Joan Blackman, who starred as Elvis Presley’s love interest in his singer’s classic movies Blue Hawaii and Kid Galahad, has died.
Blackman’s son, Ngai Tarkington, told The Hollywood Reporter that his mother died in a hospital in Santa Rose, Calif., on March 16. She was 87.
Blackman first starred opposite Presley in the rock ‘n’ roll musical comedy Blue Hawaii in 1961. In the film, Presley plays Chad Gates, who, after his stint in the military, returns to Hawaii, where he is expected to take over the family’s fruit business but he has an interest in being a tour guide. Blackman stars as Chad’s girlfriend, Maile Duval, who eventually becomes his wife and partner in their tourism business.
In addition to the title song, the soundtrack to Blue Hawaii feautured Presley’s classic hit, “Can’t Help Falling in Love.”
The next year, Blackman reunited with Presley on the music drama Kid Galahad. In that film, Presley stars as Walter Gulick, who after being discharged from the military takes up boxing in the Catskills in New York. Blackman plays Rose Grogan, the sister of Gig Young’s boxing promoter Willy Grogan.
Before her films with Presley, Blackman starred opposite Dean Martin and Shirley MacLaine in the 1959 drama Career; and opposite Jerry Lewis in the 1960 comedy Visit to a Small Planet. Blackman’s work in television included the ABC daytime drama Peyton Place, where she appeared in 16 episodes as Marian Fowler in soap’s second season from 1965 to 1966.
Joan Blackman Starred In Nearly Three Dozen Screen Roles
Born May 17, 1938, in San Francisco, Joan Blackman made her screen debut in the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation series Playbill, where she made three guest appearances over two seasons in 1954 and 1955. In 1957, she appeared in a pair of guest turns in the series The Last of Mohicans, produced by the U.K.’s Incorporated Television Company.
Prior to her work in Career, Blackman in 1959 starred in the Western Good Day For a Hanging, opposite Fred MacMurray, Robert Vaughn and Margaret Hayes. The next year, she starred in the Tony Curtis and Karl Malden comedy drama The Great Imposter.
Blackman’s other film credits included Intimacy (1966), The Destructors (1967), Daring Game (1968), Pets (1973) and Macon County Line (1974).
The actress’ television credits included guest roles on such television series as as Encounter (1954 to 1958), Perry Mason (1964), Bonanza (1965), I Spy (1966), Bonanza (1966), Circle of Fear (1973) and Doc Elliot (1974).
Blackman’s final screen role was in the 1975 action crime comedy Moonrunners, which featured music legend Waylon Jennings as The Balladeer.