Jan Shepard was an actress who starred alongside Elvis Presley (1935–1977) in “King Creole” and “Paradise, Hawaiian Style.”
- Died: January 17, 2025 (Who else died on January 17?)
- Details of death: Died at a hospital in Burbank, California of pneumonia brought on by respiratory failure at the age of 96.
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Jan Shepard’s legacy
Shepard was a familiar face to many of Presley’s fans, since she appeared in the movie that he said was his favorite: 1958’s “King Creole.” She played Mimi, the sister of his character. She later recalled in interviews that she got along well with the icon; they would go to lunch together, and he said he wished he had a sister like her. Eight years after co-starring in “King Creole,” she was reunited with him in “Paradise, Hawaiian Style.” Presley played a helicopter pilot, and Shepard appeared as the wife of his business partner.
When she wasn’t acting alongside Presley, Shepard had a busy TV career, beginning in the early days of the medium. Her first acting credit came in 1952 on “Fireside Theatre,” which is considered the first successful filmed show on TV. She went on to earn dozens of other TV credits, including a leading role in the 1960s soap opera, “The Clear Horizon.” She made several appearances each on “Highway Patrol,” “Rawhide,” “Laramie,” “Perry Mason,” and “Gunsmoke.” Other TV guest spots included “Bus Stop,” “Bonanza,” “Mannix,” and her final onscreen role in “The Rookies” in 1973.
Though “King Creole” and “Paradise, Hawaiian Style” were Shepard’s highest profile films, she also had a few other big-screen roles. One was the 1959 cult classic b-movie “Attack of the Giant Leeches.” She also appeared in “Third of a Man,” “Della,” and other movies.
Shepard on meeting Elvis
“When you’re assigned a film role, you have to go to the doctor, because of the insurance company. They have to make sure you don’t have a bad heart, any of that nonsense. They made my appointment for me at the studio, so I was there and I had on a white shirt and these slacks my mother had made for me that were like wine colored. I went in the office and I was waiting to be called in. In walks Elvis with two of his buddies. I looked at him and he looked at me and we started to laugh. His jacket was the identical material and color of my slacks. He looked at me and he said, ‘Honey, I’m either going to have to give you my jacket or you’re going to have to give me your pants’ (laughing). That was my first meeting with Elvis.” — from an interview for Elvis Australia
Tributes to Jan Shepard
Full obituary: The Hollywood Reporter
