Elvis Presley family: Who is Vernon Presley? Who will play Elvis’ dad in biopic?
Who was Vernon Presley?
Vernon Presley was born on April 10, 1916 in Fulton, Mississippi, and met and married Elvis’ mother Gladys Smith when he was just 17.
The couple had two children, though sadly Elvis’ identical twin brother Jesse was delivered stillborn, so Elvis was raised an only child.
The family was very close, and they attended an Assemblies of God church.
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Who is Vernon Presley? Who will play Elvis’ dad in biopic? (Image: Getty)
In an interview with Good Housekeeping, Vernon spoke of how excited he was to welcome his child into the world.
In 1978 he said: “My love for my son began even before he was born.
“At that time there was almost nobody poorer than my wife Gladys and me.
“But we were thrilled and excited when we learned that we were going to be parents.
“I was only 18-years-old but throughout Gladys’ pregnancy it never occurred to me that I wouldn’t be able to take care of her and the baby.”
According Guralnick Vernon moved from various odd jobs, but in 1938 served eight months in prison after altering a cheque.
However, when Elvis started to show some singing prowess in their church, Vernon was with him to guide him to stardom.
Elvis, in Guralnick’s book, reportedly told his father he was told he could not sing when he cut an acetate at Sun Records in 1954, but that did not stop the young man.
Eventually, when Elvis was 20, he was offered a contract with Sun Records, but as he was still too young to sign along, Vernon did this for him.
The Washington Post reported Vernon managed Elvis’ affairs from Graceland, where the family lived from when Elvis was 21.
Vernon Presley (Image: Getty)
He went on tour with his son, as well as helping to oversee his finances, but of course he had a few treats along the way.
Vernon visited Elvis on movie sets and even had a role as an extra in Live A Little, Love A Little.
However, Variety reports Vernon was said to be “deeply insecure” about his management of finances and felt unqualified for the job, fearing the family would soon be thrown back into poverty.
Two years after Elvis’ mother Gladys passed away in 1958, Vernon married his second wife, Dee, and the pair moved into a home together on the Graceland estate.
Following this, the pair had another visitor, Priscilla, who was moved onto the estate from Germany by Elvis.
Elvis with his parents Gladys and Vernon (Image: Getty)
It has been reported Elvis had an agreement with Priscilla’s parents that she could only leave Germany if she was looked after by a guardian, and so it was arranged she would move in with Vernon and Dee.
However, it is reported that within a few weeks Priscilla was set up in the main house with her man.
In 1976, as Elvis’ health began to fail, Vernon fired the “Memphis Mafia,” a group of paid people Elvis kept with him while on tour, as a means of cutting back on “expenses.”
Only a year later, in 1977, Elvis died, and Vernon was named an executor of his will.
Along with Priscilla, the pair helped to get Graceland up to snuff as a tourist attraction, and when Vernon died in 1979, his share of Elvis’ wealth was passed on to Elvis’ only child, Lisa Marie.
Elvis and his father Vernon after the death of Gladys (Image: Getty)
Who will play Vernon in the upcoming biopic?
Rufus Sewell, known for his roles in Dark City, The Man in the High Castle and more recently The Pale Horse, will play Vernon.
He will work opposite Maggie Gyllenhaal, who will play Elvis’ mother Gladys, and young Olivia DeJonge plays Priscilla.
Colonel Tom Parker, who was Elvis’ manager, is played by Tom Hanks, and Elvis himself is played by Austin Butler.
Elvis will be released in cinemas on October 1, 2021
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