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Colonel Tom Parker. 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. His real name was Andreas van Kuijk. Thank you.". After incredible success in the 1950s, a period during which Presley came to define the new sound of rock and roll, his popularity plummeted in the 1960s after a stint in the Army and a series of lazy, poorly received films. He had toured with carnivals, worked with elephants and. He walked with the help of a cane during much of his adult life because of spine problems. The next morning he died from complications of the stroke at a hospital in Las Vegas, Nevada, at age 87. Tom knew that Elvis was the golden goose and Hank was a story of the past. Related: Why Elvis' Reviews Are So Positive. Robert Kennedy, too, met his fateful end in 1968. From his exorbitant 50-percent fee for his services to a multitude of deals where he actually made more money than his client, Parker violated plenty of ethical rules, even if Presley willingly signed the contracts. I had a different layer of expectations," the actor said. Tom Parker caught a glimpse of the singer backstage. The Tom Hanks Tom Parker portrayal has caused quite a bit of controversy upon the film's release. The RCA record label signed Elvis and Sam Philips was duly compensation for letting the artist go. He rode him till he died and even in death he attempt. When Tom made an offer to partner with Elvis, the first thought that came to the singers mind was that it could be the end of all his struggles. . It has been suggested he assumed his new name from a Captain Thomas. Did JMS Leader Jung Myung Seok Abuse Maple And Other Foreign Nationals? The actor wore a fat suit and heavy make-up to appear more like Parker, but the real performance came in the mannerisms, accent, and presence of Hanks embodying Elvis' manager. Andreas Cornelis van Kuijk, aka Colonel Tom Parker, put a lot of effort into hiding his true identity and his past. 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. Austin Butler as Elvis and Tom Hanks as Colonel Tom Parker do the bulk of the heavy lifting. The Elvis Presley manager did a lot of controversial things during his time in show business, and the Baz Luhrmann movie reveals just how much of a monster he really was. King, his music, and his style. Since he'd never been naturalized as a U.S. citizen, either, he wasn't a subject of either country. AccordingSmithsonian Magazine, the reason for this attitude is the same reason Parker refused to travel internationally and why he usually settled lawsuits instead of taking the chance of being forced to testify under oath: He was terrified that his status as an illegal immigrant would be revealed. Andreas Cornelis van Kuijk, aka Colonel Tom Parker, put a lot of effort into hiding his true identity and his past. He organized a satellite concert, the credit for which he proudly took, as it was watched by more than 1.5 billion people. The preliminary autopsy findings indicated that the cause of death was . All Images property of their respective owners. And for every dollar Elvis earned, Tom Parker took a piece. He fully believed the colonels story that Parker hailed from Huntington, West Virginia; Elvis died not knowing the truth," she says. Parker became one of the most famous people in the world, amassed a huge fortune, and negotiated huge deals on Presley's behalf often making business enemies as he went due to his hard-nosed style. 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. The Talent manager Colonel Tom Parker died at the age of 87 years. Mr. Parker devoted his life to Presley. On July 26th, 1977, the King of rock and roll performed for the last time before finally resting on peace. Colonel Parker lay on the hospital bed, overlooking the International Hotel of Las Vegas, and all over the media, there was news that he was responsible for the death of Elvis Presley. 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. Col. Parker was somewhat of a mysterious figure who preferred to stay out of the public eye. He was ruthless and heartless. The sum varies from $2 million to $10 million, she says, andas the movie shows, Elvis ultimately decided he couldnt afford to pay and went back to work for the colonel. He properly saluted and sird me left and right, and I always admired that in him., Austin Butler as Elvis:His acting lessons began when Tom Hanks delivered a typewriter to his door. Read more to discover the real story behind the man who made Elvis. 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. He was a wonderful man, and I wish he was alive today. There is still money to be made even more so that he is dead. 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. But what he didnt know was that he was about to enter a swamp, and there was no way out of it. He became a sensation, and his music and performances reverberated across the country. Parker adopted the title as if it were part of his identity, frequently being referred to as "The Colonel," despite his military discharge. The doctors termed it a heart attack, but was it really just that? His mother, Gladys Presley, had a premonition of sorts. There is a scene in the film where Elvis faints just before going on stage. He had a matter-of-fact method of speaking and didn't suffer fools lightly. The theory was never tested. In 1953 Parker bought a house in Madison, Tennessee, where Presley would visit and stay while recording. Parker had a reputation for being incredibly protective of his relationship with Presley and for isolating the singer and encouraging his descent into drug addiction and poor health, a cycle that resulted in Presley's early death at age 42. He seemed to exercise firm control over Presley, who affectionately called Parker "admiral." 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. Parker was an avid gambler, which is believed to have been the source of many of his "fast money" dealings with Austin Butler's Elvis. I like to dwell in the cinematic world and ponder over philosophical thoughts. Related: Every Baz Luhrmann Movie, Ranked According To Box Office Mojo. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. Parker also controlled Presleys public image, engineering the kinds of movies in which he appeared and dictating his press appearances. 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. Tom Parker left Hank Snow and started managing Elvis full time. And she said, No. He did not give 2 shits about Elvis. AKA Andreas Cornelis van Kuijk. Show director/producer Steve Binder turned to songwriter Earl Brown to write an emotional ballad, "If I Can Dream," that reflected Elvis hopes that the nation could get through such a crisis and heal. Elvis' manager was obsessed with money and reveled in the sheer amount of it he could extract from his only client's enormous success. He was 87. Or purchase a subscription for unlimited access to real news you can count on. Martin Luther King had been shot dead in his hometown, Memphis, Tennessee. But it was not so. AsSmithsonian Magazinereports, van Kuijk, who was born in the Netherlands, created an elaborate fake past for himself. but was then declared dead from cardiac arrest at 3:30pm. The hold that Parker had over Presley did not extend to Presleys family. No matter what Colonel Parker says, his actions did qualify as a betrayal. 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. 'Elvis' movie fact check: What's true, what's fiction in new biopic? In 1948, he wangled the honorary colonel's title from Louisiana's Governor, Jimmie Davis, and henceforth asked to be addressed as ''Colonel.'' 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. Parker was a svengali who exerted an extreme amount of control over his charges career, and took enormous 25 to 50% in commission. Col. Tom Parker, the former carnival barker who helped guide Elvis Presley to stardom, died Tuesday of complications from a stroke in Las Vegas. No, he never would have done that, Nash says. Michael Ochs Archives/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images, granted him an honorary colonelcy in 1948, sold Presleys contract to RCA Victor for $35,000, restricted Presley from touring internationally. How Did Colonel Parker Died. CAPTION: COL. TOM PARKER. The epic biopic "Elvis" covers a lot of ground - 42 years, to be precise - from the iconic singer's birth until his death in 1977. The new contract also allowed Parker to charge additional fees for services he provided, eating away at the money that should have gone to Elvis instead. Despite the court controversy, Parker continued to appear at Elvis-themed events, from anniversaries to special events, etc. According to Norman Taurog, a film director who worked with Presley, the powers that be at MGM and Colonel Parker always wanted [Presley] in lighter films surrounded by pretty girls so those were the films he made. Colonel Parker lay on the hospital bed, overlooking the International Hotel of Las Vegas, and all over the media, there was news that he was responsible for the death of Elvis Presley. Although from the Netherlands originally, actor Tom Hanks' Parker had a Southern-style accent due to a huge chunk of his life being spent there, but it was more of a mixture with his native Dutch accent. Yet no one ever thought to investigate the Colonel's past. Elvis and B.B. Colonel Tom Parker had swagger. Parker quickly set to work promoting Presley, arranging tour dates and television appearances (including Presleys famous performances on The Ed Sullivan Show), and by the end of 1956, he and Presley had signed a contract making Parker the musicians sole and exclusive adviser, personal representative and manager.. Colonel Parkers financial abuse came to light, and it ended his ties with the Presley Estate. 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. In February of 1957, historian Michael T. Bertrand writes, Edward R. Murrow invited Elvis to appear on his prestigious evening news program. Parker was eventually sued by the Elvis estate over mismanagement, which found his dealings over the years to be unethical and extortionate. One reason Parker needed all that money was his gambling and as theDailyExpressreports, he may have contributed to Presley's early death by pushing the singer to perform two shows a night, seven days a week, for his Las Vegas residencies in order to keep the cash coming. Nash says Powell told her that he and Presleywere out in a field in the woods in Germany, and he just looked like every other pimple-faced (soldier), doing what other soldiers were doing and trying to get along. Parker died on January 21, 1997, of complications from a stroke. 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. When World War II erupted, plunging the whole world into bloody conflict, the U.S. Army needed a lot of men in a very short time, and most people were more than willing to step up and answer the draft. Even his father somehow felt coerced by a snarling Tom Parker and said nothing. There, The New York Times obituary reports, he pursued other eclectic pursuits including working as the citys dog catcher and setting up a pet cemetery. I am Elena, the curator of all the biography, Net worth content that you will be reading on this blog. Even in times of war, the Army has some strict standards about the physical condition of its soldiers, so Parker's brilliant plan to avoid the draft involved gaining weight. Yet Parker soaked Elvis for an enormous amount of money. 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. After Parker's death in 1997, the home was used as a law office. 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.. Colonel Parker.jpg 260 348; 21 KB. . On August 14, 1981, Judge Evans . He was tired of the shiny lights, of the big stage, and most of all, of playing the host to all those parasites who had made him hollow from the inside. There was something unusual about the kind of music he created. That night at the Louisiana Hayride, he saw each and every member of the audience soaked in that kind of dilemma. So she did the only sensible thing she could do: She sued Presley's manager, Colonel Tom Parker, in order to sever him from the estate and gain full control and she won. 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. Keep supporting great journalism by turning off your ad blocker. He maintained that his name was Thomas Andrew Parker and was happy to imply that his apparent rank of colonel stemmed from his service in the Army before World War II. He sold programs and counted tickets at his shows. 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. Nobody knew if the death threats were real or not. But its gone now.. Elvis was known for many things: launching rock and roll into the mainstream, scandalizing folks with his hip gyrations, rhinestone-studded jumpsuits and some really, really awful movies. He had created a different narrative for himself, and he takes us back in time when he heard about the King of Rock and Roll for the first time in his life. There was an encounter in December1956, when King was the headliner on the all-black WDIA Goodwill Revue. The following discusses plot points from the new "Elvis" movie and the real life of Elvis Presley. After his wife died in 1980, he remarried and moved to Las Vegas, where he lent his experience to entertainers and served as an entertainment adviser to the Hilton Hotel chain. Much of the money went to Col. Tom Parker, the King's enigmatic, cigar- chomping manager and Svengali. Toward the end of his life, Parker began to lose control of both Elvis Presley's legacy and his own story, however, and today, we know the truth about Elvis Presley's manager. Breaking News. Everybody loves Tom Hanks but they may not love Tom Parker, the predatory music manager he plays in Elvis. 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. Theres no one, including his father, who could have pulled that off., By the time Elvis was trying to get help for his addictions, his ex-wife was no longer in his life on a daily basis. Possibly because he was a murderer. Still, Presley called Mr. Parker and his first wife, Marie, ''the finest people in the world.''. In 1955, Parker began advising Elvis Presley, who at that time was signed with a small recording label, Sun Records. One of the suits was filed by a lawyer for Presley's daughter, Lisa Marie. Colonel Tom Parker was astonished to hear that Elvis Presley was a white man. The Masked Lookalike Explained. There was a petition to bar Elvis Presley from doing television shows. Interestingly, Elvis didnt immediately jump on it,Nash says. The tailspin created by RFKs death led directly to the specials powerful finale. Baz Luhrmann's musical biopic Elvis explores the eponymous singer's career, leading up to his tragic death, and one of the characters that has caused a fair amount of controversy is Elvis and the Colonel, Tom Parker. Parker began to worry that he might be charged with crimes stemming from any number of these misdeeds and suddenly decided that his illegal entry into the United States in the 1920s was a positive instead of a negative. Elvis picked up an impressive seven Oscar nominations. So why was he so worried about his true identity as Andreas van Kuijk coming out? He said he had turned down numerous book offers, some worth seven figures, because publishers were looking for the seamy side of Presley's life. But as the L.A. Times wrote in its obituary of Parker, his life slowed down and shrank after Presleys death. And there certainly would've been no Elvis without Colonel Tom Parker.' He was quickly arrested and spent a few months in military prison. He enjoyed gambling and often was seen playing roulette and craps in Las Vegas, where he had lived since the 1980s. He discovered Presley through the recommendation of Oscar Davis, who worked for Mr. Parker. Tom used to work in the carnival, and he knew that there were certain tricks that left the audience baffled. What's truly remarkable about van Kuijk's deception is how long it lasted. Yet he never bothered and remained an illegal immigrant his entire life. Parker always stood by his arguments in which he said that he did what was best for the singer. Perhaps the best-known manager in show business, Mr. Parker -- universally known by the honorary title Colonel -- oversaw Presley's rise from a phenomenon in the South to a worldwide superstar. Col. Parker stayed in the position until "the King of Rock 'n' Roll" died Aug. 16, 1977. His father, Vernon, was an incompetent business manager, which allowed Tom Parker to play his tricks. Col. Parker snapped: "We're here to honor his memory. were acquaintances, but not close friends," she says. Yet many of Presley's fans resented Mr. Parker, accusing him of urging the singer to embrace shlock instead of substance, of charging the singer exorbitant commissions and of keeping Presley from touring outside of the United States. His first wife, Marie, died in 1980. Presley, however, was confident in the song, and Heartbreak Hotel was soon at the top of the Billboard Charts. ", 'Where has this been hiding? 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. As theLos Angeles Timespoints out, his manager, Colonel Tom Parker, knew that Elvis' brand was so powerful that he could earn millions at any moment simply by booking a tour, recording an album, or appearing in a film. When he was still in his teens, Andreas fled the Netherlands by ship, arriving in Canada and making his way to Hoboken, New Jersey. In a review of a biography of Parker in The Washington Post, book critic Jonathan Yardley reflects that The hold [Parker] had on Presley is an enduring mystery. Presley remained loyal to Parker, even as Parker exploited and benefited from his star power and talent. 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. Throughout his life, Parker claimed that he had been born Thomas Andrew Parker in Huntington, West Virginia, shortly after the turn of the 20th century. 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 then did the unthinkable, convincing Elvis' father, Vernon, to sign over control of Elvis' movie and singing "career" to him. The man had immigrated illegally to the United States of America, and that is why he didnt want to travel abroad, as it would expose his real identity. He attended Elvis funeral dressed in a Hawaiian shirt and baseball cap, avoiding any display of emotion. But it was not so. And, in fact, there is an unsolved murder in Bochstraat that fits the timeline of Parker's movements: In 1929, a woman named Anna van den Enden was beaten to death behind her husband's grocery store. There were questions as to the citizenship of Tom Parker. 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. Presley died in 1977; his official cause of death was heart failure, although tests showed high levels of drugs in his . He was also offered the Kris Kristofferson role in the 1976 version of A Star is Born. 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; . The sale was a result of a series of lawsuits against him accusing him of taking financial advantage of Presley. 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. The epic biopic Elvis covers a lot of ground 42 years, to be precise from the iconic singers birth until his death in 1977. 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). 'I couldn't be an imposter': How Austin Butler vanished into the role of Elvis Presley. 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. Gender: Male Race or Ethnicity: White Sexual orientation: Straight Occupation: Business. 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. So far as the wider world knew, the Colonel was Thomas Andrew Parker, born in Huntingdon, West Virginia, some time shortly after 1900. When Elvis wanted to break the association, Parker sent him a notice, in which he stated that the singer owed approximately eight million dollars to him. Although Parker successfully landed Arnold performances in Las Vegas and acting roles in movies, Arnold evidently found his management style claustrophobic, because he fired him in 1953. He thought it might be a little too Broadway. It can never be proved that Colonel Parker had direct involvement in the death of the artist, but it is an inevitable fact that he created situations that led to it eventually. Elvis was tired. 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. And when he said that, I said, 'Oh, well, okay, now that's brand new.". Elvis died at the age of 42, in the year 1977. Doctors told Tom Parker that he had stage 4 . He was 87 years old. He claimed to have been born in Huntington, West Virginia. The two argued into the night until Elvis, in his 30th-floor suite, fired Parker, who immediately replied that he quit and, as the movie depicts, retired to his offices to draw up a bill for what he claimed Elvis owed him. By subscribing to this BDG newsletter, you agree to our. This took a mental toll on Parker. 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. How did Colonel Tom Parker die? The cause of death was cardiac arrhythmia. He also managed pop singer Gene Austin, who recorded the hit "My Blue Heaven." In 1983, he was paid $2 million dollars in an out-of-court settlement, which had him turn over any and all audio and video recordings he had of Elvis and terminated his involvement in any Elvis-related earnings for five years. He moved to Las Vegas and in 1989 got married a second time, to a woman named Loanne. At that point in time, a fresh voice had emerged out of nowhere in the market. He worked with traveling carnivals and eventually got into music promotion, changing his name to Tom Parker (taking the name from his Army recruitment officer) and erasing any mention of his true origins. AsCMT Newsreports, in order to slow down any attempt to bring criminal charges against him, Parker officially claimed that he was a citizen of no nation a man without a country and thus not subject to any country's laws. Smithsonian reports that Parker even restricted Presley from touring internationally due to his own undocumented status, forfeiting a potentially enormous payout. Elvis Presley had his own struggles, particularly in his later years, as his lavish spending, addiction issues, divorce, and declining health took a toll on The King. 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. The Presley estate sued Parker for fraud in 1981, specifically over the deals he had with RCA in addition to his contract with Presley which, needless to say, amounted to a conflict of interest. So much so, that the Elvis estate even sued Parker for mismanagement. They gave him a choice. I was expecting to hear stories about the distrust she had for Colonel Tom Parker over these many years, he told Colbert. Held at a Hilton Hotel, his funeral was attended by the likes of Sun Records boss Sam Phillips and Parker's former client . At some point, he made his way to the United States Smithsonian speculates that he entered through the Canadian border and resided in America for the rest of his life as an undocumented immigrant. He gained weight and looked awful, sweating through his rhinestone jumpsuits. Spoiler alert! 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. but continued in his management role until the singer's death in 1977. Elvis Presley expressed his desire to go overseas frequently, but he was kept at bay with easy and fast money arranged by The Colonel on projects in the U.S. By the time they reached the final years of Elvis' career, the two were so intertwined and invested that it made more sense to stay in business than to walk away. Its a story about power, about control, about greed, and most of all, about freedom, for which our protagonist longed till his last breath. In the end, both Elvis and Colonel Parker shared a tragic journey that mirrored their working relationship. Parker was known to be a ruthless businessman who was only interested in making money, and some believe that he killed Elvis in order to cash in on his death.