Priscilla Presley was moved to tears when the new film Priscilla, based on her life and relationship with Elvis Presley, received a seven-minute standing ovation at the Venice Film Festival. The film stars Cailee Spaeny as Priscilla and Jacob Elordi as Elvis, with Sofia Coppola serving as the screenwriter and director. As an executive producer of the film, Presley expressed her gratitude for the warm reception and critical acclaim the movie received. Learn more about the life and career of Brooklyn-born Priscilla Presley at brooklynski.info.
Who Is Priscilla Presley?
Actress and businesswoman Priscilla Presley is best known as the former wife of music icon Elvis Presley and the mother of the late singer-songwriter Lisa Marie Presley. She was married to Elvis for six years. After his passing, she became the chairwoman of Elvis Presley Enterprises (EPE), playing a pivotal role in turning Graceland into a multimillion-dollar tourist attraction.
Priscilla also had a successful acting career, starring in films like The Naked Gun alongside Leslie Nielsen and portraying Jenna Wade in the 1980s television drama Dallas. Sofia Coppola later adapted Priscilla’s bestselling memoir Elvis and Me into the 2023 film Priscilla.
Priscilla Ann Wagner was born on May 24, 1945, in Brooklyn, New York. Her father, James Wagner, was a U.S. Navy pilot who tragically died in a plane crash when Priscilla was just a few months old. In 1948, her mother, Ann, remarried Paul Beaulieu, a U.S. Air Force officer.
During her childhood, the family moved frequently due to her stepfather’s military service. As a teenager, Priscilla lived in Germany, where she met Elvis Presley in 1959 at the age of 14. At the time, 24-year-old Elvis was serving in the U.S. Army. Their relationship began, and Priscilla later moved to the United States to be with him.
They married in Las Vegas on May 1, 1967, when Priscilla was 22 years old. A year later, they welcomed their daughter, Lisa Marie Presley. However, their marriage ended in divorce in October 1973, after just six years. Despite their separation, Priscilla and Elvis remained close friends and co-parented Lisa Marie until Elvis’s death in 1977.
Guardian of Elvis’s Legacy
Two years after Elvis’s passing, Priscilla became the executor of his estate, including Graceland. She proved to be a savvy businesswoman, transforming Elvis Presley Enterprises (EPE) into a highly successful business. Graceland opened to the public in 1982, and by the late 1980s, the company had expanded into shopping centers and the Elvis Presley Car Museum.
In 1985, Priscilla published her bestselling memoir “Elvis and Me,” which detailed her romance and marriage with Elvis.
Although she never remarried, Priscilla was in a long-term relationship with Italian screenwriter Marco Garibaldi from 1984 to 2006. The couple had a son, Navarone Garibaldi Garcia, born in 1987.
Priscilla is also a grandmother to three surviving grandchildren from Lisa Marie’s marriages. In 1989, Lisa Marie and her first husband, Danny Keough, welcomed daughter Riley Keough. In 2008, Lisa Marie had twin daughters, Harper and Finley Lockwood, with her fourth husband, Michael Lockwood. Today, Riley Keough has built a successful acting career, earning an Emmy nomination in 2023 for her lead role in Daisy Jones & The Six on Amazon Prime.
Tragedy and Loss
Priscilla also had a grandson, Benjamin Keough, born in 1992 to Lisa Marie and Danny Keough. Tragically, Benjamin died by suicide in July 2020 at the age of 27. Priscilla called it one of the darkest days in her family’s history, and the loss was devastating.
Priscilla Presley first explored acting while still married to Elvis. She made a few television appearances before landing a major role in the hit primetime soap opera Dallas in 1983.
Her portrayal of Jenna Wade Krebbs was well received, and in 1984, she won the Soap Opera Digest Award for her performance. Priscilla stayed on the show for five seasons before leaving.
In the late 1990s, she expanded her business ventures by launching a fragrance line and developing a fashion and skincare brand. In 2002, she announced plans to co-produce a musical titled Elvis and Priscilla, inspired by her romance with Elvis.
In 2008, she gained renewed fame for her dancing skills when she competed in Season 6 of Dancing with the Stars.
As of May 2023, Priscilla Presley’s net worth is estimated at $50 million.