presley and her family were invited by the Lord Mayor of Egersund to the opening ceremony of Priscilla Presleys plass, which took place August 23, 2008, but were unable to go due to Lisa Marie being pregnant.
Presley's biological father was US Navy pilot James Wagner. His parents were Kathryn and Harold Wagner. On 10 August 1944, at the age of 23, he married Presley's mother; they had been dating for more than three years. He was killed in a plane crash while returning home on leave when Presley was six months old. When Presley discovered this "..family secret..." whilst rummaging through an old wooden box of family keepsakes, she was encouraged by her mother to keep it from the other children as she feared it would "...endanger our family closeness...".
In 1948 her mother met a United States Air Force officer named Paul Beaulieu, from Quebec
. The couple were married within a year. Beaulieu took over the raising of Presley and was the only father Presley would ever know. Over the next few years, Presley grew up quickly, helping to care for the growing family as her father's Air Force career moved them from Connecticut
to New Mexico
to Maine
. In her own words, she described herself during this period as "...a shy, pretty little girl unhappily accustomed to moving from base to base every two or three years." Presley later recalled that she felt uncomfortable moving so often because she never knew if she could make friends for life, or even if she would fit in with the new people she met on each move.
In 1956, the Beaulieus moved to and settled in Austin
, Texas
, but soon her father was transferred to Wiesbaden
, Germany
. Presley was "..crushed.." by this news, and after finishing Junior High her fears of leaving her friends behind and making new ones were once again at the forefront of her mind.
". Soon after moving in the Beaulieus realized that it was a brothel
, but due to scarce housing they were forced to remain there.
Feeling like an outsider once again due to her lack of understanding of the German language, Presley frequented the Eagles Club; a place where American families would gather to eat dinner and be entertained. It was "within walking distance" of their apartment, and proved to be an important discovery for Presley. She would go there "every day after school" and listen to the jukebox whilst writing letters back home to her friends in Austin.
It was here, at the Eagles Club, that Presley met Currie Grant, a young American Air Force recruit whose Commanding Officer knew Priscilla's father. Grant offered to introduce her to Elvis Presley, stating that he was good friends with the singer, and that he and his wife would visit quite often. Being cautious and skeptical of such a claim, she said she would have to ask her parents, and over the next two weeks Grant met with them and assured them that she would be well chaperoned.
during his stay in the army. Despite her only being 14 years old at the time, she made a huge impression on Elvis with her much older appearance. Elvis allegedly regressed to acting like an "awkward, embarrassed" boy next door figure in front of her. However, by the end of the evening he had managed to compose himself.
Despite Priscilla's parents being angered by her late return home during that first meeting and insisting that she would never meet Elvis again, his eagerness for another meeting, and his promise never to bring her home late again, led them to relent. They were allowed to meet again, and were frequently together until Elvis left Germany in March 1960. After Elvis left Germany, Presley was inundated with requests for interviews from media outlets around the world. She received fan mail from Elvis fans, some nice and some not so nice, as well as mail from "lonesome G.I.'s". Convinced she would never see Elvis again, and with rumors of his ongoing relationship with Nancy Sinatra
flying around the gossip magazines, Presley resigned herself to the fact that her whirlwind romance was over.
It was during this visit, whilst on a trip to Las Vegas, that Presley first took amphetamines and sleeping pills to keep up with Elvis' lifestyle. After another visit at Christmas, Presley's parents finally let her move to America for good in March 1963. Part of the agreement was that she would attend an all-girls' Catholic school, the Immaculate Conception High School
, and live with Elvis' father and his stepmother in a separate house on the Graceland estate until she graduated from high school. However, after a few weeks she was moved into Graceland to be with Elvis, although her parents did eventually agree to her living there if Elvis promised to marry her. Presley later said, "The move was natural. I was there all the time anyway".
Presley was always keen to go to Hollywood with Elvis, but he kept telling her that he was too busy for that and she was made to stay in Memphis. During the filming of Viva Las Vegas
, Elvis began an affair with his co-star Ann Margret. When Presley read of these reports in the press, she confronted Elvis. He told her that they were simply rumors to promote the film and that she should not believe everything that she read in the press. For the next few years Elvis would have relationships with many of his leading ladies and co-stars, all the while denying their existence to Prisilla. Eventually she was allowed to visit him in Hollywood, but her visits were kept short.
, this was the result of a phone call from Presley's father to remind Elvis in "no uncertain terms" that over four years had passed since his promise to marry, although this "rumor" has been strenuously denied by both Presley and her father since. Other accounts suggest that Presley threatened to take her story to the press if Elvis refused to marry her, and that her father threatened to have Elvis charged under the Mann Act
; "taking a minor across state lines for sexual purposes". Colonel Parker
, Elvis' manager, also attempted to encourage him to marry by reminding him about his RCA "moral's clause" within his record contract. Parker had always been leery of Elvis' relationship with Presley, knowing full well how Jerry Lee Lewis
's career had been affected by his involvement with a minor. Elvis was reluctant to marry for a number of reasons, primarily the fear that his career could be harmed by marriage. Goldman also claims that Elvis would often state that he "wasn't made to be married". Presley also suggested in a 1973 interview with "Ladies Home Journal" magazine that she and Elvis were quite happy to just live together, but "at that time it wasn't nice for people to [just] live together". Accounts by Elvis' cook, Alberta, claim that he was so upset about the wedding that she caught him crying about it one day. When she asked why he didn't just cancel the wedding if it upset him so much he replied "I don't have a choice". Marty Lacker, a close friend to Elvis, has also spoken about Elvis' reluctance to marry, claiming that Parker practically scared him into marriage by insisting his career would be over like Jerry Lee Lewis's if he didn't marry. Others, however, including Joe Esposito, have always insisted that Elvis was "thrilled to finally marry Priscilla".
After originally setting a date "over the holidays" Elvis pushed the wedding back a few months and they married on May 1, 1967 at the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas. The wedding, arranged by Parker to maximize publicity, featured very few guests and was over in only eight minutes. It was followed by a quick press conference and a $10,000 breakfast reception, attended by friends, family, and business associates from MGM, RCA, and the William Morris Agency. The wedding caused rifts between Elvis and several of his closest friends
who weren't invited to the actual wedding ceremony. Red West
, especially, was furious about the situation. He and his wife had been personally invited by Elvis to Las Vegas for the wedding, had dressed for the occasion, and at the last minute were told that they would not be present. For Red, who had been with Elvis since the beginning of his rise to fame and had given Elvis the role of best man at his own wedding, this was enough of an insult that he decided to quit his job working for Elvis. Many other friends of Elvis were also disappointed and held resentment towards him for many years to follow, although they mainly blamed Parker for their exclusion rather than Elvis himself.
Following the reception, Elvis and Presley boarded a private jet and enjoyed a short honeymoon in Palm Springs. On May 4, they flew back to Memphis and retreated to their private ranch, just over the Mississippi state line, for a three week break. Many of Elvis' inner circle joined them, although for the most part the couple were left alone and were able to enjoy each others company without the intrusion of the Memphis Mafia. Presley reveled in her chance to be a proper wife; cooking, cleaning, and washing for her husband. "I loved playing house" she later remarked, adding "Here was an opportunity to take care of him myself. No maids or housekeepers to pamper us"." In an attempt to heal rifts, Elvis and Presley held another reception at Graceland
on May 29 for the friends and family who were unable to attend the original ceremonies.
Soon after, Presley found out that she was pregnant. She was upset at such an early pregnancy, certain that it would destroy the closeness she had finally found with Elvis. She had asked him earlier if she could take birth control pills, but Elvis had insisted they weren't perfected yet. She considered abortion, and even discussed it with Elvis at one point, but both decided they could not live with themselves if they had gone through with it. Their only child, Lisa Marie
, was born exactly nine months after their wedding, on February 1, 1968.
Presley wrote in her 1985 biography, Elvis and Me
, that around the time Elvis was filming Live a Little, Love a Little
(1968) she began taking private dance lessons. She found herself deeply attracted to the instructor, known simply as Mark in the book, and she confesses to having a short affair. She implies regret, however, saying "I came out of it realizing I needed much more out of my relationship with Elvis."
Despite Presley's affair and Elvis' on and off relationships with his co-stars and leading ladies, the first few years they were married seemed a happy time for the couple. However, when Elvis' career took off again after his 1968 television special, he was constantly touring and playing in Las Vegas. Elvis had also been seeing other women on and off, often leaving Priscilla at home with Lisa Marie. Due to Elvis being away so often and his ever-growing drug dependence, the marriage soured.
Elvis and Presley separated on February 23, 1972, and filed for legal separation on July 26. To avoid Priscilla having to make her home address available on the public records and therefore risking the security of both her and Lisa Marie, Elvis filed for divorce on August 18 and it was finalized on October 9, 1973, after almost six and a half years of marriage. The couple agreed to share custody of their daughter and Presley was awarded an outright cash payment of $725,000 as well as spousal support, child support, 5% of Elvis' new publishing companies and half the income from the sale of their Beverly Hills home. Originally the couple had agreed upon a much smaller settlement; a £100,000 lump payment, $1,000 a month spousal support, and $500 a month child support. This was all Presley had wanted as she was keen to make it on her own and prove that her marriage to Elvis was not about money. Soon afterwards, however, her new lawyers had persuaded her to up her demands, pointing out that a star of Elvis' stature could easily afford more for his ex-wife and child.
Presley and Elvis remained close, leaving the courthouse on the day of their divorce hand in hand. Although Presley was granted full custody of Lisa Marie, she promised Elvis that he could have access to her any time he wished. He would later remark to Linda Thompson that he thought he could "mold" Presley into the woman he wanted her to be, but that he had realized too late that you "can't teach a person to be affectionate." Presley still attended a number of Elvis' Las Vegas shows, and on several occasions he would ask her to speak to his current girlfriends to advise them on how to look after him. Elvis confided to close friend Larry Geller that Presley had been more of a sister than a soulmate.
In 1984 she met Brazilian screenwriter Marco Garibaldi and they had a son, Navarone, who was born on March 1, 1987. The couple separated in 2006.
, and speaks publicly for the religion's anti-psychiatry front group, the CCHR.
, a Hollywood producer who had financed many of Elvis' earlier films, had shown an interest in signing Presley to a contract. Elvis, however, had no intentions of allowing his wife to have a career of any kind; in his opinion, albeit a very common one at the time, "a woman's place was in the home looking after her man". Presley had shown an interest in dancing and modeling, but her knowledge of Elvis' opinion meant that she kept them as hobbies instead of pursuing them as careers. She did get the opportunity to model for a local store once, but when Elvis heard about it he asked her to give it up.
, or EPE, stating at that time she would do so until Lisa Marie reached 21 years of age. The enterprise's fortunes soared and eventually the trust grew to be worth over $100 million.
titled "Manhunter". She then found a role in a television film titled Love is Forever, before landing the role of Jenna Wade on the popular television soap Dallas
. She played the role of Wade for five years, leaving the show in 1988 to focus on other parts. She has appeared in several well known television series' including Melrose Place, Touched by an Angel
, and Spin City
.
Presley has also appeared in a few roles in feature films, most notably Lt. Frank Drebin's girlfriend and (later) wife in the Naked Gun
film series. Other big screen roles have included parts in The Adventures of Ford Fairlane
, and Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery
.
. Presley lent her support to the Dream Foundation, a charity set up to help terminally ill people achieve their dreams.
of Dancing with the Stars
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actress
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
and businesswoman
Businessperson
A businessperson is someone involved in a particular undertaking of activities for the purpose of generating revenue from a combination of human, financial, or physical capital. An entrepreneur is an example of a business person...
. She is the ex-wife of singer Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
, and the mother of singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
Lisa Marie Presley
Lisa Marie Presley
Lisa Marie Presley is an American singer and songwriter, also known as the "Princess of Rock and Roll". She is the only child of Elvis Presley, and daughter of Priscilla Presley.-Early life:...
.
Priscilla was chairwoman of the board
Chairman of the Board
The Chairman of the Board is a seat of office in an organization, especially of corporations.Chairman of the Board may also refer to:*Chairman of the Board , a 1998 film*Chairmen of the Board , a 1970s American soul music group...
of Elvis Presley Enterprises
Elvis Presley Enterprises
Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc. is a corporate entity created by "The Elvis Presley Trust" to conduct business and manage its assets, including Graceland...
from 1982 to 1998, helping to turn Graceland
Graceland
Graceland is a large white-columned mansion and estate that was home to Elvis Presley in Memphis, Tennessee. It is located at 3764 Elvis Presley Boulevard in the vast Whitehaven community about 9 miles from Downtown and less than four miles north of the Mississippi border. It currently serves as...
into a multi-million dollar tourist attraction. As an actress, Priscilla is best known for co-starring with Leslie Nielsen
Leslie Nielsen
Leslie William Nielsen, OC was a Canadian and naturalized American actor and comedian. Nielsen appeared in more than one hundred films and 1,500 television programs over the span of his career, portraying more than 220 characters...
in the three successful Naked Gun films between 1988 and 1994, for her five-year run playing the character Jenna Wade
Jenna Wade
Jenna Wade Krebbs was a fictional character in the popular American television series Dallas, played most notably by Priscilla Beaulieu Presley . The character of Jenna was briefly played by Morgan Fairchild in 1978 and Francine Tacker in 1980.Jenna was Bobby Ewing's first true love...
on the television series Dallas
Dallas (TV series)
Dallas is an American serial drama/prime time soap opera that revolves around the Ewings, a wealthy Texas family in the oil and cattle-ranching industries. Throughout the series, Larry Hagman stars as greedy, scheming oil baron J. R. Ewing...
, and for co-hosting the short-lived ABC television series Those Amazing Animals
Those Amazing Animals
Those Amazing Animals was a reality television series about animals and their extraordinary lives. It was hosted by Burgess Meredith, Priscilla Presley and Jim Stafford. A spinoff of That's Incredible!, this series aired on ABC from 1980 to 1981....
.
Ancestry and early life
Presley's grandfather, Albert Henry Iversen, emigrated from EgersundEgersund
The town of Egersund was established as a municipality January 1, 1838 . It was merged with the surrounding municipality of Eigersund January 1, 1965....
in Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
to the United States in the beginning of the 1900s. He married Lorraine Davis, who was of Scots-Irish and English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
descent. They had three children: Albert Jr. (March 1922), James Richard (March 1924) and Anna Lillian Iversen (March 1926). Later she was called, or her name was changed to, Ann. She was called Rooney (short for Annie Rooney) as a child. At the age of 19 she became mother of Priscilla. They both still have cousins in Norway. In a letter to the City Hall of Egersund, Ann asked for information about their relatives, and wrote that Priscilla was interested in knowing about them; Presley's parents then visited family members in Norway in 1992.
Presley has a square named after her in Egersund – Priscilla Presleys plass. When she was told about this tribute being planned, by a visiting Norwegian relative (summer 2007), and asked what she thought, she answered: "Oh, it's marvellous!". The area is in the street outside the house where her grandfather was born in 1899, and lived. Presley and her family were invited by the Lord Mayor of Egersund to the opening ceremony of Priscilla Presleys plass, which took place August 23, 2008, but were unable to go due to Lisa Marie being pregnant.
Presley's biological father was US Navy pilot James Wagner. His parents were Kathryn and Harold Wagner. On 10 August 1944, at the age of 23, he married Presley's mother; they had been dating for more than three years. He was killed in a plane crash while returning home on leave when Presley was six months old. When Presley discovered this "..family secret..." whilst rummaging through an old wooden box of family keepsakes, she was encouraged by her mother to keep it from the other children as she feared it would "...endanger our family closeness...".
In 1948 her mother met a United States Air Force officer named Paul Beaulieu, from Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
. The couple were married within a year. Beaulieu took over the raising of Presley and was the only father Presley would ever know. Over the next few years, Presley grew up quickly, helping to care for the growing family as her father's Air Force career moved them from Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
to New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
to Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
. In her own words, she described herself during this period as "...a shy, pretty little girl unhappily accustomed to moving from base to base every two or three years." Presley later recalled that she felt uncomfortable moving so often because she never knew if she could make friends for life, or even if she would fit in with the new people she met on each move.
In 1956, the Beaulieus moved to and settled in Austin
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, but soon her father was transferred to Wiesbaden
Wiesbaden
Wiesbaden is a city in southwest Germany and the capital of the federal state of Hesse. It has about 275,400 inhabitants, plus approximately 10,000 United States citizens...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. Presley was "..crushed.." by this news, and after finishing Junior High her fears of leaving her friends behind and making new ones were once again at the forefront of her mind.
Life in Germany
Initially the Beaulieus stayed at the Helene Hotel when they arrived in Germany, but after three months the cost of living there became too expensive and they looked for a place to rent. The family settled in a large apartment in a "vintage building constructed long before World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
". Soon after moving in the Beaulieus realized that it was a brothel
Brothel
Brothels are business establishments where patrons can engage in sexual activities with prostitutes. Brothels are known under a variety of names, including bordello, cathouse, knocking shop, whorehouse, strumpet house, sporting house, house of ill repute, house of prostitution, and bawdy house...
, but due to scarce housing they were forced to remain there.
Feeling like an outsider once again due to her lack of understanding of the German language, Presley frequented the Eagles Club; a place where American families would gather to eat dinner and be entertained. It was "within walking distance" of their apartment, and proved to be an important discovery for Presley. She would go there "every day after school" and listen to the jukebox whilst writing letters back home to her friends in Austin.
It was here, at the Eagles Club, that Presley met Currie Grant, a young American Air Force recruit whose Commanding Officer knew Priscilla's father. Grant offered to introduce her to Elvis Presley, stating that he was good friends with the singer, and that he and his wife would visit quite often. Being cautious and skeptical of such a claim, she said she would have to ask her parents, and over the next two weeks Grant met with them and assured them that she would be well chaperoned.
Germany
Elvis and Priscilla met on September 13, 1959, during a party at Elvis' home in Bad Nauheim, GermanyBad Nauheim
Bad Nauheim is a town in the Wetteraukreis district of Hesse state of Germany. , Bad Nauheim has a population of 30,365. The town is located approximately 35 kilometers north of Frankfurt am Main, on the east edge of the Taunus mountain range. It is a world-famous resort, noted for its salt...
during his stay in the army. Despite her only being 14 years old at the time, she made a huge impression on Elvis with her much older appearance. Elvis allegedly regressed to acting like an "awkward, embarrassed" boy next door figure in front of her. However, by the end of the evening he had managed to compose himself.
Despite Priscilla's parents being angered by her late return home during that first meeting and insisting that she would never meet Elvis again, his eagerness for another meeting, and his promise never to bring her home late again, led them to relent. They were allowed to meet again, and were frequently together until Elvis left Germany in March 1960. After Elvis left Germany, Presley was inundated with requests for interviews from media outlets around the world. She received fan mail from Elvis fans, some nice and some not so nice, as well as mail from "lonesome G.I.'s". Convinced she would never see Elvis again, and with rumors of his ongoing relationship with Nancy Sinatra
Nancy Sinatra
Nancy Sandra Sinatra is an American singer and actress. She is the daughter of singer/actor Frank Sinatra, and remains best known for her 1966 signature hit "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'"....
flying around the gossip magazines, Presley resigned herself to the fact that her whirlwind romance was over.
Move to Graceland
After Elvis' return to America, the couple stayed in contact over the phone, though they would not see each other again until the summer of 1962, when Presley's parents agreed to let her visit for two weeks. Priscilla's parents only allowed her to go if Elvis would pay for a first class round trip, arrange for her to be chaperoned at all times, and that she write home every day. Elvis agreed to all these demands and Presley flew to Los Angeles. Elvis told her that they were going to Las Vegas and, to throw her parents off the scent, he had Priscilla write a postcard for every day they would be gone so that they could be mailed from Los Angeles by a member of his staff.It was during this visit, whilst on a trip to Las Vegas, that Presley first took amphetamines and sleeping pills to keep up with Elvis' lifestyle. After another visit at Christmas, Presley's parents finally let her move to America for good in March 1963. Part of the agreement was that she would attend an all-girls' Catholic school, the Immaculate Conception High School
Immaculate Conception Cathedral High School (Memphis, Tennessee)
Immaculate Conception Cathedral School is a private, all-girls Roman Catholic school in Memphis, Tennessee. It consists of an elementary school , middle school and a high school...
, and live with Elvis' father and his stepmother in a separate house on the Graceland estate until she graduated from high school. However, after a few weeks she was moved into Graceland to be with Elvis, although her parents did eventually agree to her living there if Elvis promised to marry her. Presley later said, "The move was natural. I was there all the time anyway".
Presley was always keen to go to Hollywood with Elvis, but he kept telling her that he was too busy for that and she was made to stay in Memphis. During the filming of Viva Las Vegas
Viva Las Vegas
Viva Las Vegas is a 1964 American romantic musical movie starring music icon Elvis Presley and actress/dancer Ann-Margret. This movie is regarded by many fans of these actors and by film critics as one of Presley's best movies, and it is noted for the apparent on-screen chemistry between Presley...
, Elvis began an affair with his co-star Ann Margret. When Presley read of these reports in the press, she confronted Elvis. He told her that they were simply rumors to promote the film and that she should not believe everything that she read in the press. For the next few years Elvis would have relationships with many of his leading ladies and co-stars, all the while denying their existence to Prisilla. Eventually she was allowed to visit him in Hollywood, but her visits were kept short.
Marriage and pregnancy
Shortly before Christmas 1966, Elvis proposed to Presley. According to author Albert GoldmanAlbert Goldman
Albert Harry Goldman was an American professor and author.Born in Dormont, Pennsylvania, Albert Goldman wrote about the culture and personalities of the American music industry both in books and as a contributor to magazines...
, this was the result of a phone call from Presley's father to remind Elvis in "no uncertain terms" that over four years had passed since his promise to marry, although this "rumor" has been strenuously denied by both Presley and her father since. Other accounts suggest that Presley threatened to take her story to the press if Elvis refused to marry her, and that her father threatened to have Elvis charged under the Mann Act
Mann Act
The White-Slave Traffic Act, better known as the Mann Act, is a United States law, passed June 25, 1910 . It is named after Congressman James Robert Mann, and in its original form prohibited white slavery and the interstate transport of females for “immoral purposes”...
; "taking a minor across state lines for sexual purposes". Colonel Parker
Colonel Tom Parker
"Colonel" Thomas Andrew "Tom" Parker born Andreas Cornelis van Kuijk, was a Dutch-born entertainment impresario known best as the manager of Elvis Presley...
, Elvis' manager, also attempted to encourage him to marry by reminding him about his RCA "moral's clause" within his record contract. Parker had always been leery of Elvis' relationship with Presley, knowing full well how Jerry Lee Lewis
Jerry Lee Lewis
Jerry Lee Lewis is an American rock and roll and country music singer-songwriter and pianist. An early pioneer of rock and roll music, Lewis's career faltered after he married his young cousin, and he afterwards made a career extension to country and western music. He is known by the nickname 'The...
's career had been affected by his involvement with a minor. Elvis was reluctant to marry for a number of reasons, primarily the fear that his career could be harmed by marriage. Goldman also claims that Elvis would often state that he "wasn't made to be married". Presley also suggested in a 1973 interview with "Ladies Home Journal" magazine that she and Elvis were quite happy to just live together, but "at that time it wasn't nice for people to [just] live together". Accounts by Elvis' cook, Alberta, claim that he was so upset about the wedding that she caught him crying about it one day. When she asked why he didn't just cancel the wedding if it upset him so much he replied "I don't have a choice". Marty Lacker, a close friend to Elvis, has also spoken about Elvis' reluctance to marry, claiming that Parker practically scared him into marriage by insisting his career would be over like Jerry Lee Lewis's if he didn't marry. Others, however, including Joe Esposito, have always insisted that Elvis was "thrilled to finally marry Priscilla".
After originally setting a date "over the holidays" Elvis pushed the wedding back a few months and they married on May 1, 1967 at the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas. The wedding, arranged by Parker to maximize publicity, featured very few guests and was over in only eight minutes. It was followed by a quick press conference and a $10,000 breakfast reception, attended by friends, family, and business associates from MGM, RCA, and the William Morris Agency. The wedding caused rifts between Elvis and several of his closest friends
Memphis Mafia
The "Memphis Mafia" was the nickname for a group of friends, associates, employees and "yes-men" whose main function was to be around Elvis Presley from 1954 until he died. Several filled practical roles in the singer's life. For instance, they were employed to work for him as bodyguards or on tour...
who weren't invited to the actual wedding ceremony. Red West
Red West
Red West is an American actor, film stuntman and songwriter.West was born Robert Gene West in Memphis, Tennessee, the son of Lois and Newton Thomas West. He was a close high school friend of rock and roll singer Elvis Presley. An excellent athlete and former U.S...
, especially, was furious about the situation. He and his wife had been personally invited by Elvis to Las Vegas for the wedding, had dressed for the occasion, and at the last minute were told that they would not be present. For Red, who had been with Elvis since the beginning of his rise to fame and had given Elvis the role of best man at his own wedding, this was enough of an insult that he decided to quit his job working for Elvis. Many other friends of Elvis were also disappointed and held resentment towards him for many years to follow, although they mainly blamed Parker for their exclusion rather than Elvis himself.
Following the reception, Elvis and Presley boarded a private jet and enjoyed a short honeymoon in Palm Springs. On May 4, they flew back to Memphis and retreated to their private ranch, just over the Mississippi state line, for a three week break. Many of Elvis' inner circle joined them, although for the most part the couple were left alone and were able to enjoy each others company without the intrusion of the Memphis Mafia. Presley reveled in her chance to be a proper wife; cooking, cleaning, and washing for her husband. "I loved playing house" she later remarked, adding "Here was an opportunity to take care of him myself. No maids or housekeepers to pamper us"." In an attempt to heal rifts, Elvis and Presley held another reception at Graceland
Graceland
Graceland is a large white-columned mansion and estate that was home to Elvis Presley in Memphis, Tennessee. It is located at 3764 Elvis Presley Boulevard in the vast Whitehaven community about 9 miles from Downtown and less than four miles north of the Mississippi border. It currently serves as...
on May 29 for the friends and family who were unable to attend the original ceremonies.
Soon after, Presley found out that she was pregnant. She was upset at such an early pregnancy, certain that it would destroy the closeness she had finally found with Elvis. She had asked him earlier if she could take birth control pills, but Elvis had insisted they weren't perfected yet. She considered abortion, and even discussed it with Elvis at one point, but both decided they could not live with themselves if they had gone through with it. Their only child, Lisa Marie
Lisa Marie Presley
Lisa Marie Presley is an American singer and songwriter, also known as the "Princess of Rock and Roll". She is the only child of Elvis Presley, and daughter of Priscilla Presley.-Early life:...
, was born exactly nine months after their wedding, on February 1, 1968.
Presley wrote in her 1985 biography, Elvis and Me
Elvis and Me
Elvis and Me is a 1985 biography written by Priscilla Presley . In the book, Priscilla talks about meeting Elvis, their marriage, and the factors that led up to the couple's divorce....
, that around the time Elvis was filming Live a Little, Love a Little
Live a Little, Love a Little
Live A Little, Love A Little is a 1968 musical comedy starring Elvis Presley. It was directed by Norman Taurog, who had directed several previous Presley films. This was to be Taurog's final film. Shortly thereafter, he went blind...
(1968) she began taking private dance lessons. She found herself deeply attracted to the instructor, known simply as Mark in the book, and she confesses to having a short affair. She implies regret, however, saying "I came out of it realizing I needed much more out of my relationship with Elvis."
Despite Presley's affair and Elvis' on and off relationships with his co-stars and leading ladies, the first few years they were married seemed a happy time for the couple. However, when Elvis' career took off again after his 1968 television special, he was constantly touring and playing in Las Vegas. Elvis had also been seeing other women on and off, often leaving Priscilla at home with Lisa Marie. Due to Elvis being away so often and his ever-growing drug dependence, the marriage soured.
Separation and divorce
Elvis was a keen karate student, and persuaded Presley to take it up. Presley thought it was a good idea, as it would pass the time she spent alone if she had a hobby to concentrate on, and she was also keen to share in Elvis' interests. Following suggestions from Elvis, Presley began taking lessons from Mike Stone, a karate instructor she had met in 1972 backstage at one of Elvis' concerts. She soon began an affair with him. Presley states in her book, "My relationship with Mike had now developed into an affair. I still loved Elvis greatly, but over the next few month I knew I would have to make a crucial decision regarding my destiny" She later states "Elvis must have perceived my new restlessness". A couple of months later she said that Elvis had requested to see her in his hotel suite. It was then that she states in her book that Elvis "forcefully made love to me", and said, "This is how a real man makes love to his woman". She later stated in an interview that she regretted her choice of words in describing the incident, and said it had been an overstatement. She went on to say following the incident, "what really hurt was that he was not sensitive to me as a woman and his attempt at reconciliation had come too late" suggesting that his actions were a deliberate attempt at reconciliation or compensation for his lack of sexual interest in Priscilla which had been a source of hurt and discontent for her for years. Presley states in her book "He had mentioned to me before we were married that he had never been able to make love to a woman who had a child" and she later expressed the personal repercussions of their sexual dysfunction "I am beginning to doubt my own sexuality as a woman. My physical and emotional needs were unfulfilled." After this now famous sexual incident Priscilla summarized "this was not the gentle, understanding man I grew to love."Elvis and Presley separated on February 23, 1972, and filed for legal separation on July 26. To avoid Priscilla having to make her home address available on the public records and therefore risking the security of both her and Lisa Marie, Elvis filed for divorce on August 18 and it was finalized on October 9, 1973, after almost six and a half years of marriage. The couple agreed to share custody of their daughter and Presley was awarded an outright cash payment of $725,000 as well as spousal support, child support, 5% of Elvis' new publishing companies and half the income from the sale of their Beverly Hills home. Originally the couple had agreed upon a much smaller settlement; a £100,000 lump payment, $1,000 a month spousal support, and $500 a month child support. This was all Presley had wanted as she was keen to make it on her own and prove that her marriage to Elvis was not about money. Soon afterwards, however, her new lawyers had persuaded her to up her demands, pointing out that a star of Elvis' stature could easily afford more for his ex-wife and child.
Presley and Elvis remained close, leaving the courthouse on the day of their divorce hand in hand. Although Presley was granted full custody of Lisa Marie, she promised Elvis that he could have access to her any time he wished. He would later remark to Linda Thompson that he thought he could "mold" Presley into the woman he wanted her to be, but that he had realized too late that you "can't teach a person to be affectionate." Presley still attended a number of Elvis' Las Vegas shows, and on several occasions he would ask her to speak to his current girlfriends to advise them on how to look after him. Elvis confided to close friend Larry Geller that Presley had been more of a sister than a soulmate.
In 1984 she met Brazilian screenwriter Marco Garibaldi and they had a son, Navarone, who was born on March 1, 1987. The couple separated in 2006.
Religion
Presley is a devoted member of Church of ScientologyChurch of Scientology
The Church of Scientology is an organization devoted to the practice and the promotion of the Scientology belief system. The Church of Scientology International is the Church of Scientology's parent organization, and is responsible for the overall ecclesiastical management, dissemination and...
, and speaks publicly for the religion's anti-psychiatry front group, the CCHR.
Career
Hal B. WallisHal B. Wallis
Hal B. Wallis was an American film producer.-Career:Harold Brent Wallis was born in Chicago in 1898. His family moved in 1922 to Los Angeles, California, where he found work as part of the publicity department at Warner Bros...
, a Hollywood producer who had financed many of Elvis' earlier films, had shown an interest in signing Presley to a contract. Elvis, however, had no intentions of allowing his wife to have a career of any kind; in his opinion, albeit a very common one at the time, "a woman's place was in the home looking after her man". Presley had shown an interest in dancing and modeling, but her knowledge of Elvis' opinion meant that she kept them as hobbies instead of pursuing them as careers. She did get the opportunity to model for a local store once, but when Elvis heard about it he asked her to give it up.
Bis & Beau
In 1973, after her split from Elvis, Presley set up a joint venture with her friend and stylist Olivia Bis. Together they opened a clothing boutique in Los Angeles called Bis & Beau. In a 1973 interview to promote the opening of the store, Presley said, "After the separation, I had to make up my mind about what I wanted to do, and since I had worked with Olivia for such a long time on my own clothes, I decided to try it professionally. We both do the designing for the shop, and have people who sew for us." The shop closed in 1976.Business in Graceland
After Elvis' death in 1977, Vernon Presley served as executor of his estate. Before his death in 1979 he chose Priscilla to serve as the estate executor for Elvis' only child, Lisa Marie, who was only 11. Graceland itself cost $500,000 a year in upkeep, and expenses had dwindled Lisa Marie's inheritance to only $1 million. Taxes were due on the property, those and other expenses due came to over $500,000. Faced with having to sell Graceland, Presley examined other famous houses/museums, and hired a CEO, Jack Soden to turn Graceland into a moneymaker. Graceland was opened to the public on June 7, 1982. Presley's gamble paid off; only four weeks after opening Graceland's doors the estate made back all the money it had invested. Presley became the chairwoman and president of Elvis Presley EnterprisesElvis Presley Enterprises
Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc. is a corporate entity created by "The Elvis Presley Trust" to conduct business and manage its assets, including Graceland...
, or EPE, stating at that time she would do so until Lisa Marie reached 21 years of age. The enterprise's fortunes soared and eventually the trust grew to be worth over $100 million.
Acting
Presley made her television debut on Tony Orlando's special in 1979, and followed it up as co-host of Those Amazing Animals in 1980. In 1983, she got her first chance to act professionally on a season 2 episode of The Fall GuyThe Fall Guy
The Fall Guy is an American action/adventure television program produced for ABC and originally broadcast from November 4, 1981 to May 2, 1986. It starred Lee Majors, Douglas Barr, and Heather Thomas. Majors and Barr are the only two actors to appear in all 112 episodes of the series...
titled "Manhunter". She then found a role in a television film titled Love is Forever, before landing the role of Jenna Wade on the popular television soap Dallas
Dallas (TV series)
Dallas is an American serial drama/prime time soap opera that revolves around the Ewings, a wealthy Texas family in the oil and cattle-ranching industries. Throughout the series, Larry Hagman stars as greedy, scheming oil baron J. R. Ewing...
. She played the role of Wade for five years, leaving the show in 1988 to focus on other parts. She has appeared in several well known television series' including Melrose Place, Touched by an Angel
Touched by an Angel
Touched by an Angel is an American drama series that premiered on CBS on September 21, 1994 and ran for 211 episodes and nine seasons until its conclusion on April 27, 2003. Created by John Masius and produced by Martha Williamson, the series stars Roma Downey, as an angel named Monica, and Della...
, and Spin City
Spin City
Spin City is an American sitcom television series that aired from September 17, 1996 until April 30, 2002 on the ABC network. Created by Gary David Goldberg and Bill Lawrence, the show was based on a fictional local government running New York City, and originally starred Michael J. Fox as Mike...
.
Presley has also appeared in a few roles in feature films, most notably Lt. Frank Drebin's girlfriend and (later) wife in the Naked Gun
The Naked Gun
The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! is a 1988 American comedy film that is the first in a The Naked Gun series of films starring Leslie Nielsen, Priscilla Presley, George Kennedy, and O. J. Simpson...
film series. Other big screen roles have included parts in The Adventures of Ford Fairlane
The Adventures of Ford Fairlane
The Adventures of Ford Fairlane is a 1990 American action/comedy film starring comedian Andrew Dice Clay as Ford Fairlane, a "Rock n' Roll Detective," whose beat is the music industry in Los Angeles. The film was directed by Renny Harlin.-Plot:...
, and Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery
Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery
Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery is a 1997 American science fiction/action-comedy film and the first film of the Austin Powers series. It was directed by Jay Roach and written by Mike Myers who also stars in the title role. Myers also plays Dr. Evil, Austin Powers' arch-enemy...
.
Other outlets
In 1988, Presley launched her own range of fragrances, and followed this up with a range of linen. She has also helped produce a couple of films, including Breakfast With Einstein, and Finding GracelandFinding Graceland
Finding Graceland is a 1998 film starring Harvey Keitel, Johnathon Schaech, Bridget Fonda, and Gretchen Mol featuring a character alluding to be an alive-and-well Elvis years after staging his death....
. Presley lent her support to the Dream Foundation, a charity set up to help terminally ill people achieve their dreams.
Dancing with the Stars
Presley was a contestant on Season 6Dancing with the Stars (U.S. season 6)
The sixth season of Dancing with the Stars premiered on March 17, 2008; the first results show was a double-elimination episode airing on March 25, 2008. The show followed the format of previous seasons, with 12 couples....
of Dancing with the Stars
Dancing with the Stars
Dancing with the Stars is the name of several international television series based on the format of the British TV series Strictly Come Dancing, which is distributed by BBC Worldwide – the commercial arm of the BBC. Currently the format has been licensed to over 35 countries...
.
| Week # | Dance/Song | Judges' score | Result | ||
| Inaba | Goodman | Tonioli | |||
| 1 | Foxtrot/ "Feeling Good Feeling Good "Feeling Good" is a song written by English singer-songwriters Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse for the 1965 musical The Roar of the Greasepaint - The Smell of the Crowd starring Cy Grant, who sang the original version of the song... " |
8 | 8 | 8 | Safe |
| 2 | Mambo Mambo (dance) Mambo .In the late 1940s, Perez Prado came up with the dance for the mambo music and became the first person to market his music as "mambo". After Havana, Prado moved his music to Mexico, where his music and the dance was adopted. The original mambo dance was characterized by freedom and... / "Bossa Nova Hand Dance (Deixa Isso Pra La) Connie Francis Connie Francis is an American pop singer of Italian heritage and the top-charting female vocalist of the 1950s and 1960s. Although her chart success waned in the second half of the 1960s, Francis remained a top concert draw... " |
7 | 7 | 7 | Safe |
| 3 | Tango Tango (ballroom) Ballroom Tango is a ballroom dance that branched away from its original Argentine roots by allowing European, American, Hollywood, and competitive influences into the style and execution of the dance.... / "El Choclo Lalo Schifrin Lalo Schifrin is an Argentine composer, pianist and conductor. He is best known for his film and TV scores, such as the "Theme from Mission: Impossible". He has received four Grammy Awards and six Oscar nominations... " |
8 | 9 | 9 | Safe |
| 4 | Viennese Waltz Viennese Waltz Viennese Waltz is the genre of a ballroom dance. At least three different meanings are recognized. In the historically first sense, the name may refer to several versions of the waltz, including the earliest waltzes done in ballroom dancing, danced to the music of Viennese Waltz.What is now called... / "Do Right Woman, Do Right Man Etta James Etta James is an American blues, soul, rhythm and blues , rock and roll, gospel and jazz singer. In the 1950s and 1960s, she had her biggest success as a blues and R&B singer... " |
7 | 7 | 8 | Bottom Two |
| 5 | Rumba Rumba (dance) Rumba is a dance term with two quite different meanings.In some contexts, "rumba" is used as shorthand for Afro-Cuban rumba, a group of dances related to the rumba genre of Afro-Cuban music. The most common Afro-Cuban rumba is the guaguancó... / "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" is a 1957 folk song written by British political singer/songwriter Ewan MacColl for Peggy Seeger, who was later to become his wife. At the time the couple were lovers, although MacColl was married to someone else. MacColl and Seeger included the song in their... " |
7 | 7 | 7 | Eliminated |