The Elvis Presley Actor's Guide: What the Character Looked Like in Real Life

Baz Luhrmann's Elvis biopic stars a slew of stars, including Austin Butler and Tom Hanks, who play live-action characters.

Baz Luhrmann's Elvis biopic features a diverse cast, old and new, playing reality icons from the Presley era. Director of genre hits such as Romeo and Juliet, Moulin Rouge, Australia and The Great Gatsby, Luhrmann is known for his energetic, moving visuals and keen eye for music. Elvis Presley, the director's first biopic about a famous musician, had a tough casting call. However, with Austin Butler recently winning a Golden Globe and being nominated for an Academy Award for playing Elvis himself, the casting seems to have been pretty successful.

Elvis Presley, the iconic legend who helped define a new era of music and changed the landscape of the industry, is known as the "King of Rock and Roll". Beginning as a controversial figure, Elvis' music and image were embraced, and he went on to rise to fame around the world as a singer, actor, and icon. Elvis Presley was surrounded by many friends, family and colleagues throughout his life, who are played by a talented cast in Luhrmann's films. Portraying real-world characters from the King's life, actors include From heavy hitters like Tom Hanks to familiar faces like Dacre Montgomery to newcomers like Olivia DeJonger. Check out a breakdown of Elvis actors compared to real-life actors.

Austin Butler as Elvis Presley

In "Elvis", Butler played the title character, legendary singer Elvis Presley from Tennessee, who started out as a talented up-and-coming artist who rose to prominence in the music industry and became the all-time One of the most distinguished personalities and a true cultural icon. Butler is best known to date for his role as Will Ohmsford in The Shannara Chronicles, and for his role in Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood, where he played Manson murderer Tex Watson. The actor also appeared in The Carrie Diaries and Arrow. He is rumored to next appear in Denis Villeneuve's Dune: Part 2 as Feyd Rautha.

Tom Hanks as Colonel Tom Parker

Hanks plays Colonel Tom Parker, Elvis Presley's controversial manager, who became obsessed with the singer as a child and stayed with him throughout his career , while creating opportunities and manipulating the singer's career. Hanks is no stranger to playing real-life characters, a multi-Academy Award-winning actor known for roles in Forrest Gump, Cast Away, Philadelphia, Saving Private Ryan and countless others have become Hollywood icons in their own right. Elvis is one of the few films in which Hanks' transformative performance benefited from the use of prosthetics, and one of the few films in which Hanks plays the villain.

Olivia DeJonge as Priscilla Presley

Olivia DeJonge played Elvis Presley's first and only wife, Priscilla Presley, in Elvis Presley, who first met the singer while serving in the military in Germany. The couple eventually married in 1967, when Elvis began his Hollywood career. They had one daughter, Lisa Marie, before divorcing in 1973, though Priscilla went on to become executor of Elvis Presley's estate, forming the Elvis Enterprises (EPE) to keep his estate alive and starring in the Naked Gun movie Herself. DeJonge is a relatively new talent but has made a name for himself in projects like TNT's Will, Netflix's The Society and the HBO Max miniseries The Staircase.

Richard Roxburgh as Vernon Presley

Roxburgh played Elvis' father, Vernon Presley, who later became Elvis' financial manager, helping with Graceland's affairs and traveling with his son, managing with Colonel Tom Parker his career. A native Australian, Roxburgh has appeared in a number of film and television projects, notably Mission: Impossible II, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Van Helsing, Hacksaw Ridge, and Catherine the Great.

Helen Thomson as Gladys Presley

Thomson played Elvis Presley's mother Gladys Presley in Elvis Presley. Gladys came from a poor background and was very close to his son, which is believed to be partly because Elvis was a twin, but his younger brother was stillborn. She suffered from alcoholism and battled Elvis' fame, which further estranged her from her son until she died of alcoholism at the age of 46. Thomson is best known for her work in her native Australia, including multiple TV shows such as Bad Moms, Stupid, Stupid Men and Bad Cop, Bad Cop. Elvis is her first feature film effort since 2004. Early Elvis was a budding musician. Harrison Jr. has worked on a number of notable projects throughout his career to date, including the films Judgment of the Chicago Seven, Mudbound, The Waves and Cyrano. he will appear next The Chevalier, a biopic about the composer Joseph Bologne, the Knight of St. George.

Elvis' Supporting Cast & Characters

David Wenham as Hank Snow: Wenham stars as Clarence Eugene "Hank" Snow, the famous country music singer whose career spanned 50 years and was initially run by Colonel Tom Parker. Snow initially wanted Presley to open the show at the Grand Ole Opry, but eventually, Colonel Tom Parker would leave Snow to run Elvis. Wenham has had an illustrious career in film and television, playing Faramir in Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings, Dilios in Zack Snyder's 300 and most recently on Netflix Starred in the series Pieces of Her, among countless others.

Kodi Smit-McPhee as Jimmie Rodgers Snow: Smit-McPhee played Hank Snow's son in "Elvis Presley", a musician like his father who, when Elvis began to become a superstar, Start worshiping him. Rodgers Snow left the music industry entirely early on to become a preacher. Smit-McPhee has built a notable career to date, starring in such films as Highway, Rise for the Planet of the Apes, Alpha and The Might of Dogs. He also played Nightcrawler in X-Men: Apocalypse.

Luke Bracey as Jerry Schilling: Bracey plays talent manager Jerry Schilling in the film Elvis, a lifelong friend, manager and member of Elvis Presley's "Memphis Mafia," the group of friends, managers and associates that usually surrounded the singer. Bracey is an Australian actor known for his work in films such as G.I. Joe: Revenge (as Cobra Commander), Point Break remake, Hacksaw Ridge and the Netflix action film Interceptor with Elsa Pataky.

Dacre Montgomery as Steve Binder: Montgomery stars in Elvis as Steve Binder, a television producer who helped create Elvis Presley's 1969 comeback TV special, which was a huge success, much to the chagrin of Colonel Tom Parker. He also later produced a Star Wars TV special, one of the most critically criticized of all time. Montgomery is another Australian native who played Billy Hargrove in Netflix's Stranger Things and the Red Ranger in the film Power Rangers.

Alton Mason as Little Richard: Mason played singer-songwriter Little Richard in Elvis, known as "the architect of rock and roll" for his influence on the genre, including his hits such as "Tutti Frutti" and "Long Tall Sally", in the early circles of the movement with B.B. King, Elvis, Buddy Holly and others. Mason is best known as a male model Elvis was his first featured role.

Many actors have played Elvis in the past, but Baz Luhrmann Elvis gave his defining performance as "The King of Rock and Roll" in the biopic. Playing such an iconic role was a daunting task for a relatively unknown young actor, but Austin Butler's performance captured the requisite charisma and ensured that moviegoers will keep his name with him for decades to come. Remember the name of Elvis Presley together.

After winning the Golden Globe, Butler was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor and was likely to take home the coveted award on Oscar night. Butler's performance clearly resonated with a lot of people. From his voice changes to Butler drawing on his own sad connection to Elvis, the show brings the iconic character to life in impressive fashion and leads Elvis' cast with the confidence of a Hollywood star.

NEXT: Where to watch Elvis Presley

Austin Butler's Oscar Nomination Cements His Portrayal Of Elvis As Definitive