Priscilla Ann Presley is an American actress, producer, and businesswoman who first entered the public eye as the wife of rock-and-roll legend Elvis Presley. She established a distinct career through her work as a film and television actress and her successful management of the Elvis Presley estate. Her life story is one of transformation, evolving from a young military stepdaughter into a powerful cultural preservationist. Her business acumen and artistic pursuits have secured her a lasting place in entertainment and pop culture history.
Early Life and the Start of the Relationship
Priscilla Ann Wagner was born on May 24, 1945, in New York City. Her early years involved frequent relocation due to her family’s military service. Her biological father, a Navy pilot, died shortly after her birth, and her mother, Ann, later married U.S. Air Force officer Joseph Paul Beaulieu, who adopted Priscilla.
The family was stationed in Wiesbaden, Germany, in 1959, where 14-year-old Priscilla met Elvis Presley. Elvis was 24 and serving in the U.S. Army when they met at a party at his rented home. Despite the ten-year age difference, they began a courtship that continued via phone calls and letters after Elvis returned to the United States in 1960. Her parents allowed her to move to Memphis, Tennessee, in 1963, two months before her eighteenth birthday. This move was contingent on her finishing high school and living with Elvis’s father and stepmother, though she soon began spending nearly all her time at Graceland.
Life as Mrs. Presley: Marriage, Motherhood, and Separation
The couple married on May 1, 1967, at the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. The ceremony was brief, lasting eight minutes, and was followed by a reception with approximately 100 guests. Priscilla was 21 and Elvis was 32 at the time of the wedding.
Just nine months after their wedding, their only child, Lisa Marie Presley, was born on February 1, 1968. During her time at Graceland, Priscilla often found herself isolated while Elvis was away filming movies or performing. The pressures of Elvis’s demanding career, his extended absences, and reported infidelities eventually strained the marriage.
Priscilla sought to develop interests outside of her domestic role and began private lessons in karate. Her relationship with her instructor, Mike Stone, became a significant factor in the collapse of the marriage. The couple separated in February 1972, and the divorce was finalized in October 1973. They remained close friends until Elvis’s death in 1977, maintaining a focus on co-parenting their daughter.
Establishing an Independent Career
Following her divorce, Priscilla focused on forging a professional identity separate from her ex-husband. She initially established a presence in the fashion industry, co-founding the clothing boutique Bis & Beau in Los Angeles. Although the venture garnered attention for its unique designs, the business closed in 1976.
Presley channeled her public profile toward an acting career, debuting in 1980 as a co-host on the television program Those Amazing Animals. She achieved her most prominent television role in 1983 when she joined the prime-time soap opera Dallas. She played the character Jenna Wade, appearing in 143 episodes before departing in 1988.
Her career transitioned to comedy films when she took on the role of Jane Spencer in The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! in 1988. This role, opposite Leslie Nielsen, led to her reprising the character in the two subsequent sequels in 1991 and 1994.
Securing Elvis’s Legacy: The Transformation of Graceland
Priscilla Presley’s most significant business achievement began following the death of Elvis’s father, Vernon Presley, in 1979. Vernon had named her as the co-executor and trustee of the estate for her daughter, Lisa Marie. She inherited an estate that was in severe financial peril, with Graceland costing around $500,000 annually for upkeep and taxes.
The estate’s attorneys advised that the mansion needed to be sold to cover mounting expenses and prevent Lisa Marie’s inheritance from being depleted. Priscilla refused to sell the property, recognizing its cultural importance. She orchestrated a plan to transform Graceland from a private residence into a public tourist attraction.
In 1981, she hired a professional CEO to help execute her vision, and in June 1982, Graceland was opened to the public for tours. The immediate response was positive, quickly generating the revenue needed to sustain the estate. Priscilla co-founded and served as chairperson of Elvis Presley Enterprises (EPE), which managed the Graceland operation, licensing, and merchandising.