Then again, existing evidence suggests there was confusion as to the proper spelling of his middle name prior to his death. But it's also possible that the man who managed the most famous singer in rock history was a true psychopath. That year, the small, struggling label sold Presleys contract to RCA Victor for $35,000. Col. Tom Parker, 87, a onetime carnival pitchman who shrewdly guided singer-actor Elvis Presley's career for 22 years, died here Jan. 21 after a stroke. Elvis didnt stop performing the way he wanted to, and eventually, the right-wing had enough. The Tom Hanks Tom Parker portrayal is certainly one of the highlights of the movie, giving audiences something they aren't used to seeing from the actor. The truth of his life didn't come out until Parker was in his seventies and Presley long dead. There were questions as to the citizenship of Tom Parker. Wednesday, September 14 2022 . Colonel Thomas Andrew Parker Age 87 Born Monday 28 Jun 1909 Died 21 Jan 1997 Start a FameChain Other Partners Married 1935 Marie Parker Professional Partners Colonel Tom Parker Siblings Other Partners Professional Partners Loanne Parker Siblings Sister Linda Brown Loanne Lee Parker Age 84 Born Thursday 11 Jul 1935 Died 9 May 2020 Start a FameChain Possibly because he was a murderer. He also managed pop singer Gene Austin, who recorded the hit "My Blue Heaven." Elvis finally brought the pink Cadillac and a huge mansion in Memphis, Tennessee. He became Presley's manager in 1955. Rarenotes that despite being a superstar, Elvis Presley only toured outside the U.S. three times all in 1957, and all in Canada. According to The Washington Post, Parker turned down offers for Presley to star in several films that went on to be huge hits and establish their stars as legitimate actors. The sale was a result of a series of lawsuits against him accusing him of taking financial advantage of Presley. And there certainly would've been no Elvis without Colonel Tom Parker.' While it sometimes borders on cartoonish parody, with Hanks seemingly becoming a supervillain of sorts, it fits the overall style and narrative of Director Baz Luhrmann's movie. Held at a Hilton Hotel, his funeral was attended by the likes of Sun Records boss Sam Phillips and Parker's former client . After Parker's death in 1997, the home was used as a law office. Parker also controlled Presleys public image, engineering the kinds of movies in which he appeared and dictating his press appearances. Nor did he ever suggest onstage that he knew of the colonels immigration issues. So much so, that the Elvis estate even sued Parker for mismanagement. There is a scene in the film where Elvis faints just before going on stage. And throughout the 1960s, Parker forced Presley to appear in a series of truly awful films simply because they made money even as they arguably destroyed Elvis' credibility as a musician. Sayen Ending Explained: Does Sayen Protect Her Community And Prove Her Innocence? Hidden behind those shiny clothes, those lewd gyrations and jerky movements, was a kid who wanted to make his family financially secure and, most of all, his mother happy. Austin Butler won the Golden Globe for Best Actor, beating out favorite Brendan Fraser (The Whale), and he picked up a nomination for the same award at the Oscars. At the same time, Parker was being sued by Priscilla Presley, and his dubious financial and ethical behavior toward one of the world's most beloved performers was being detailed. Presleys first single with RCA was Heartbreak Hotel an instant classic that RCA disliked at first due to its lyrics, which told the story of a lonely mans death by suicide. Meanwhile, he started working as a local promoter for appearances by the country singers Gene Austin and Roy Acuff and the film cowboy Tom Mix. But towardthe end of the evening, DJ Rufus Thomas brought Elvis out for a leg gyration and the crowd went wild. Backstage, King and Presley posed together for a picture. Parker turned down all these roles because he preferred the safe money and was very protective of Presley's image. Elvis picked up an impressive seven Oscar nominations. He claimed to have been born in Huntington, West Virginia. However, the tide wasn't actually changed until a 1968 TV special, produced by Scott Binder, put Elvis the singer back on top, while simultaneously showing the Colonel how close he was to losing the singer to another producer. "That didnt come out in this country until 1981.". Elvis hung out in Beale Street and was heavily inspired by Mahalia Jackson, the gospel legend. The Talent manager Colonel Tom Parker died at the age of 87 years. He allegedly took a 50% commission on his earnings and exploited him to support his gambling and betting addiction. Tax bills and other expenses were eating up every dollar The King had left behind, and there were no more tours, records, or films to bring in more cash. but was then declared dead from cardiac arrest at 3:30pm. Anyone can read what you share. I am Elena, the curator of all the biography, Net worth content that you will be reading on this blog. With Elvis in Las Vegas, Parker ran up enormous debts with the casinos and was focused on keeping Presley working constantly so he could cover his debts. AsBiographymakes clear, Parker was actually born in the city of Breda in the Netherlands, making him Dutch. In 1955, Presley agreed to accept Mr. Parker as an adviser. As per reports, Colonel Tom Parker's Cause of Death was revealed that he died of stroke. His mother was giving him a pep talk to calm his nerves. Elvis was tired. He came on stage, and it felt like he would faint because of anxiety and stage fright. Andreas Cornelis van Kuijk, aka Colonel Tom Parker, put a lot of effort into hiding his true identity and his past. Parker was a svengali who exerted an extreme amount of control over his charges career, and took enormous 25 to 50% in commission. On top of that, Parker found venue upon venue for Elvis to perform in, be it recording studios, Hollywood films, TV specials, and even satellite broadcasts, immersing the artist into the cultural zeitgeist while keeping him landlocked in North America. From director Baz Luhrmanns research in Memphis and Elvis birthplace ofTupelo, Mississippi, to scores of well-researched biographies, there is laudable accuracy to the film, which is streaming and on demand now (HBO Max,Amazon Prime, Apple TV, Vudu, Google Play and other platforms). He did trust his manager, Colonel Tom Parker, blindly, and as a matter of fact, the shrewd schemer did break his trust. He arranged everything from Presley's career-making appearances on ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' to his profitable but bland Hollywood films. As The Washington Post notes, British music promoter Harvey Goldsmith said flat out that when he tried to sign Presley to a performance in England, Parker told him privately it would never happen because he was afraid to leave the U.S. However, as he always does, Hanks shone as Tom Parker in Elvis, and the Colonel proved to the world that he could play a complex villain. The public was charged $5 to see photos, placards (one billing Presley as "the nation's only atomic-powered singer") and other show business memorabilia -- mainly featuring Parker. One of the most surprising things about Colonel Tom Parker is that he wasn't an American, he never held American citizenship, and his real name wasn't Tom Parker. Col. Parker was credited with getting Presley a $35,000 recording contract with RCA Victor in the mid-1950s when Sam Phillips of Sun Records in Memphis decided to sell Presley's contract. In particular, Hanks was looking forward to taking part in a fresh look at the story, as the tale of Elvis is well-known enough to garner fatigue. After Presley's death, he was sued by the singer's heirs for fraud and mismanagement, and a Memphis court ruled that he had no legal rights to the Presley estate. She says in her book Elvis and Me that she would occasionally hear that he had checked into the hospital, and that she would then call to see if he was all right, Nash says. He lost his rights to Presleys millions, and got into further legal trouble with RCA, to whom he ultimately sold Presleys master recordings in order to stave off further litigation. The connection isn't nearly as directas the film implies, which presents Elvis residency at the International Hotel as a way for Elvis' managerto settle his sizable gambling debts at the hotel's casino. The Tom Hanks Tom Parker portrayal was certainly a different type of role for the actor, who is known for taking on characters like the sunny Mr. Rogers in A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood. But it was not so. Parker was long battling disease and it seems that this illness has been the reason for his passing. Date of death: 21 January 1997 Las Vegas: Manner of death: natural causes; Cause of death: stroke; Place of burial: Palm Downtown Mortuary And Cemetery; Country of citizenship: Kingdom of the Netherlands; . King, who worked as a DJ in Memphis at the time,would certainly have been aware of Elvis, and vice versa, but they would not have been hanging out and catching acts such as Little Richard as the movie portrays,says Nash. Even his father somehow felt coerced by a snarling Tom Parker and said nothing. But big Elvis fans know Parker the man who managed the musicians career from 1955 until the iconic singer died prematurely in 1977 all too well. And even if there were difficulties, by the 1960s, Parker was rich and famous and probably had the connections to get any problems smoothed out. So why was he so worried about his true identity as Andreas van Kuijk coming out? Given the inevitable event compression required of any movie. Read more to discover the real story behind the man who made Elvis. Not surprisingly, the news conference had a promotional tie-in: a display in the Elvis suite at the Las Vegas Hilton, where Presley performed from 1969 to 1977. He booked Presley as an opening act on a Hank Snow tour and began trying to persuade Presley, his parents and his manager, Bob Neal, to let him provide professional guidance. Snow eventually led Parker to Elvis Presley. Col. Tom Parker, the strict, unorthodox and controversial manager who orchestrated Elvis Presley's career from 1955 until the singer's death in 1977, died yesterday at Valley Hospital in Las Vegas, Nev. Tom Hanks has built a reputation for disappearing into his roles. Biography tells usthat after emigrating illegally to the United States from the Netherlands in the 1920s, Colonel Tom Parker eventually joined the U.S. Army in 1929. In 1958, Parker encouraged Elvis to voluntarily enlist in the Army (part of Elvis' true story) after he received a draft notice and serve a two-year stint as a regular soldier, showing the world that he was just like any average American. A more likely story is that he immigrated to the United States around the age of 20 and traveled with circuses, settling down in Tampa, Fla., and marrying Marie Mott in 1935. His mother, Gladys Presley, had a premonition of sorts. He rode him till he died and even in death he attempt. Colonel Tom Parker had swagger. The next morning he . Col. Parker snapped: "We're here to honor his memory. He was a true blue personification of a capitalistic setup. Answer (1 of 4): The show must go on. Reports: 3 children dead, 2 wounded in attack at Texas home, Kellyanne Conway, George Conway To Divorce After Decadeslong Marriage: Report, School punished teen girl for working out in sports bra in 100-degree Texas heat, ACLU says, U.S. court won't require FAA to make airplane seat size, spacing rules, 'Extremely dangerous': Spike in illegal crossings at Canada-Vermont border has feds sounding alarm, SoCal in for cool start to weekend, butlight showers make brief return, Woman called 911 before being shot in double murder-suicide, HPD says, Nick Lachey confuses Netflix viewers with relationships comments while presenting Perfect Match. Despite Parker's troubling exploitation of Presley, though,. Everybody loves Tom Hanks but they may not love Tom Parker, the predatory music manager he plays in Elvis. No, he never would have done that, Nash says. In 1967, Parker pushed Elvis to marry Priscilla Beaulieu, hoping that it would help change the tide of his career. . He organized a satellite concert, the credit for which he proudly took, as it was watched by more than 1.5 billion people. On July 26th, 1977, the King of rock and roll performed for the last time before finally resting on peace. The cause of death was not immediately known, but it was later revealed that he had been suffering from a number of health problems in recent years, including Alzheimer's disease. After a stint as a salesman he joined the US army in 1930 and served with the coastal artillery at Schofield Barracks in Hawaii. Tom told Elvis that for International tours, a lot of investment would have to be made from his pocket, whereas for performing in the International hotel, he wouldnt have to spend a single penny. Austin Butler as Elvis and Tom Hanks as Colonel Tom Parker do the bulk of the heavy lifting. Parker realized early on the bigger potential of Austin Butler's Elvis and transitioned to managing him full-time. But it was not so. There was an encounter in December1956, when King was the headliner on the all-black WDIA Goodwill Revue. The film Elvis, directed by Baz Luhrmann, is about a king and a kingmaker. Elvis Presley was huge. The country was hurting, but Elvis could neither do anything about it nor express his views through his music. Elvis had gone to the home of an employee he liked, whose wife was dying from cancer, and Hilton terminated the employee because of a rule banning any contact between employees and hotel talent. After a lifetime of earning well over $100 million managing Elvis, The Colonel's estate was barely worth $1 million upon his death. The rumor floated around town that Milton Prell, Shoofeys old boss at the Sahara, had brokered the (Elvis) deal for the colonel, getting money from the mob to put the deal together,"Nash says. He said that publishers would tell him "we want dirt" and that "I'd tell them I'm not a dirt farmer.". He sold programs and counted tickets at his shows. In Elvis, Tom Hanks' Colonel Tom Parker refers to himself as " The Snowman ," but the nickname was far from a joke for Parker. Tom Hanks was also intrigued by the fact that the wider public knew very little about the Elvis manager, claiming this was another reason he took on the role. He was given the honorary title of "Colonel" in the Louisiana State Militia from Governor Jimmie Davis as thanks for the work he did on his political campaign. Tom Parker Is Dead at 87; Controlled Presley's Career, https://www.nytimes.com/1997/01/22/arts/tom-parker-is-dead-at-87-controlled-presley-s-career.html. He dreamt of donning the same suit that B.B King wore, one day. He moved to Las Vegas and in 1989 got married a second time, to a woman named Loanne. Almost foreshadowing the route he was to take with Presley, Mr. Parker landed Mr. Arnold roles in several Hollywood movies and booked him in Las Vegas. Col. Parker was 300 pounds, enjoyed smoking Cuban cigars and was said to have been lacking in social graces -- he wore walking shorts, a colorful shirt and a baseball cap to Presley's funeral. He is survived by his wife, Loanne, of Las Vegas. He also grew estranged from his family: The South Florida Sun-Sentinel writes that his mother did not hear from him between 1933 and her death in 1958, while The Smithsonian describes his sister Nel Dankers-van Kuijk discovering that he was Elvis Presleys manager after seeing them together in a magazine in 1960. When Elvis returned home from the Army, The Colonel focused on more films, TV appearances, and albums, saturating the airwaves with Elvis. As noted byThe Washington Post, in 1981, Albert Goldman published a biography of Elvis Presley that was pretty scathing in its portrayal of Parker and exposed his true identity to the world. Your Honor Season 2, Episode 8: Recap And Ending, Explained: Who Ransacked The Buffas? Add in the soundtrack royalties and the free publicity for Elvis' records, and it's easy to see why Parker ignored his client's pleas for better scripts. Elvis arrived for the start of two weeks of rehearsals on June 3, 1968, and Kennedy was shot on June 5, dying the next morning, June 6, she says. He had become a salesman, who sold anything and everything. In spite of this fact, he served as a private in the U.S. Army in the early 1930s, and in 1932 was briefly incarcerated for desertion after leaving his unit without permission for leave. The timeline of Parkers life at this point is not entirely clear no doubt due to his own desire to cover up his shabby early days but in their obituary of him, The Daily News of Los Angeles wrote that he even founded his own circus, the Great Parker Pony Circus, and his own circus act, Colonel Tom Parker and His Dancing Chickens, in which chickens danced on a hot plate while music was playing. More than 40 years after his death, Elvis Presley remains one of the most famous and most easily recognized people in history. The life of Elvis Presley exactly fits the stereotype of an artist. He was a wonderful man, and I wish he was alive today. The theory was never tested. Paul Shirey is a senior news writer for Screen Rant. He made a mockery out of the life of the best-selling solo recording artist of all time. Elvis was given a spot in the Louisiana Hayride, a radio show, and Colonel Parker knew that this young lad could prove to be a dark horse. Considering how Parker lied about every aspect of his life, it's certainly possible that his "psychotic state" was a convenient way to escape his service when simply walking away hadn't worked out for him. Iratta Ending, Explained: What Happens To Vinod? Colonel Tom Parker's House. Speaking to Stephen Colbert on The Late Show last year, Hanks described Parker as both a genius and a scoundrel He was a very disciplined man, but also a guy who you might want to check your wallet to make sure you still have all those fives and 10s. Most surprisingly, Hanks described asking Elvis Presleys ex-wife Priscilla about Parker, and getting a surprising answer. His beliefs were unwavering, and he was loyal only to financial gains. He idolized B.B. Court records show that Parker represented Elvis in return for an unheard-of 50 percent of . Col. Tom Parker, 87, a onetime carnival pitchman who shrewdly guided singer-actor Elvis Presley's career for 22 years, died here Jan. 21 after a stroke. But Parker was also a very scared man who sacrificed millions in potential earnings because, as writerAlanna Nashreports, he didn't have a passport and was afraid to let Presley tour overseas without him. Mr. Parker was widely reported to have come to the United States as an illegal immigrant from the Netherlands and to have feared that he would not be allowed back into the country if he went abroad with Presley. But trapping Presley in films of lesser and lesser quality not only frustrated The King but also meant that while rock music was being revolutionized by the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, Elvis Presley was singing songs like "Yoga is as Yoga Does.". According to biographer Alanna Nash, Parker was diagnosed as a psychopath and discharged. The Elvis manager certainly had some unethical practices when it came to the King of Rock n Roll, and many were shocked upon viewing the film to find out that this was the case. From hair trends to relationship advice, our daily newsletter has everything you need to sound like a person whos on TikTok, even if you arent. Tom Parker entered into a 5-year contract and, for the subsequent years, kept Elvis under the impression that his safety would be compromised in a foreign country. He was 87. But its gone now.. He negotiated it as a PR move to make him appear to be the all-American boy, she says. One of the suits was filed by a lawyer for Presley's daughter, Lisa Marie. All of that missed the point, however: Parker was an incredibly secretive man who managed to somehow remain mysterious despite spending decades as one of the most famous people in the country. That night from the stage, Elvis delivered a furious attack on Hilton, saying he wasnt worth a damn, she says. After Elvis' death in 1977, however, Parker's hold on Presley's money finally began to slip. He gained weight and looked awful, sweating through his rhinestone jumpsuits. He told Elvis to perform at the International Hotel Las Vegas, and during the show, without telling him, entered into negotiations with Meyer Kohn (though, in reality, it was Alex Shoofey, the president of the hotel, who did the negotiations with Tom Parker). Its part of why he wanted him in the first place. Born: 26-Jun-1909 Birthplace: Breda, Noord-Brabant, Netherlands Died: 21-Jan-1997 Location of death: Las Vegas, NV Cause of death: unspecified Remains: Cremated, Palm Desert Memorial, Las Vegas, NV. As the manager of the biggest musical star in the world, he could afford to bluster, often bragging about being in charge of Presley's career and earning the lion's share of the income. In 1955, Parker began advising Elvis Presley, who at that time was signed with a small recording label, Sun Records. So far as the wider world knew, the Colonel was Thomas Andrew Parker, born in Huntingdon, West Virginia, some time shortly after 1900. There's no way to know if the man who would become Elvis' manager was Anna van den Enden's killer. He was tired of life. None of this was true. Parker sent Elvis all over the United States, but he would never let him out of North America, leaving Canada as the only other nation to host The King in his long career. After that, Parker consistently turned down offers for Presley to tour in Europe and Japan, deals often worth millions of dollars. Even Tom knew that he was doing so only to win their trust, and that, in fact, the business manager would be nothing but a puppet whose strings would be controlled by Tom himself. Most managers earn between 10 and 15 percent of what their clients make but from the very beginning, Parker soaked his only client for more. AsSmithsonian Magazinepoints out, the Alien Registration Act of 1940 basically offered amnesty to all illegal aliens, so becoming a naturalized citizen would have been pretty easy. Keep supporting great journalism by turning off your ad blocker. All in all, the manager was known for some appalling behavior towards his star client, and Elvis tries its best to portray that accurately. Andreas van Kuijk kept up his false identity for decades, but eventually, at least part of the truth caught up with him. 2023 BDG Media, Inc. All rights reserved. But Colonel Parker didnt agree with what the people had to say. In that act, he placed live chickens on a hot plate covered with sawdust, and the chickens "danced" to music. The Masked Lookalike Explained. Even so, he continued to sell out shows and hit the Top 10 charts. The Colonel's Greed Killed Elvis The biopic first released in theaters on June 24th, 2022, with Baz Luhrmann's glittering tale of the fallen king managing to wrest the top spot at the box office away from Top Gun: Maverick. No matter what Colonel Parker says, his actions did qualify as a betrayal. Known for his keen promotion and merchandising savvy, Parker, or "the Snowman," would help to make Elvis a household name, putting the singer on everything from lunch boxes to board games to trading cards and beyond. The Colonel travelled to Memphis for the funeral, where he turned up dressed in a Hawaiian shirt and baseball cap, and smoked his trademark cigar. Second, for a movie about a musician, Elvis also didn't receive any music nominations at the Oscars. But Parker insisted that Presley be paid for his appearance, and when Murrow refused, the show was canceled. Nobody felt like taking him to the hospital; nobody cared if the golden goose lived or died, until it kept creating gold for them. AsThe Washington Postnotes, in 1973, Parker sold the rights to Presley's recording catalog to RCA for a measly $5.4 million and earned $1.5 million more than Presley in the deal. Despite Parkers troubling exploitation of Presley, though, he undeniably succeeded in catapulting him into a new echelon of fame and, now, legend. Col. Parker also arranged Presley's early television appearances, including three on "The Ed Sullivan Show" in 1956 and 1957 that helped catapult the young singer to national stardom. AsThe Washington Postnotes, by 1966, Parker was earning 50 percent of Elvis' paychecks, and in 1973, Parker sold the rights to Presley's recording catalog to RCA for a low-ball $5.4 million. Parker was still adamant about churning out every ounce of energy the man had. When [Presleys family and associates have] done all they can with him, then they start picking on me I dont think I exploited Elvis as much as hes being exploited today.. The next morning he died from complications of the stroke at a hospital in Las Vegas, Nevada, at age 87. Elvis Presley and the Colonel Tom Parker. Alanna Nash's biography of Parker, The Colonel, claims he may have been trying to avoid passport scrutiny because he might have been a suspect in a murder in Breda. The politicians were in support of the segregation laws, and they didnt want even a driblet of black culture to cast a shadow upon their fragile system. He had a matter-of-fact method of speaking and didn't suffer fools lightly. Andreas Cornelis van Kuijk, aka Colonel Tom Parker, put a lot of effort into hiding his true identity and his past. A proud father, a combat veteran, dog lover, gym rat, coffee enthusiast and all around equal opportunity doughnut devourer, you can follow his daily exploits on Twitter and Instagram, as well as YouTube Videos on The Arctic Ninja Network. One of the biggest mysteries surrounding Colonel Tom Parker is his extreme paranoia and secrecy. This took a mental toll on Parker. They gave him a choice. In February of 1957, historian Michael T. Bertrand writes, Edward R. Murrow invited Elvis to appear on his prestigious evening news program. Having been a staple in The King's life for so long, he was well known to Elvis' ex-wife, Priscilla Presley, who humored his appearances at such venues, regarding him as a family friend despite their clashes over the estate. . Colonel Tom Parker was a musical entrepreneur who was the manager of Elvis Presley. All rights Reserved. Still, Presley called Mr. Parker and his first wife, Marie, ''the finest people in the world.''. Frequently photographed with Presley, Parker became a celebrity in his own right, usually pictured chomping on a cigar. Priscilla left Elvis in 1973, as she felt that the only time he was alive was when he was performing on stage. Parker entered the country illegally and never took any steps to correct his status despite the fact that it would have been relatively easy to do so.