Elvis Presley with his manager, Colonel Tom Parker, in Memphis in 1956.

The Kingmaker

Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis sealed Colonel Tom Parker’s reputation as greedy and conniving. In truth, Presley’s manager was the opposite—someone who would do anything for his client and friend

By Marshall Terrill

In recent years, debate has opened up about Colonel Tom Parker and his influence over his most prized and famous client: Elvis Presley.

It has long been accepted that he was a cigar-chomping malevolent leech who manipulated the King and controlled his every breath. Baz Luhrmann’s 2022 film further perpetuated the caricature of Colonel Parker (played by Tom Hanks) as the scoundrel juxtaposed to the cherished star (Austin Butler) forever ensconced in pop-culture sainthood. It was this installment in the ongoing, misinterpreted narrative that prompted my new book with Greg McDonald, Elvis and the Colonel: An Insider’s Look at the Most Legendary Partnership in Show Business.