Elvis Presley Biography

Famous in life, Elvis Presley became even more famous in death as an icon of American music and TV-era celebrity.

Elvis Presley first hit the charts as a rock ‘n roll rebel in the 1950s. His September 9, 1956 appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show (with Presley shown only from the waist up to hide his swiveling hips from sensitive viewers) turned him into one of the era’s biggest stars. His many hits included “Jailhouse Rock,” “Hound Dog” and “Blue Suede Shoes.”

Soon so popular that he was known by his first name alone, Elvis toured widely and began starring in lighthearted movies designed to let him cavort and play the guitar onscreen, including Jailhouse Rock (1957) and King Creole (1958, with Walter Matthau).

As his fame was growing, Elvis Presley was drafted and then inducted into the U.S. Army in 1958. He spent much of his two-year hitch stationed in Germany (where he met Priscilla Beaulieu, who became his wife in 1967) and was discharged with the rank of sergeant in 1960. He quickly returned to recording, performing, and starring in movies like Blue Hawaii (1961, with Angela Lansbury).

In the late 1960s, after a period of declining fame, Elvis remade himself into “The King,” a melodramatic icon in sequined karate-style jumpsuits, known for his diva-like stage poses and high-wattage mega-concerts.

Though Elvis Presley died in 1977, the loyalty of his fans is famous: sightings of a he’s-not-really-dead Elvis became a kind of international running joke. Elvis’s Memphis home, Graceland, has become a permanent shrine to the singer.