Priscilla Presley

Priscilla Presley Actress - Born 24 May 1945 - Though her place in pop culture history was ensured by marrying Elvis Presley in 1967, the life and career of Priscilla Presley encompassed much more than just being the wife of the King of Rock 'n' Roll. In the years following her divorce from Elvis in 1972, she managed her own successful boutique, before delving into acting for the better part of two decades, which included roles on "Dallas" (CBS, 1978-1991) and the "Naked Gun" screen comedies. Her influence later expanded to include a best-selling autobiography and a line of beauty products, but her most impressive achievement was the transformation of Elvis' home, Graceland, into a world-class tourist attraction. Her stewardship of Elvis Presley Enterprises later earned her a place on the board of directors of MGM. Presley also weathered several lives' worth of scandals, including tell-all books about her marriage to Elvis, and daughter Lisa Marie's short-lived unions with Michael Jackson and Nicolas Cage, with impressive grace.

Born Priscilla Ann Wagner in Brooklyn, NY, on May 24, 1945, Presley lost her biological father, Air Force pilot James Frederick Wagner, in a plane crash while she was still in her infancy. Her mother Anna married Paul Beaulieu, another Air Force officer, and the family traveled extensively during her childhood and adolescence. In 1959, the Beaulieus were stationed in Wiesbaden, West Germany when 14-year-old Presley met newly minted U.S. Army serviceman Elvis Presley, who was in the middle of his highly publicized stint with the military. Their relationship was covered in detail by the press, though there was a surprising lack of uproar over the age difference, especially in light of the public excoriation that fellow Sun Records alumni Jerry Lee Lewis received for marrying his teenage cousin.

Elvis was discharged from the Army in 1960 and returned to the United States, leaving 15-year-old Presley behind in Germany. The only contact between the two was through letters and phone calls, leaving Presley undoubtedly concerned over reports that Elvis had begun dating singer Nancy Sinatra. Yet the teenager remained exceptionally patient for the next two years, maintaining regular contact with Elvis, who was advised by his notorious manager Colonel Tom Parker to avoid any long-term relationships, and who publicly squired several notable beauties of the day, including Tuesday Weld. In private, Elvis' heart was firmly devoted to Presley - enough to press her to visit him at his Graceland estate. Finally, in 1962, Elvis invited her to join him in Los Angeles; Presley was overjoyed, but required Elvis to persuade her stepfather that his intentions during the trip were entirely honorable. After agreeing to a substantial list of demands, the Beaulieus agreed to the visit - which quickly expanded to a side trip to Las Vegas. During her two-week stay with Elvis, Presley's signature '60s look - the colossal beehive, the layered mascara - came into existence, reportedly at the behest of the singer.

When Presley returned to Europe, the separation proved too painful for Elvis, and in late 1962, he contacted her parents with a shocking request - he wanted Presley to relocate to Memphis permanently to finish her schooling in the United States. Presley would live with Elvis' father, Vernon, and his stepmother Dee in a home behind Graceland, and promised to provide her with the finest education and living situation. Elvis underscored his request with the notion that he was unable to live without Presley, and after much debate - as well as a visit to the set of Elvis' movie "Fun in Acapulco" in late 1962 - the Beaulieus agreed to Elvis' terms. Presley promptly moved to Memphis.

At first, she lived by the original agreement, with Elvis visiting her in the evenings, but eventually, she moved permanently into Graceland. She spent her days attending the all-girl Immaculate Conception High School, and in the evenings, stayed in Graceland with Elvis' grandmother or spent her time shopping or going to the movies. Elvis was invariably away on one movie set or another, and her time as the lady of Graceland tended to be lonely. When he was in town, the singer was courtly, even shy with Presley, according to her 1987 autobiography, Elvis and Me; revealing the couple reportedly did not consummate their relationship until after they married. Subsequent publications by parties orbiting Elvis' sphere of influence painted a different and decidedly more salacious picture of Elvis and Presley's personal life. In fact, Presley addressed many of them with swift litigation, such in the case of singer Currie Grant, who claimed that Presley promised him sexual favors in exchange for an introduction to Elvis - in which she sued and won. Whatever the circumstances of their personal lives, Presley married Elvis at the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas, NV on May 1, 1967, and their sole child, daughter Lisa Marie, was born exactly nine months later on Feb. 1, 1968.

Signs that the marriage was in trouble began surfacing during Presley's pregnancy. While in her third trimester, Elvis suggested that they explore a trial separation. Reasons for the strain ranged from his extramarital affairs with Ann-Margret (among others) and growing dependence on drugs, to the intense cooling-off period that his career was undergoing during the 1960, due in no small part to the British Invasion. But there was no denying that the love Presley and Elvis shared during their early courtship waned significantly after the birth of their child - due entirely to Elvis' beliefs. However, they remained exceptionally close as friends, and Elvis remained a doting father to Lisa Marie. By 1969, the famed couple was living virtually apart due to his return to live performance. They finally separated in 1972, and their divorce was finalized a year later. According to reports, they held hands throughout the proceedings, and were friendly up until his death in 1977.

Presley's personal life after Elvis was highlighted by several serious relationships, including karate instructor (and Bruce Lee associate) Mike Stone, model Mike Edwards (which ended when he admitted to feelings for then-teenaged Lisa Marie - an event detailed in his salacious book Priscilla, Elvis and Me), and Italian writer-director Marco Garibaldi, which lasted from 1984 through 2006. Presley and daughter Lisa Marie's relationship was particularly tempestuous during this period, but both seemed to find common ground in the Church of Scientology, which they joined in 1979 after being introduced to the organization by John Travolta.

Presley began exploring a career in acting during the final years of her marriage to Elvis. She also maintained a successful boutique from 1973 through 1976, and counted several major celebrities as clients. She eventually signed with the William Morris Agency and landed a job as the national spokesperson for Wella Balsam's line of hair products. But her time and energy during this period was spent serving as co-executor of Elvis' estate. She assumed the title following the death of his father in 1979, and was dismayed to discover that Col. Parker's machinations, combined with the expense of maintaining Graceland, had dwindled Elvis' holdings (and Lisa Marie's inheritance) to $5 million. After extensively researching how other homes-turned-museums had turned a profit, she hired a CEO to oversee Elvis Presley Enterprises, and opened Graceland to the public in 1982. The move proved to be a profitable one, and under her direction, the organization developed into a multi-million dollar entity with profitable licensing, merchandising and publishing programs, as well as film and television projects. In 2005, Elvis Presley Enterprises was purchased by CKX Entertainment, and Presley retained a position on the CKX board as director.

Though she had once been considered as part of the original lineup for "Charlie's Angels" (ABC, 1976-1981), Presley's acting career began modestly with a co-hosting job on the ABC series "Those Amazing Animals" (1980-81). She later graduated to a recurring role as Jenna Wade, Bobby Ewing's first love and mother of his son, Lucas, on "Dallas" from 1983 to 1988. She departed the series after disagreeing with the direction of her character and the series, settling into a regular rotation of guest star roles and appearances on Elvis-related documentaries and specials. In 1987, she penned her best-selling biography, Elvis and Me, which took an unflattering look at her life with her famous ex-husband, and served as executive producer of the Emmy-nominated TV-movie adaptation in 1988. Meanwhile, Presley displayed a knack for dizzy comedy as Leslie Nielsen's love interest in all three "Naked Gun" comedies - "The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!" (1988), "The Naked Gun 2 ½: The Smell of Fear" (1991) and "Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult" (1994).

Not one to remain content with one particular achievement, Presley also launched her own fragrance, Moments, in 1988. Its popularity yielded a second brand, Experiences, in 1994, and Indian Summer followed in 1996. And in 1987, she became a mother for the second time with the birth of a son, Navarone, with Garibaldi. Her acting career continued throughout the 1990s with recurring appearances on "Melrose Place" (Fox, 1992-99) and "Spin City" (ABC, 1996-2002), as well as an uncredited appearance in "Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery" (1997). She also served as executive producer on the short-lived "Elvis" TV series (ABC) and several other Elvis-related projects - including the indie comedy "Finding Graceland" (1998) - as well as the independent feature "Breakfast with Einstein" (1998).

Presley weathered a storm of controversy in 1997 which arose from the publication of Child Bride: The Untold Story of Priscilla Beaulieu Presley, and drew testimony from friends and distant relatives of Elvis, as well as Mike Edwards and other peripheral figures to paint a picture of her as sexually voracious and manipulative. She busied herself with her other interests, and in 1998, Presley was the recipient of an honorary degree from Rhodes College in Memphis. In 2000, she was named to the board of directors of MGM, where she worked on a remake of Peter Sellers' "The Party" (1960) with "Austin Powers" director Jay Roach. She also began developing a stage musical based on her own life and experiences, and slowly rebuilding her relationship with Lisa Marie. She even supported her daughter during the press tornados that accompanied Lisa Marie's short-lived marriages to pop icon Michael Jackson and actor Nicolas Cage; even walking her down the aisle for her marriage to musician Michael Lockwood in 2006. The mother and daughter also appeared regularly together at celebrity events, and in several print layouts. In 2008, Presley was named as a contestant on the sixth season of "Dancing with the Stars"(ABC, 2005- ).

http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/person/155139%7C0/Priscilla-Presley/

Priscilla Ann Presley (née Wagner; born May 24, 1945) is an American actress and business magnate. She is the former wife of the late entertainer Elvis Presley as well as co-founder and former chairwoman of Elvis Presley Enterprises (EPE), the company that turned Graceland into one of the top tourist attractions in the United States. In her acting career, Presley starred with Leslie Nielsen in the three successful Naked Gun films, and played the role of Jenna Wade on the long-running television series Dallas.

Ancestry and early life Priscilla's maternal grandfather, Albert Henry Iversen, was born in 1899 in Egersund, Norway. He emigrated to the United States, where he married Lorraine, who was of Scots-Irish and English descent. Their only daughter, Anna Lillian Iversen, was born in March 1926. Later she was called – or her name was changed to – Ann. At the age of 19, she gave birth to Priscilla.

Priscilla has a square named after her in Egersund: Priscilla Presleys plass. The place is in the street which passes the house where her grandfather was born and lived. The opening ceremony took place August 23, 2008.

Priscilla's biological father was US Navy pilot James Wagner. His parents were Kathryn and Harold Wagner. On August 10, 1944, at the age of 23, he married Priscilla's mother; they had been dating for more than three years. He was killed in a plane crash while returning home on leave when Priscilla was six months old. When Priscilla discovered this "family secret" while 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, Canada. The couple were married within a year. Beaulieu took over the raising of Priscilla, and was the only father she would ever know. She took his surname and over the next few years she grew up quickly, helping to care for the growing family as her stepfather'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". Priscilla 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 stepfather was transferred to Wiesbaden, Germany. Priscilla 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, 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 I". Soon after moving in, the Beaulieus realized that it was a brothel, but due to scarce housing, they were forced to remain there.

Life with Elvis Germany Elvis and Priscilla met on September 13, 1959, during a party at Elvis' home in Bad Nauheim, Germany, while he was serving in the Army. Despite her being 14 years old, 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 frequently together until Elvis left West Germany in March 1960. After Elvis left West Germany, Priscilla 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, Priscilla believed the 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 Priscilla's parents agreed to let her visit for two weeks. Priscilla's parents allowed her to go only 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 Priscilla 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, while on a trip to Las Vegas, that Priscilla first took amphetamines and sleeping pills to keep up with Elvis' lifestyle. After another visit at Christmas, Priscilla's parents finally let her move to Graceland for good in March 1963. Part of the agreement was that she would attend an all-girls Catholic school, the Immaculate Conception High School in Memphis, Tennessee, and live with Elvis' father and his stepmother in a separate house adjacent to the Graceland estate until she graduated from high school in June 1963. Part of the agreement also was that they would eventually marry. After a few weeks, however, 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. Priscilla later said, "The move was natural. I was there all the time anyway."

Priscilla 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 Priscilla 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 intimate relationships with many of his leading ladies and co-stars, all the while denying their existence to Priscilla. 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 Priscilla. Accounts suggest that Priscilla 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 "morals clause" within his record contract. Priscilla suggested in a 1973 interview with Ladies' Home Journal 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, while others such as Joe Esposito have asserted that Elvis was excited to marry Priscilla.

In her 1985 autobiography, Elvis and Me, Priscilla describes Presley as a very passionate man who was not overtly sexual towards her. According to her account, the singer told her that they had to wait until they were married before having intercourse. He said, "I'm not saying we can't do other things. It's just the actual encounter. I want to save it." Priscilla says in her autobiography that she and Elvis did not have sex until their wedding night. However, this claim is questioned by biographer Suzanne Finstad.

The couple 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 were not 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 Priscilla 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 other's company without the intrusion of the Memphis Mafia. Priscilla 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 Priscilla held another reception at Graceland on May 29 for the friends and family who were unable to attend the original ceremonies.

Soon after, Priscilla 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.

Priscilla wrote in 1985 autobiography, 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 Priscilla'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, the marriage soured.

Separation and divorce Elvis was a keen karate student and persuaded Priscilla to take it up. Priscilla thought it was a good idea, as it would pass the time she spent alone if she had a hobby on which to concentrate, and she was also keen to share in Elvis' interests. Following suggestions from Elvis, Priscilla 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. Priscilla states in her book, "My relationship with Mike had now developed into an affair. I still loved Elvis greatly, but over the next few months 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 writes in her book that Elvis "forcefully made love to me...[as he 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. Priscilla 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 incident, Priscilla summarized "this was not the gentle, understanding man I grew to love."

Elvis and Priscilla separated on February 23, 1972, and filed for legal separation on July 26. To avoid Priscilla's 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 January 8, 1973 and it was finalized on October 9, 1973. The couple agreed to share custody of their daughter and Priscilla 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. Priscilla was keen to make it on her own and prove that her marriage to Elvis was not about money. However, soon afterwards, her new lawyers had persuaded her to up her demands, pointing out that a star of Elvis' stature could easily afford more for his former wife and child.

Priscilla and Elvis remained close, leaving the courthouse on the day of their divorce hand in hand.

Business Main article: Elvis Presley Enterprises 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. Elvis was supportive of Priscilla's venture, and even contacted several friends in public relations to help with promotion for the launch. 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." The shop was a successful venture, with celebrity clients including Cher, Lana Turner, Barbra Streisand, and Natalie Wood shopping there regularly. The shop closed in 1976.

After Elvis's death in 1977, Priscilla acted as executor for his only heir, Lisa Marie (who was then only 9). 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. Faced with having to sell Graceland, Priscilla examined other famous homes/museums. She hired a CEO, Jack Soden, to turn Graceland into a tourist attraction. 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. Priscilla became the chairwoman and president of Elvis Presley Enterprises (EPE), stating she would remain in the position until Lisa Marie reached 21 years of age. Under 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 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 Graceland. In September 2000, Presley was elected to the board of directors at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Always supportive, in 2015 Priscilla became the executive producer of a 14-track album titled If I Can Dream: Elvis Presley With the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. She states "If Elvis were here, he would be evolving and taking risks, seemingly like everybody else today." 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 shot by photographer William Speer. It was her second dedication of a USPS stamp. The first Elvis stamp, issued in 1993, was the most popular edition of stamps in the Postal Service history. Elvis became the first musical artist to be featured in two different collections of stamps.

Acting career Hal B. Wallis, a Hollywood producer who had financed many of Elvis' earlier films, had shown an interest in signing Priscilla 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". Priscilla 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.

Presley had originally been offered a role as one of the angels on Charlie's Angels. She turned down the role because she disliked the show. Priscilla made her television debut 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 Guy titled "Manhunter". She then found a role in a television film titled Love is Forever, starring alongside Michael Landon. 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 landed the role of Jenna Wade on the popular prime-time soap opera Dallas. She played the role of Wade for five years, leaving the show in 1988 to focus on other parts.

In 1988, Presley starred opposite Leslie Nielsen in The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! as Jane Spencer. Presley would go on to act in the next two movies in the series: The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear (1991) and Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult (1994). In the late 1990s, she made guest appearances on a number of television series, including Melrose Place, Touched by an Angel, and Spin City

Presley made her pantomime debut in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs at the New Wimbledon Theatre, Wimbledon, London, Christmas 2012, starring opposite Warwick Davis.

Charity work and activism Since 2003, Presley has been the Ambassador of the Dream Foundation, a Santa Barbara-based wish-granting organization for terminally ill adults and their families.

Presley is a member of the Church of Scientology, and speaks publicly for the religion's anti-psychiatry front group, the Citizens Commission on Human Rights.

In 2013, Presley spoke out against the Tennessee Ag-Gag Bill in a letter to Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam. Presley cited her and Elvis' love of horses and expressed her concern that the bill would hinder animal cruelty investigations and reduce protections for horses and other farm animals.

Personal life Presley's longest relationship has been with Marco Garibaldi, with whom she lived for 22 years. Their son, Navarone, was born on March 1, 1987. In 2006, they ended their relationship.

Priscilla Presley Actress - Date of Birth 24 May 1945, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Birth Name Priscilla Ann Wagner

Nicknames Cilla, Pris, Satnin, Nona

Height 5' 4" (1.63 m)

Mini Bio (1) Priscilla Presley's stepfather was an Air Force officer stationed in West Germany when as a teenager she met Elvis Presley in 1959, then four years into his meteoric career in rock and roll and serving with the U.S. Armed Forces. After an eight year courtship, she married him on 1 May 1967. As their marriage was winding down, she began studying karate and acting. After his death she went into business and began work in movies and TV, notably playing the part of Jenna Wade (1983-88) in the very successful series Dallas (1978). She more recently established herself as Jane Spencer in the "Naked Gun" (The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988)) movies.

- IMDb Mini Biography By: Ed Stephan

Spouse (1) Elvis Presley (1 May 1967 - 9 October 1973) (divorced) (1 child)

Long, jet black hair, teased into a bouffant (1960s)

Her poised, calm, cool and collected demeanor

Surreally youthful appearance. She is often mistaken for a much younger woman.

Mother of Lisa Marie Presley (b. 1968) and Navarone Garibaldi (b. 1987).

Lived with Marco Garibaldi from 1984 to 2006.

Received an honorary degree (doctor of humanities) from Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee.

Elected to the board of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. [September 2000]

Has regular chemical peels to get rid of wrinkles and brown spots.

The developer of an international fragrance line since 1988. Her fragrance line including Moments, Experiences, Indian Summer, and Roses and More. Moments was worth $90 million a year in 1996.

A successful boutique owner in 1973-76, clients included Natalie Wood, Barbra Streisand and Cher.

Her real father, James Wagner, was killed in a plane crash when she was six months old. She was adopted by her mother's second husband, Paul Beaulieu.

Turned down a main role on the television series Charlie's Angels (1976).

Chosen by People Magazine as one of the 50 Most Beautiful People in the World.

Her father had German ancestry. Her maternal grandfather was the son of immigrants from Egersund in Norway, and her maternal grandmother had English and Scotch-Irish ancestry.

Was, very briefly, the mother-in-law of singer Michael Jackson.

In 1988, she left Dallas (1978) after five seasons because she became unhappy with the direction of the series and her character.

Is portrayed by Antonia Bernath in Elvis (2005) and by Season Hubley in Elvis (1979).

Ambassador of the Dream Foundation, a Santa Barbara-based wish-granting organization for terminally ill adults.

Walked Lisa Marie Presley down the aisle at her wedding to Michael Lockwood. [January 2006]

Split with boyfriend of 22 years, Marco Garibaldi, in mid-March 2006. Presley reportedly confronted Garibaldi over his commitment to their romance and the argument resulted in him being asked to move out of her Beverly Hills home. At the beginning of their relationship, Presley and Garibaldi signed a promissory agreement that if they should break up, he will not write a book about her. The pair has a 19-year-old son Navarone.

Grandmother of Riley Keough and Benjamin Keough.

In 1983, she became the third actress to play Jenna Wade on Dallas (1978), after Morgan Fairchild in 1978 and Francine Tacker in 1980.

Met future husband Elvis Presley in Wiesbaden, Germany in 1959 when she was fourteen years old.

Mother-in-law of Michael Lockwood. Ex-mother-in-law of Nicolas Cage and Danny Keough.

Hal B. Wallis, a Hollywood producer who had financed several of Elvis' earlier films, was interested in signing Priscilla 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 is in the home looking after her man'.

Contestant on season 6 of Dancing with the Stars (2005).

Twin granddaughters, Harper and Finley Lockwood, born. [October 2008]

Though originally from the East coast, she grew up mostly in Austin, Texas. Her family moved there from Maine when she was in second grade and left the summer before she started high school.

Founded Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc. (known as EPE) in 1979 after being appointed by ex-father-in-law Vernon Presley as executor of her former husband's estate. Relinquished duties as chairman of the board in 1998 and moved to an advisory position when daughter Lisa Marie took full control of her inheritance at age 30.

Raised Catholic, as an adult she turned to Protestant denominations. Now a Scientologist, having been introduced to the religion by John Travolta, and lectures for its anti-psychiatry front group.

Her favorite movies are Doctor Zhivago (1965) and Gone with the Wind (1939).

Used to be friends with Kris Jenner.

Was crowned Queen of Del Valley Junior High by classmates in Austin, Tx. In high school, she was voted Best-Looking.

Won $75,000 in a 1998 defamation lawsuit against U.S. airman Currie Grant for claiming they had an affair before he introduced her to Elvis Presley. In 2005, she considered suing photographer Terry O'Neill for his claim that he had an affair with her in the mid-1970s.

Had long term live-in relationships with karate champion Mike Stone and male model Michael Edwards. Other prominent men linked to Presley include businessman Kirk Kerkorian, lawyer Robert Kardashian, hairdresser Elie Ezerzer, crooner Julio Iglesias, actor Richard Gere, American Idol producer Nigel Lythgoe, restaurateur Richard Palmer and disc jockey Toby Anstis.

Pursued the role of Susan Atwell in No Way Out (1987) which eventually went to Sean Young.

Older half-sister of Michelle Beaulieu Hovey.

Owns two Tennessee Walking Horses, which she stables at Graceland.

Is a celebrity advocate for the Humane Society of the United States' Animal Rescue Team.

Succeeded Jaclyn Smith as spokesmodel for Wella Balsam shampoo (1979/80).

Designs luxury linens in collaboration with Australian fashion designer Bruno Schiavi. Also has a furniture line, the Priscilla Presley Home Collection.

Studied karate with Chuck Norris in L.A. and Kang Rhee in Memphis.

Practices yoga.

The song "Personal Jesus" by Depeche Mode was inspired by Presley's 1985 autobiography.

Once a self-proclaimed vegetarian, now only avoids red meat.

Considers her work with Leslie Nielsen in the Naked Gun trilogy the highlights and most enjoyable experiences of her acting career.

Was a Girl Scout.

Made her pantomime debut as the Wicked Queen in "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" at the New Wimbledon Theatre, Wimbledon in 2012 and reprised the role at the Opera House in Manchester in 2014.

Played the genie in a pantomime production of "Aladdin" at the Milton Keynes Theatre in Buckinghamshire, UK. [December 2015]

(2016-2017) On a nationwide speaking tour hosted in partnership with CID Entertainment, An Evening With Priscilla Presley: An Open Conversation. Also touring Europe with The Wonder of You, a concert featuring her late ex-husband's voice with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

Dating Tom Jones. [January 2017]

[her reaction to Suzanne Finstad's 1996 biography of her, "Child Bride"] Talk about 5 minutes [of fame]! There are people in that book I've never even heard of. That woman made me out to be some kind of prostitute. I dated. But that was just my life...

[on marrying Elvis Presley] I was so young and naive at the time, there was just no way I could have made a success of that marriage. I realized I couldn't give him the kind of adulation he got from his fans, and he needed that adulation desperately. Without it he was nothing.

I don't care about being a superstar, but I feel I have something to give and to share, and if I can do that and maintain my values...well, I can.

I don't think I'll ever find anyone I'll love as much as I loved Elvis. It's pointless trying to compare him to anyone. Yes, some men I've been with have mattered to me, but Elvis was my first love, he'll be my last.

[on performing in pantomime] It was one of the most fulfilling experiences of my life.

I believe God helps those who help themselves.

[on turning 70 years old] I don't think that a number has to stop me from doing anything I want to do, 'cause I don't feel that. I feel like I'm 40 - 45, really. I don't stop.

[on Joe Esposito] Losing Joe is a monumental loss in my life. He has been a loving, supportive and lifelong friend and was there from the very first time I met Elvis to the day he left us. I spoke to him 3 days before he passed, his last words before we hung up..."I love you Cilla." He was devoted to Elvis and served him well. The friends he acquired during his lifetime... says it all. Joe, you may have left the building too, but you will never be forgotten my friend. Give our man a big hug and kiss and that he's still loved by us all and we're still TCB.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001636/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm