Carol Connors Believes Being Part of “A Star Is Born” Would've 'Saved' Elvis Presley's Life (Exclusive)
Carol Connors Believes Being Part of “A Star Is Born” Would've 'Saved' Elvis Presley's Life (Exclusive)
Tereza Shkurtaj, Abby SternSat, April 18, 2026 at 10:30 AM UTC
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Carol Conners; Elvis Presley.Credit: Harry Langdon/Getty; Getty -
On April 13, 2026, Carol Connors attended the 26th annual Beverly Hills Film Festival at the TCL Chinese Theatres in Los Angeles for the showcase of Elvis, Rocky & Me: The Carol Connors Story
During the event, the 85-year-old singer-songwriter shared with PEOPLE that her documentary includes “pretty personal” information about her relationship with Elvis Presley
Connors also tells PEOPLE that, to this day, she still believes a role in A Star Is Born would have "saved" Presley’s life
In the years before his death, Elvis Presley had long expressed a deep passion for acting and a desire to take on more serious roles.
One major opportunity came when the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll was offered a part in the 1976 film A Star Is Born — a project that could have marked a turning point in his career. The role, however, ultimately slipped away, with friends and family previously pointing to the influence of his longtime manager, Colonel Tom Parker.
Carol Connors, who once dated Presley and remained a lifelong friend, tells PEOPLE at the 26th annual Beverly Hills Film Festival she thinks the missed opportunity carried profound weight on the singer.
“Diane Warren and Talia Shire, all three of us, we believe that if [Elvis] would have done A Star is Born, because he was offered that — and it's in the biopic, so it validates what I'm saying — we believe that he would have been nominated, probably not won, knowing the Oscars, but I believe it would have saved his life," Connors says following the showing of her documentary, Elvis, Rocky & Me, on April 13.
Elvis Presley and Ann-Margret in 'Viva Las Vegas,' 1964.Credit: Silver Screen Collection/Getty
Connors went on to explain why she feels so strongly, pointing to Presley’s drive to be taken seriously on screen.
“Because he so wanted to be respected, not just as Elvis Presley, the performer, but as an actor,” the 85-year-old singer-songwriter shares, emphasizing that his ambitions went far beyond music.
“He loved James Dean, Marlon Brando. I mean, he was very film-oriented,” she adds, underscoring how deeply invested he was in cinema.
At the same time, Connors suggests the hitmaker’s career was often steered in the wrong direction, noting, “Colonel Parker kept putting him in these beachy-weechy, fluffy, puffy, wuffy films.”
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In a 2024 interview with PEOPLE, Priscilla Presley also reflected on Elvis’ frustrations with earlier roles, explaining that he “wanted to be in great movies, not the stupid movies that he did like Girls! Girls! Girls! That wasn't Elvis.”
His ex-wife even confirmed that Parker was the person who “talked him out of” opportunities.
“Barbra [Streisand] had offered him the part,” Priscilla said of A Star Is Born. “Colonel talked him out of that saying, 'Oh, it's not going to be good. She's going to be in charge, not you. Her movie, not yours.' Elvis regretted that because he felt he could have played that part.”
Elvis Presley in 'Jailhouse Rock.'Credit: Getty
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Ultimately, the role in question went to Kris Kristofferson, who starred opposite Streisand in the 1976 film.
A Star Is Born went on to win an Academy Award and earn multiple nominations, solidifying its place as a standout remake of an already celebrated story. Its enduring popularity even led to a modern version in 2018 starring Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper.
Still, while speaking to PEOPLE, Connors made sure to acknowledge Elvis’ potential, pointing to standout performances like 1957’s Jailhouse Rock and emphasizing that “there are moments where you see that [Elvis] really is an actor, and I think [A Star Is Born] would have saved his life.”
Presley died in August 1977 at age 42 from a heart attack, just nine months after A Star Is Born came out.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
