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Priscilla Presley | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Presley in 2022 | |
| Born | Priscilla Ann Wagner (1945-05-24)May 24, 1945 (age 80) New York City, U.S. |
| Other names | Priscilla Wagner Priscilla Beaulieu |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1973–present |
| Spouse | |
| Partner | Marco Garibaldi (1984–2006) |
| Children | |
| Relatives | Riley Keough (granddaughter) |
Priscilla Ann Presley (néeWagner, formerlyBeaulieu; born May 24, 1945) is an American businesswoman and actress. She was married to singerElvis Presley from 1967 to 1973. Presley later co-founded and chairedElvis Presley Enterprises (EPE), which oversaw the public opening ofGraceland as a museum. As an actress, she portrayed Jane Spencer in theNaked Gun film series (1988–1994) and Jenna Wade on the television seriesDallas (1983–1988).
Priscilla Ann Wagner was born on May 24, 1945, atBrooklyn Naval Hospital in New York City.[1][2] Her maternal grandfather, Albert Henry Iversen, was originally fromEgersund, Norway,[3] and later emigrated to the United States, where he married Lorraine Davis, who was of Scots-Irish and English descent. Their only daughter, Anna Lillian Iversen, later known as Ann, was Priscilla’s mother.[4][5] Priscilla's biological father, James Frederick Wagner, was aU.S. Navy pilot fromCherrytree Township, Pennsylvania.[6] He married Ann on August 10, 1944. Wagner died in a plane crash on November 3, 1945, when Priscilla was six months old.[7] His brother, Harold Wagner Jr., later served as principal of an American school inFürstenfeldbruck, Germany.[6][8]
In 1948, Ann marriedU.S. Air Force officer Paul Beaulieu, a native ofQuébec, Canada. The couple raised Priscilla, along with half-siblings Donald, Michelle, Jeffrey and twins Thomas and Timothy.[9] Priscilla's surname was legally changed to Beaulieu on April 17, 1950.[10]
Due to her stepfather’s military career, the family relocated frequently. Priscilla later recalled in an interview withThe Wall Street Journal, "We moved around a lot, and I didn’t stay in one school long enough to make close friends. I was quite shy when I was young, and I dreaded lunchtime at school. I often ate alone."[11][12] In 1956, the family settled inDel Valle, Texas, before Beaulieu was reassigned toWiesbaden,West Germany.[13]
Upon arriving inWest Germany, the Beaulieu family initially stayed at the Helene Hotel. After three months, the cost proved unsustainable, prompting them to search for a rental property.[14] They eventually moved into a spacious apartment in a "vintage building constructed long beforeWorld War I." Shortly after settling in, they discovered that the building also operated as abrothel, but due to limited housing availability, they had little choice but to remain.[14]
On September 13, 1959, Priscilla, then 14, met Elvis Presley, 24, at a party held at his rented villa inBad Nauheim, West Germany, where he was stationed during hismilitary service. She was introduced by Currie Grant, a U.S. Air Force officer. Priscilla met Presley several times after their initial meeting. During one of these early visits, he invited her upstairs to speak privately and shared memories of his mother, Gladys Presley, who had died in August 1958. Before she left, he kissed her goodbye—reportedly her first real kiss. After their fourth date, her father stated that if the relationship was to continue, he wanted to meet Presley in person. Presley agreed and arrived in his Army uniform, accompanied by his father. During the meeting, Priscilla's parents outlined expectations for future visits, including transportation and curfews. Presley responded respectfully and offered reassurances, allowing the relationship to continue under agreed conditions.[15] Thereafter, Priscilla and Presley were frequently together until his departure from West Germany on March 2, 1960.[16]
After Elvis left Germany, Priscilla isolated herself for two days, unable to eat or sleep. At school, she was swarmed by reporters asking if he’d called and stating thatNancy Sinatra had met him at the airport.[17] Convinced their relationship was over, Priscilla feared she'd never see him again. Twenty-one days after Elvis left Germany, Priscilla received a phone call in the early hours of the morning. From then on, their communication became sporadic, with calls arriving unexpectedly after long gaps.[15]
In February 1962, after months without contact, Elvis called Priscilla and suggested she visit him in Los Angeles. She was unsure her father would agree, but Elvis made repeated calls to reassure her parents. He accepted every condition: waiting until summer break, providing a first-class round-trip ticket, sending a detailed itinerary, ensuring constant chaperoning, and requiring daily letters home. Priscilla marked off each day until the visit. When she arrived, she was met byJoe Esposito and driven to Elvis's home.[15] Soon after, Elvis invited her to join him on a trip to Las Vegas—breaking the agreed itinerary. To avoid detection, Priscilla prewrote letters and arranged for them to be mailed from Los Angeles while she was away.[15]
During the Las Vegas visit, Priscilla began experimenting with amphetamines and sleeping pills to keep pace with Elvis’snocturnal lifestyle.[18] After a second visit at Christmas, her parents agreed to let her relocate to Memphis permanently in mid-March 1963, two months before her eighteenth birthday.[19][20][21] As part of the arrangement, Elvis was expected to marry her.[20] Priscilla enrolled at theImmaculate Conception Cathedral School, an all-girls Catholic institution, and initially lived with Elvis’s father and stepmother.[22] She spent increasing time at Graceland with Elvis’s grandmother, Minnie Mae Presley, gradually moving her belongings in until she was living there full-time.[23]
Priscilla was eager to accompany Elvis toHollywood, but he repeatedly told her he was too busy and asked her to remain in Memphis. During that period, she read reports of an affair between Elvis and hisViva Las Vegas co-starAnn-Margret. She confronted him, and he dismissed the stories as publicity-driven rumours, urging her not to trust the press. Over the following years, Elvis had multiple intimate relationships with co-stars, though he denied each of them to Priscilla.[24] She was eventually permitted to visit him in Hollywood, but her stays were brief.[20]
Shortly before Christmas 1966, Elvis proposed to Priscilla, reportedly prompted byColonel Tom Parker's reminder of RCA's "morals clause" in his record contract. In a 1973 interview withLadies' Home Journal, Priscilla recalled that they were happy tolive together, but "at that time, it wasn't nice for people to [just] live together".[25] Accounts of Elvis's attitude toward marriage vary: his cook Alberta and friend Marty Lacker described him as reluctant and upset about not having a choice, while others, including Esposito, claimed he was excited to marry Priscilla.[26]
In her memoirElvis and Me, Priscilla described Elvis as passionate but insistent that they wait until marriage before having intercourse, stating, "I'm not saying we can't do other things. It's just the actual encounter. I want to save it."[27] Priscilla said in her autobiography that she was a virgin when she married, and she and Elvis did not have sex until their wedding night. She wrote that she was a virgin on their wedding night, though biographer Suzanne Finstad disputed this, suggesting Priscilla had been sexually active earlier, including with Elvis in Germany.[28]
The couple married on May 1, 1967, at theAladdin Hotel in Las Vegas. The ceremony, arranged by Parker for publicity, lasted eight minutes and was followed by a press conference and a $10,000 breakfast reception attended by representatives fromMGM, RCA, and theWilliam Morris Agency.[26] The wedding caused tension with several of Elvis'sclose friends, includingRed West, who were excluded from the ceremony. Although Parker bore most of the blame, resentment lingered for years.[29]
After the reception, Elvis and Priscilla honeymooned briefly inPalm Springs before returning to Memphis on May 4.[26] They spent three weeks at their private ranch near the Mississippi border, largely alone, though some members of Elvis's inner circle joined them. To mend relationships, the couple hosted a second reception at Graceland on May 29 for those not invited to the wedding.[29]
Priscilla soon discovered she was pregnant. Concerned that it might disrupt their newfound intimacy,[30] she considered an abortion, but she and Elvis ultimately decided against it. Their daughter,Lisa Marie Presley, was born on February 1, 1968 — exactly nine months after their wedding.[30]
While Elvis was filmingLive a Little, Love a Little (1968), Priscilla began private dance lessons and developed a brief romantic relationship with her instructor, referred to as "Mark" in her memoir Elvis and Me. She later expressed regret.[31] Despite affairs on both sides, the early years of their marriage were reportedly happy. However, following Elvis's 1968 television special, his career resurged, and he spent increasing time touring and performing in Las Vegas, while Priscilla remained at home with their daughter.[32]
Encouraged by Elvis, Priscilla took up karate to share his interests and occupy her time.[33] In 1968 she saw Mike Stone for the first time during her second honeymoon in Hawai. In 1972, he met instructor Mike Stone backstage at one of Elvis's concerts and began an affair.[34] Nevertheless the year 1972 is not confirmed by Mike Stone who wrote that he met Priscilla for the second time at a karate event at Bolsa Chica High School on May 15, 1971[35]. She later wrote, "I still loved Elvis, greatly, but over the next few months, I knew I would have to make a crucial decision regarding my destiny."[36] According to her memoir, Elvis later summoned her to his hotel suite and "forcefully made love to me...[saying] 'This is how a real man makes love to his woman'".[37] In a later interview, Priscilla said she regretted her choice of words, calling it an overstatement.[38] Nevertheless, according to Jerry Schilling, Priscilla and Elvis talked together in his dressing room, not in his suite[39].
Priscilla reflected that Elvis's attempt at reconciliation came too late and lacked sensitivity. She cited his earlier comment that he had "never been able to make love to a woman who had a child"[40] and described the emotional toll of their sexual dysfunction: "I am beginning to doubt my own sexuality, as a woman. My physical and emotional needs were unfulfilled." She concluded, "this was not the gentle, understanding man I grew to love."[41] Years later, onLoose Women, Priscilla confirmed that she and Elvis did sleep together after Lisa Marie was born.[42]
The couple separated on February 23, 1972[43], and filed for legal separation on July 26.[44] Priscilla sued Elvis for fraud to reopen the divorce by default in May 1973[45][46][47]. The divorce was finalized on October 9, 1973.[48]
Priscilla and Elvis agreed to share custody of Lisa Marie. She received a $725,000 cash settlement, spousal and child support, 5% of Elvis's new publishing companies, and half the proceeds from the sale of their Beverly Hills home.[48] Initially, the settlement had been far smaller, but after consulting new lawyers, Priscilla revised her requests, asserting that Elvis could afford more.[49][50] The couple remained close, leaving the courthouse hand-in-hand on the day their divorce was finalized.[50]
Though she has never remarried, Presley has had several romantic relationships since her divorce from Elvis. Immediately afterward, she lived with karate instructor Mike Stone, though the relationship ended by 1975.[51] In 1976, she dated Morgan Maxfield[52] who adviced her in 1981 for the opening of Graceland shortly before his death[53].
Beginning in 1978, Presley had a six-year intermittent live-in relationship with modelMichael Edwards, which ended after he allegedly developed inappropriate feelings toward Lisa Marie.[54] Lisa Marie later alleged that Edwardsmolested her during his relationship with her mother.[55][56]
Presley's longest relationship was with Brazilian screenwriter-turned-computer-programmer Marco Antonio Garcia (also known as Marco Garibaldi), with whom she lived for 22 years. They were introduced by a mutual friend in 1984 after Presley read a script Garibaldi had written. Their son,Navarone Garibaldi, was born on March 1, 1987, while Presley was starring in Dallas; her pregnancy was written into the show’s storyline.[57] The couple separated in 2006.[20] At the beginning of their relationship, Presley reportedly had Garibaldi sign a promissory agreement stating he would not write a book about her if they broke up.[58]
Through Lisa Marie, Presley has four grandchildren, including actressRiley Keough. Her grandson, Benjamin Keough, died bysuicide in July 2020 at the age of 27.[59] She became a great-grandmother in 2022 through Keough.[60] Lisa Marie died on January 12, 2023, at age 54, followingcardiac arrest and complications frombariatric surgery.[61]
Shortly after Lisa Marie’s death, Presley filed a lawsuit against Riley Keough over control of Elvis’s family trust. The case ended in a settlement in which Presley received a $1 million payment from Lisa Marie’s $25 million lump-sum fund, an annual stipend of $100,000, and the right to be buried near Elvis at Graceland.[62][63] On November 6, 2023, Presley stated during a press conference in Las Vegas that she had never intended to remarry following her divorce from Elvis.[64]
On August 11, 2025, Presley’s former business partners, Brigette Kruse and Kevin Fialko, filed a lawsuit inLos Angeles Superior Court allegingfraud,breach of contract, and claiming that Presley “pulled the plug” on Lisa Marie’s life support in order to “regain control” of Elvis’s family trust.[65] An amended complaint was filed in September 2025, which included a letter from Presley's granddaughter,Riley Keough. The letter said that Keough had to stop her mother,Lisa Marie Presley, from suing Priscilla just before Lisa Marie's death in January 2023.[66] Presley and Keough denied the allegations, calling them “deeply hurtful.”[67]
In 1973, following her separation from her husband, Presley set up a clothing boutique inLos Angeles called Bis & Beau with her friend andstylist Olivia Bis.[25] In a 1973 interview to promote the opening of the store, Priscilla 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."[25] Elvis, supportive of Priscilla's business, contacted several friends in public relations to help promote the launch.[68] The shop was a successful business venture, with celebrity clients includingDiana Ross,Carol Burnett,Jill Ireland,Mary Tyler Moore,Victoria Principal,Michelle Phillips,Dyan Cannon,Julie Christie,Suzanne Pleshette,Cher,Liza Minnelli,Lana Turner,Barbra Streisand, andNatalie Wood shopping there regularly.[69] The shop closed in 1976.[70]
After Elvis's death in 1977, his father Vernon was one of the executors of his estate, which was held in trust for his daughter Lisa Marie. Vernon named Priscilla to be his successor upon his death. She assumed the role following Vernon's 1979 death.[71] Graceland itself cost $500,000 a year in upkeep, and expenses had dwindled Lisa Marie's inheritance to only $1 million. Taxes due on the property and other expenses due came to over $500,000.[72] Faced with having to sell Graceland, Presley examined other public homes and museums. She hired a CEO, Jack Soden, to turn Graceland into a tourist attraction. Graceland was opened to the public on June 7, 1982. Only four weeks after opening Graceland's doors, the estate made back all the money it had invested. Priscilla became the chairperson and president ofElvis Presley Enterprises (EPE), stating that she would remain in the position until Lisa Marie reached 21 years of age. Under Priscilla Presley's guidance, the enterprise's fortunes soared and eventually the trust grew to be worth over $100 million.
In 1988, Presley launched her own fragrance, Moments, and followed this up with a range of best-selling perfumes in the 1990s – Experiences in 1993, Indian Summer in 1996, and Roses and More in 1998.[20] She has also successfully sold her line of products live on theHome Shopping Network and was coached by veteran HSN hostBob Circosta.
In 2006, Presley flew toSydney, Australia for the debut of her worldwide line of bed linens called the Priscilla Presley Collection. She partnered with Australian designerBruno Schiavi for the line.[73]She has helped to produce feature films includingBreakfast with Einstein andFinding Graceland.[20] In September 2000, Presley was elected to the board of directors atMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer.[74] In 2015 Presley became the executive producer of a 14-track album titledIf I Can Dream: Elvis Presley With the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. She said, "If Elvis were here, he would be evolving and taking risks, seemingly like everybody else today".[75] Also in that year the U.S. Postmaster General Megan Brennan and Priscilla Presley dedicated an Elvis "forever" stamp, which featured a 1955 black-and-white image shot by photographer William Speer. It was Priscilla's second dedication of a USPS stamp honoring her ex-husband. A lobbying committee was already working to get an Elvis Presley stamp in 1988[76].
On August 16, 2019, it was announced that Presley, in conjunction withJohn Eddie, as well as Sony Pictures, would create and produceAgent Elvis, a Netflix adult animated fictional series about her former husband working as a spy by night while remaining a musician during the day. The series' first teaser was published on the official Elvis Instagram account on June 15, 2022. The image showed an illustrated Elvis donning a black trench coat. Presley was featured as a cast member in the show, voicing her own animation character.[77][78][79]
On September 23, 2025, Presley published the book, "Softly As I Leave You: Life After Elvis."[80]; her second memoir after "Elvis and me" published in 1985.
Presley had shown an interest in dancing and modelling and had modeled for a local store once.Hal B. Wallis, a Hollywood producer who had financed many of Elvis's earlier films, showed interest in signing Priscilla to a contract. However, during her marriage she never pursued these activities as a career, instead calling acting or filmmaking ahobby. Priscilla was sensitive about Elvis's opinion, because he did not want to let Priscilla have her own career, repeating the then-popular saying, "A woman's place is in the home looking after her man". Priscilla neither pursued fashion modelling nor did she sign any exclusive contracts, instead choosing to comply with her husband's wishes.[20]
Presley had originally been offered a role as one of the leads onCharlie's Angels. She turned down the role because she disliked the show.[81] Presley made her television debut as co-host ofThose Amazing Animals in 1980.[70][82] In 1983, she had her first professional acting role on a season 2 episode ofThe Fall Guy titled "Manhunter".[20] She then went on to play in a television film titledLove is Forever, starring alongsideMichael Landon.[83] Although she was treated well by most of the cast and crew, and her acting was praised by several of her co-stars, she found Landon difficult to work with on set. After the television film aired, Presley took on the role of Jenna Wade in the primetime soap operaDallas. As the third actor to portray Jenna (afterMorgan Fairchild andFrancine Tacker), she played the role for the longest of the three after the character was expanded and Presley became a series regular. In 1988, after five years, Presley left the show. During her tenure on the series, she was also offered the role ofBond girlStacey Sutton inA View to a Kill (1985), but she had to decline the role due to scheduling conflicts.[84] The role ultimately went to formerCharlie's Angels starTanya Roberts.
In 1988, Presley starred oppositeLeslie Nielsen inThe Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! as Jane Spencer. CriticRoger Ebert praised Presley's performance, saying her "light comic touch" helped balance out the film's more over-the-top humor.[85] She would go on to act in the next two movies in the series:The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear (1991) andNaked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult (1994). All three films performed solidly at the box office. In between, she acted inThe Adventures of Ford Fairlane (1990) withAndrew Dice Clay. During the mid-to-late-1990s she made guest appearances on the hit television showsMelrose Place,Touched by an Angel, andSpin City.
Presley made herpantomime debut inSnow White and the Seven Dwarfs at theNew Wimbledon Theatre,Wimbledon, London, during Christmas of 2012, starring oppositeWarwick Davis.[86] She reprised her role of the Wicked Queen at theManchester Opera House in 2014.[87]
A biopic focusing on her relationship with Elvis,Priscilla was directed bySofia Coppola.[88]
Since 2003, Presley has been the Ambassador of the Dream Foundation, aSanta Barbara-based wish-granting organization for terminally ill adults and their families.[89][90]
Priscilla Presley joined theChurch of Scientology along with her daughter after Elvis's death.[91][92] In 2006, she helped inaugurateNarconon's Stonehawk Rehabilitation Center in Michigan.[93][94] When Lisa Marie left Scientology by 2016, it was reported that Priscilla had also distanced herself from the church at the same time,[92] however, in October 2017 Priscilla Presley's representative denied that she had left the church.[95]
In 2013, Presley spoke out against a 2013agricultural gag law that would have criminalized unauthorized filming or recording on farms. In a letter to Tennessee GovernorBill Haslam she spoke of her and Elvis's love of horses and expressed concerns that the bill would hinder animal cruelty investigations and reduce protections for horses and other farm animals.[96]
Presley was conferred the degree of Doctor of Humanities byRhodes College in 1998.[97] She was named godmother of the largest river steamboat ever built,American Queen, christened April 27, 2012 at its home port in Memphis.[98] TheAutoZone Liberty Bowl chose her as its 2018 Distinguished Citizen Award winner.[99] On July 22, 2022,Theatre Memphis honored her contributions to Memphis art and tourism with a gala, "Honoring Priscilla Presley: The Artist, The Woman", featuring more than a dozen speakers and a live musical tribute.[100] She has a square named after her inEgersund,Norway – "Priscilla Presleys plass". The area is in the street outside the house where her grandfather was born in 1899, and lived.[101] In 2025, Presley was honored with Tennessee's highest civilian award for her contributions to the state's cultural heritage and her role in preserving Graceland as a historic landmark.[102]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! | Jane Spencer | |
| 1990 | The Adventures of Ford Fairlane | Colleen Sutton | |
| 1991 | The Naked Gun2+1⁄2: The Smell of Fear | Jane Spencer | Nominated for aMTV Movie Award for Best Kiss |
| 1994 | Naked Gun33+1⁄3: The Final Insult | Jane Spencer-Drebin | |
| 2025 | The Naked Gun | Jane Spencer-Drebin | Cameo[103] |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980–1981 | Those Amazing Animals | Co-host | |
| 1983 | Love Is Forever | Sandy Redford | TV film |
| The Fall Guy | Sabrina Coldwell | Episode: "Manhunter" | |
| 1983–1988 | Dallas | Jenna Wade | Series regular, 143 episodes Soap Opera Digest Award for New Actress in a Prime Time Soap Opera (1984) |
| 1993 | Tales from the Crypt | Gina | Episode: "Oil's Well That Ends Well" |
| 1996 | Melrose Place | Nurse Benson | Episodes: "Peter's Excellent Adventure" "Full Metal Betsy" "Dead Sisters Walking" |
| 1997 | Touched by an Angel | Dr. Meg Saulter | Episode: "Labor of Love" |
| 1998 | Breakfast with Einstein | Keelin | TV film |
| 1999 | Spin City | Aunt Marie Paterno | Episodes: "Dick Clark's Rockin' Make-Out Party '99" and "Back to the Future IV: Judgment Day" |
| Hayley Wagner, Star | Sue Wagner | TV film | |
| 2008 | Dancing with the Stars | Herself | Season 6, placed 8th |
| 2019 | Wedding at Graceland | TV film | |
| Christmas at Graceland: Home for the Holidays | |||
| 2023 | Agent Elvis | Also co-creator, executive producer |
Since 1979, Presley has been portrayed in several screen and TV films focusing on various aspects of her life with Elvis Presley, her husband from 1967 to 1973. Actresses who played Priscilla Presley includeSeason Hubley inElvis, the 1979 TV movie;Susan Walters inElvis and Me, a 1988 TV miniseries; Kehli O'Byrnein inElvis and the Colonel, a 1993 TV movie;Alyson Court inElvis Meets Nixon, 1997;Antonia Barnath inElvis, a 2006 TV miniseries;Ashley Greene inShangri-La Suite, 2016;Olivia DeJonge inElvis, 2022; andCailee Spaeny inPriscilla, 2023.
January 11 – Elvis tried to convince Priscilla's parents to let her stay in Memphis, but she had to fly home on schedule to Frankfurt, West Germany." "January 21 – The production on the new Hal Wallis picture, Fun in Acapulco, began." "March 2 – Priscilla arrived in Los Angeles with her father, Captain Paul Beaulieu, to meet with Elvis and to conclude arrangements permitting Priscilla to live in Memphis with Vernon and Dee and complete her senior year at Immaculate Conception High School. Elvis assured Priscilla's father that his parents would take good care of her and that she would get a good education at the Catholic parochial school. "March 22 – Elvis was released from duties after Hal Wallis had seen and approved the film. Elvis left for Memphis right away, because Priscilla was there waiting for him.
Both mother and daughter were members of the group for decades ... But by 2016, [Lisa Marie] Presley had defected from the church and her mother followed one year later.
Despite reports to the contrary, Priscilla Presley has not left the Church of Scientology, her rep confirms to E! News.
