On This Day in 1956: Elvis Presley Began Filming His First Movie, ‘Love Me Tender’

Before his tragic death in 1977, Elvis Presley was everywhere in pop culture. Matter of fact, he still is everywhere. Now, even though his legacy as a pop culture icon very well would have been cemented simply as a musician. Another creative endeavor that solidified Elvis as a star was his acting career.

Starring in 31 feature films, some of the more notable films Elvis acted in were The Searcher and Blue Hawaii. Always the leading man, Elvis’ movies were fan favorites and just another avenue for fans to catch a glimpse of the biggest star of the time. That said, today marks the first official day of The King’s storied acting career.

Elvis Presley’s Acting Debut

Before Love Me Tender, Elvis had been wanting to act in films since the early ’50s. So, when 1956 rolled around he finally got his first shot at a leading role as the character of Clint Reno. His desire to star in films was because he believed singing wouldn’t get him that far. Telling Life Magazine, “I want to become a good actor because you can’t build a whole career on just singing.”

Allegedly, according to Biography, Presley’s first screen test before the film didn’t entail much acting talent. Nonetheless, he was Elvis, and frankly, people seemingly didn’t watch the movie to see Elvis act. They watched the movie to see Elvis, well, be Elvis. Lastly, he was so dedicated to this career pivot that he memorized the whole script before shooting even started, per Biography.

‘Love Me Tender’ & It’s Massive Success

With a budget of $1.2 million, the film grossed $4.5 million at the box office. Which is today’s equivalent of grossing nearly $50 million. Elvis’ first movie was a major motion picture hit. Despite not being critically acclaimed or not necessarily being viewed as “cinema.” Elvis’ performance was still met with high praise. Elvis’ co-star, Richard Eagan told The New York Times, “This guy is genuine” and “There’s nothing phony about him and he works hard. He’s not conceited.”

Elvis’ successful acting debut led to a long-lived film career. Despite never winning any awards for his acting, seeing The King on screen was and still is a way to see just how popular and influential the man truly is. Without Love Me Tender Elvis Presley surely still would have been a household name, though, being an actor adds to his legendary list of accomplishments.

Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images