The KingLists about Elvis Presley, one of the biggest singers, heartthrobs, and cultural icons of the 20th century, who passed suddenly in 1977 in age 42.
Updated October 19, 2023 1.6K votes 688 voters 60.6K views
Voting Rules
Vote up your favorite movies that feature Elvis Presley as a main character.
From documentaries to biopics, we're ranking the best movies about Elvis Presley. Commonly known as The King of Rock and Roll, the American singer, actor, and cultural icon has been depicted numerous times in film and TV, but this list only features movies where Elvis Presley is the central character. What is the best Elvis Presley movie? It will definitely be one that balances time between his life and his music.
In Elvis & Nixon, Michael Shannon portrayed Elvis Presley during his meeting with President Richard Nixon, played by Kevin Spacey. Other good Elvis Presley documentaries and biographical films include Bubba Ho-Tep, Protecting the King, and Heartbreak Hotel.
Vote up the best movies about Elvis Presley and vote down any that you think other fans should skip.
The first documentary that Elvis starred in covers his return to live performance after taking a hiatus to focus solely on acting. This concert film was released in conjunction with the album That's the Way It Is, which was Evlis's twelfth studio album and it went Platinum for selling over a million copies on March 8, 2018.
Elvis: That's the Way It Is is a 1970 American documentary film directed by Denis Sanders. The film documents American singer Elvis Presley's Summer Festival in Las Vegas during August 1970. It was his first non-dramatic film since the beginning of his film career in 1956, and the film gives a clear view of Presley's return to live performances after years of making films.
Actors: Elvis Presley, James Burton, Glen D. Hardin
From his rise to fame to his unprecedented superstardom, rock 'n' roll icon Elvis Presley maintains a complicated relationship with his enigmatic manager, Colonel Tom Parker, over the course of 20 years. Central to Presley's journey and happiness is one of the most influential people in his life -- Priscilla.
Actors: Austin Butler, Tom Hanks, Olivia DeJonge, Helen Thomson, Richard Roxburgh
Want a general overview of Elvis's life? Then this is the documentary for you. It takes a look at Elvis throughout his career combining archival footage with along with interviews. This Is Elvis offers a dynamic look at the star as four actors portrayed him in reenactments and Ral Donner provided the voice-over narration for the film.
Actors (David Scott, Paul Boensch III, Johnny Harra) portray Elvis Presley at various ages, combined with public and private documentary footage.
Actors: David Scott, Paul Boensch, Johnny Harra, Lawrence Koller, Rhonda Lyn
This is the performance that marked Elvis's return to singing in front of an audience. Previously, he took a break from live performances as he focused on his acting career. If you want to make sure you've seen all of the King's key appearances, be sure to check out this TV special.
Elvis, starring Elvis Presley, is United States television special that aired on December 3, 1968 on the NBC television network. The special is commonly referred to as the '68 Comeback Special, because of subsequent developments in Presley's career, but the soundtrack album was released simply as NBC-TV Special. It was directed by Steve Binder and produced by Binder and Bones Howe.
Presley's informal jamming in front of a small audience in the '68 Comeback Special is regarded as a forerunner of the so-called "Unplugged" concept, later popularized by MTV.
If you never got to see Elvis live, this documentary might be the closest thing to experiencing one of his concerts. It covers his 1972 tour that spanned fifteen cities in the spring of that year. Notably, Martin Scorcese helped edit the film to appear on split screens and the film itself was a commercial success.
This documentary captures Elvis Presley on his 1972 American tour and includes rehearsals, interviews, archival television appearances and backstage moments. With Elvis at his most flamboyant, the film features well-known hits and cover songs showcasing his country, gospel and rhythm-and-blues influences. The Elvis entourage, including Colonel Tom Parker, also makes an appearance. This film was Elvis Presley's final motion picture appearance and won a Golden Globe for best documentary.
Actors: James Burton, Glen D. Hardin, Charlie Hodge, Ed Enoch, Lamar Fike
For those who don't know, John Carpenter and Kurt Russell have made several amazing movies together: Escape from New York, The Thing, and Big Trouble in Little China. But before any of those movies were to be made, Elvis is the movie that brought the pair together, marking the first film in what became an amazing collaboration.
Covering the rise of music legend Elvis Presley (Kurt Russell), this film starts with his early years in Mississippi and Tennessee raised by his parents, Gladys (Shelley Winters) and Vernon (Bing Russell). Eventually, Elvis forms a partnership with "Colonel" Tom Parker (Pat Hingle) that leads to the release of his first song, "Heartbreak Hotel," which zooms to the top of the charts. Elvis soon catapults to stardom, marrying the beautiful Priscilla (Season Hubley) and becoming an actor too.
Actors: Kurt Russell, Shelley Winters, Season Hubley, Pat Hingle, Bing Russell
