[65] Unbeknown to Parker at the time, she had a second son from her first marriage, but had given him up for adoption at birth due to his disability (a club foot). So the uncompromising Colonel told her that Elvis couldn't cover the track as those were the terms. [15], In early 1955, Parker became aware of a young singer, Elvis Presley. He attended Elvis funeral dressed in a Hawaiian shirt and baseball cap, avoiding any display of emotion. In 1994, following the marriage of Lisa Marie and Michael Jackson, Parker stated that Presley would not have approved. Stories appeared in the press regularly about Presley, including that he would do a live CCTV broadcast when he returned and that he had signed a deal for a series of annual television spectaculars to be broadcast across the country. The truth about his early years was revealed in 1960 when one of Parker's sisters, Nel Dankers-van Kuijk, living in the Netherlands, recognized him in photographs standing next to Presley. But, after he gave a detailed invoice to Elvis, the star realized he couldn't pay Parker, so they continued collaborating. [43] A breakfast reception was arranged, taking place after the media got their photographs of the couple. He influenced Presley's personal life, including Presley's decisions to accept military service in 1958 and to marry Priscilla Beaulieu in 1967. [53] Despite this, however, the deal never materialized. During the interview, Parker said that he was not aware that another one of his sisters, Adriana van Kuijk, had died in the Netherlands a few years before. Parker suffered a stroke in 1997, dying at a hospital in Las Vegas, Nevada after years of declining health, survived only by his second wife. This deed on the part of Vernon and Gladys Presley marked a permanent separation of Elvis from his mother, and as Elvis was a classic "mama's boy". Little, Brown. His death certificate lists his birth name as Andreas Cornelis van Kuijk, his country of birth as the Netherlands, and his citizenship as American. In the end, they'd become dependent on one another and were in too deep to even know how to start over. What's amazing is this, after Elvis' death, Parker is said to have owed $30 million in gambling debts to the Las Vegas Hilton. While Presley was serving in West Germany, Parker was hard at work keeping Presley's name known to the public. Elvis and the Colonel were associated throughout the musician's entire career, including music, movies, and TV specials. [56] Other accounts suggest he slumped in his chair at his office, muttered, "Oh, dear God", and then quickly phoned Vernon Presley, where Parker advised Presley's father that his son's image needed to be protected. Austin offered Parker the opportunity to move to Nashville, Tennessee, where music was becoming a big business, but for reasons unknown Parker turned him down. This was, with hindsight, a mistake on his part; if he had negotiated each deal separately based on the profits of the previous film, he could have received more money. [32], In 1957, Parker finally managed to give Tommy Sands his big break by arranging for him to audition for and star in The Singin' Idol, a drama for NBC that was loosely based on the life and career of Presley. [56], In September 1978, shortly after the first anniversary of Presley's death, Parker arranged a fan festival, Always Elvis, where he, Vernon, and Presley's ex-wife Priscilla, dedicated a bronze statue of him in the lobby of the Las Vegas Hilton. Despite the court controversy, Parker continued to appear at Elvis-themed events, from anniversaries to special events, etc. During the week-long visit, Parker was informed by Adam van Kuijk that their mother had died three years earlier in 1958, never knowing what happened to her son after he left the Netherlands for good in 1929. [55] Although Parker publicly denied these claims, he had been in talks with Peter Grant, the manager of Led Zeppelin, about the possibility of him overseeing a European tour for Presley. [62], One of Parker's brothers, Adam "Ad" van Kuijk, visited Parker once in Los Angeles in April 1961. [33], Presley had been showing signs of rebellion against Parker, and Parker believed that a stint in the Army would cure him of this. He completed basic training at Fort McPherson in Atlanta, Georgia.[4]. However, the music scene had radically changed. 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. "[52], Parker accepted that their working relationship was over, Parker telling them over the phone that Dr. Nick's services are no longer required, and demanded that Presley pay him $2 million to end their contract; money Parker claimed he was owed. [15] RCA Victor, Hank Snow's current label, also showed an interest, but they were put off by the cost of the contract. "[27][28], Parker signed a deal with Beverly Hills film merchandiser Hank Saperstein for nearly $40,000 to turn Presley into a brand name. [4], "Colonel Tom Parker rubbed my head in Vegas", Eddie Murphy stated in 1989. [14] In 1945, Parker became Arnold's full-time manager, signing a contract for 25% of his earnings. With Parker's help, Presley signed a recording contract with RCA Victor, leading to his commercial breakthrough in 1956 with his sixth single "Heartbreak Hotel" and propelling him to become one of the most popular and commercially successful entertainers in the world. At that point, Moore and Black had no contractual ties to either Phillips or Presley. [44] He offered RCA Records the opportunity to buy Presley's entire back catalog for $5.4 million. He had a matter-of-fact method of speaking and didn't suffer fools lightly. In May 1973, in an attempt to deal with Presley's growing dependence on prescription drugs, Presley's father, Vernon, and Parker attempted to cut off his supply. Tom Hanks' portrayal of Elvis' manager Colonel Tom Parker in the 2022 biopic created controversy - here's the true story behind Hanks' Tom Parker. He was 87 years old at the age of his death. [citation needed], After the success of Presley's return to live performing in Las Vegas, Parker decided it was time to take him back out on tour for the first time in 13 years. [55] Worried about the impact such details might have on his career, Presley, through his father, asked Parker to stop the publication. He said 'Did I really?' Parker privately acknowledged his brother and even introduced him to Presley. Parker was a svengali who exerted an extreme amount of control over his charge's career, and took enormous 25 to 50% in commission. [56] At the funeral, he persuaded Presley's father to sign over control of Presley's career in death to him. [54], In July 1976, three of Presley's personal bodyguards and members of the "Memphis Mafia", Robert Gene "Red" West, his cousin Sonny West and David Hebler, were fired by Vernon Presley and decided to write a tell-all book about their life in his inner circle, Elvis: What Happened? 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. Related: The Darkest Moments In Oscars History. [15], A young singer, Tommy Sands, caught Parker's eye in 1952, and Parker immediately set about promoting him. Colonel Tom Parker, as played by Tom Hanks in Elvis, was the controversial manager of singer Elvis Presley (played by Austin Butler) with a mysterious past who had a key role in both The King's . [37] He envisioned him as an entertainment machine, pumping out three films and soundtracks a year, until the end of the decade. Presley remembered the event as one of the worst moments of his career. The opposing counsel responded by presenting into evidence a copy of Parker's U.S. Army enlistment form which stated, through a legal loophole, that because Parker signed his enlistment papers under his alias "Thomas Andrew Parker" and once he took the oath by swearing allegiance to the United States of America, he unofficially renounced his Dutch citizenship, although it is claimed that he died a Dutch citizen. But according to IMDb, it was because Elvis just didn't like dealing with confrontation. Parker decided that Las Vegas was the perfect place to do it,[41] and on May 1, 1967, the couple were married in a ceremony that lasted only eight minutes and had a handful of guests. [60] However, he did occasionally bother them by criticizing some decisions. 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. [44] The tours were so popular and financially successful that they determined Presley's workload for the remainder of his life and career. Having previously sold the rights to Presley's early recordings to RCA Records, he struggled to secure a steady income, and his financial situation worsened after he sustained significant gambling losses. Inc.[4] However, because Parker was still entitled to 50% of all Presley's income, and after taxes were taken off, the overall amount going towards the upkeep of the estate was less than $1 million a year.[4]. Tom Hanks has built a reputation for disappearing into his roles. He had booked Presley into a four-week Las Vegas engagement, misjudging the reaction of the slightly older, more reserved audiences that Las Vegas attracted. Parker struggled with a gambling addiction while keeping Elvis on a short leash, halting the singer from touring overseas and pushing him into cheap projects that were frequently averse to what the artist wanted to be a part of, eventually taking 50% of Elvis' earnings, of which they both agreed upon. He quickly became the singer's sole representative, and within months he had won Elvis a recording contract with RCA Victor.. [67] According to interviews given by Parker to the Associated Press many years later, he and Marie were married in Tampa, Florida, during the winter of 1932,[67] but the Florida Office of Vital Statistics had no record of such a marriage any time between 1927 and 1946. [16] In the drama, the role of Sands was portrayed as a "twisted psychopath". They struggled to survive during the Great Depression, working short cons and traveling across the country in search of work. [44] He would usually fly ahead to the venues and prepare the way for Presley's entourage to follow so that he and Presley rarely saw each other, and, as time progressed, it became even more difficult for Parker to get in contact with Presley. [4][5] Tual, once appointed as Lisa Marie's guardian ad litem, chose to investigate the entire period of Parker's management of Presley; his preliminary finding was that Parker's management deal of 50% was extortionate compared to the industry average of 1520%. [48], Aloha from Hawaii proved to be the last great moment in Presley's career. Colonel Tom Parker was a man with a shady past. [4], On August 14, 1981, Judge Evans ordered Elvis Presley Enterprises to sue Parker for mismanagement. Presley's career stagnated while artists like the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and The Beach Boys dominated the charts. [15], Parker immediately went to work to find a new label for Presley. The document that was signed on November 21 pertained to the record label transfer. [18] When the contract expired, the Memphis radio personality Bob Neal stepped in and made a deal with Phillips to become Presley's manager. [16] Soon after, Sands' song "Teen-Age Crush" reached number 2 on the pop charts, eventually selling 800,000 copies. Instead, he found employment as a field agent with a local animal shelter, the Hillsborough County Humane Society. Stories of managerial terrorism abound in music history. [15] Eventually, Parker began getting more involved in music promotion again, this time for himself rather than the Society. [53] Parker turned the offer down, and Presley was overjoyed when they replied with another offer of $10 million. [49] Seeing the chance to publicize Presley's charitable nature once again, Parker eagerly agreed. [41], To make up for lack of earnings, Parker arranged for Presley's gold Cadillac to go on tour. The actor has proven time and again that he's up to the challenge of playing a real-world personality and the role of Elvis and the Colonel is no different. [64] In 1993, in one of his last media appearances, Parker appeared in a television interview with Dutch TV director Jorrit van der Kooi where they spoke to each other in Dutch about the Netherlands and about Elvis Presley's life and career. Parker encountered Presley in 1955, and by 1956 had become his primary representative. In January 1997, Parker suffered from a stroke and died the next day in a hospital in Las Vegas at the age of 87. I said 'Yeah'. [8] This may have motivated Parker to avoid seeking a passport, as the Netherlands has an active extradition treaty with the United States, and he may have wanted to avoid criminal arrest by Dutch authorities. Presley was never one to stand up against Parker, but he knew that this TV show was his one chance at a true comeback, and with Binder backing him, Presley told Parker he was doing it "Binder's way". [14] With the Society in need of funds, Parker set about using his promotional experience to raise money and awareness for the shelter. His films still made money and his albums still sold well, but the profits were falling. [4][5] Parker's final years were spent living in Las Vegas, in increasingly poor health before his death in 1997. The Colonel seized on the moment and put Elvis back on tour, eventually settling on a residency in Las Vegas and a non-stop barrage of venues and recordings that took the singer to the brink, as he deteriorated into a mockery of his former self. [16] NBC had originally wanted Presley for the role, but Parker had turned them down. [15], Parker and Neal worked together to promote Presley, using their own Hank Snow Tour to book him and tour him. Following the success of Presley's Las Vegas return, Parker signed a contract with the International Hotel to guarantee Presley would play a month-long engagement for $125,000 a week ($974,043 in 2021 dollars[11]), an unheard-of sum at the time. Born as Andreas Cornelis Dries van Kuijk in the Netherlands, the Tom Hanks Tom Parker portrayal saw him illegally immigrate to the United States, finding employment as a carnival worker before joining the Army, where he was eventually discharged after going AWOL. With this the fake Americanisation of Dries van Kuijk was complete. Dutch-born US musical entrepreneur (19091997). However, there were some interesting omissions from the award announcements. [5] The case against Parker was settled out of court in 1983, with the estate paying him $2 million ($5,441,363 in 2021 dollars[11])[5] in exchange for all Presley audio recordings or visual images that he owned[4] and the termination of his involvement in any Presley related earnings for five years. [46] Originally planned as three performances, demand was so high that Parker decided to add a fourth performance, making Presley the first performer to sell out the venue four consecutive times. After Presley showed signs of rebellion again in 1966 and because of his flagging career, Parker decided that it was time for a new approach: marriage. [37] Parker, not one to forget harsh criticism, stated that the fee would be $125,000 (equivalent to about $1,145,000 in 2021) for two songs, a total of eight minutes on screen; Sinatra himself was receiving a lower sum for the whole show,[38] but he agreed. He also assisted Jimmie Davis' campaign to become Governor of Louisiana. More than 40 years after his death, Elvis Presley remains one of the most famous and most easily recognized people in history. 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. [18] According to Moore, Presley agreed to take 50 percent, with Moore and Black splitting the other 50 percent. According to Presley's friend, Jerry Schilling, Presley was excited about the opportunity to take on a new challenge. [33] If Presley could show the world that he the same as any other young man, Parker told him, then more people would accept him and his music. His Dutch birthplace and immigrant status were not revealed for many years. "Last Train to Memphis". [57], Parker set out to protect his future income. After the gig came to an end, Colonel Tom Parker came looking for him. The premises had been ransacked in search of money. And there certainly would've been no Elvis without Colonel Tom Parker.' "[24], With his first RCA Victor single, "Heartbreak Hotel", in 1956,[25] Presley became a recording star. He died in 1997 at the age of 87. [8], In May 1929, Van Kuijk returned to the United States at age 19, finding work with carnivals due to his previous experience in the Netherlands. [52] After nearly two weeks of trading insults back and forth, Parker and Presley decided to continue to work together. Colonel Tom Parker, as played by Tom Hanks in Elvis, was the controversial manager of singer Elvis Presley (played by Austin Butler) with a mysterious past who had a key role in both The King's success and downfall. Finally, Tom Hanks wasn't nominated for Best Supporting Actor. In 1968, he was asked in an interview if it was true that he took fifty percent of everything Elvis earned. He adopted a new name and claimed to have been born in the United States. I quit! [66] Some suggested that Parker married Marie to disguise his illegal status in the United States;[65] a marriage to a U.S. citizen with a child could help him bury his past in a "ready-made family". [34] He was upset about the possibility that would affect his career, but Parker was secretly overjoyed. For the entirety of Presley's nearly 25-year career as "The King," his manager, "Colonel" Tom Parker, was the man who made all the career decisions. What happened to Colonel Tom Parker? [4] It was later revealed that Presley owned 22% of the company, Parker owned 56%, and the final 22% was made up of various business associates. [54] Vernon also threatened to find a new manager if Parker wouldn't continue to tour Presley. [15] Both Mercury Records and Columbia Records showed interest, although their initial offers were nowhere near the $40,000 requirement. [60], The disputes with the Presley estate did not terminate Parker's association with Presley. [50] This would be successful for a short time, but when Presley discovered the trick, he simply found himself other doctors. In early 1929, a 23-year-old newlywed woman, Anna van den Enden, was found beaten to death in the living quarters behind a greengrocer store. [7] As a boy, he worked as a barker at carnivals in his hometown, learning many of the skills that he would require later while working in the entertainment industry. Later, in 1983, Parker admitted during an interview that after 1966, the income from Presley films and soundtracks was dramatically reduced. At that time Parker believed Elvis to be black. By 1984, with his gambling debts reportedly rising again, he was evicted. Frequently photographed with Presley, Parker became a celebrity in his . [1], Parker was born as Andreas Cornelis van Kuijk on June 26, 1909, in Breda, North Brabant, Netherlands,[4] and was the seventh of eleven children. But this guy is like eighty years old too old to be taught the limits of racism He probably doesn't realize how horrible a thing that was to do. His accent wasn't so theatrical, and he was way funnier than Baz Luhrmann gives him credit for. Related: Why Elvis' Reviews Are So Positive. The actor has talked about the project, what drew him to it, and how he felt about the overall story. He's a very smart man. For the rest of his life, Parker managed the Presley estate. [37] After that, until 1968, Presley gave no live performances, and had very little contact with his fans. [26] By the summer Presley had become one of the most famous new faces of the year, causing excitement among the new teenage audience and outrage among some older audiences and religious groups. [15] Around the same time, realizing the deal for Presley might fall through due to the cost of the contract, Parker attempted to sell Tommy Sands to RCA. I said no." Yet, in the end, standing up to the Colonel proved to be an expert . [53] Parker, who had always dealt with Presley's film contracts and viewed the offer as a starting bid to earning more money, instead asked for a salary $1 million ($5,035,869 in 2021 dollars[11]), 50% of the profits, plus another $100,000 ($503,587 in 2021 dollars[11]) for expenses, and spoke of needing to arrange details of a soundtrack deal. Paul Shirey is a senior news writer for Screen Rant. [4] From about 1931 until 1938, he worked as a "carny" with Royal American Shows. [33] He had arranged for Presley to record five singles before his induction,[35] guaranteeing RCA Victor enough material to release over a two-year period. Parker became known as a shrewd, showy, and manipulative businessman who was able to work out lucrative deals at minimal overhead while making sure his pockets were lined healthily along the way. He would sniff out talent and attempt to milk them for all they were worth, including Elvis, whom he initially saw as an act that wouldn't last more than a few years. After his Army hitch, he had him stop making personal appearances, and limited his public exposure to three sappy movies a year. [54] He phoned Presley's father once to suggest taking time off, but Vernon Presley told him they couldn't afford to stop touring due to Presley's constant and lavish spending of money. [23] Later, when Hank Snow asked Parker about the status of their contract with Presley, Parker told him: "You don't have any contract with Elvis Presley. Parker was also afraid that any attempt to block Presley from being drafted would result in a more detailed look into his own service record. [48] Two weeks after the Las Vegas press conference Parker received a letter from Honolulu Advertiser columnist Eddie Sherman. [44], During a closing night performance on September 3, 1973, following news that a Hilton staff member whom Presley was fond of had been fired, Presley attacked Hilton Hotels chairman Barron Hilton in a verbal rage on stage. Lisa Marie died on January 12 after suffering cardiac arrest. Played by Tom Hanks in the new biopic Elvis, directed by Baz Luhrmann, Colonel Tom Parker remains, 25 years after his death, and nearly half a century after the death of his only client, the most memorable and divisive manager in the history of show business.It was the Colonel who propelled his "boy", as he would refer to him, from being a local celebrity in Memphis to being the most . He also pocketed some $6 million on a deal for Elvis'. 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