Elvis' Leading Lady in Two Hit Movies Dies at 87

Joan Blackman, the actress who played Elvis Presley’s leading lady in both Blue Hawaii and Kid Galahad, has died at the age of 87.

Blackman died March 16 at a hospital in Santa Rosa, California, according to her son, Ngai Tarkington (via The Hollywood Reporter). She was a longtime resident of nearby Calistoga.

The San Francisco native became one of the few actresses to star opposite Presley in more than one film. In 1961’s Blue Hawaii, she played tour guide Maile Duval, who ultimately marries Elvis’ Chad Gates at the end of the beloved musical comedy. The following year, she reunited with the singer in Kid Galahad, portraying Rose Grogan, who once again becomes the romantic partner of Presley’s character.

Beyond her work with Elvis, Blackman appeared alongside Dean Martin in the 1959 drama Career and starred opposite Jerry Lewis in the 1960 comedy Visit to a Small Planet. She also had a recurring role during the 1965-66 season of ABC’s primetime soap Peyton Place, playing Marion Fowler, the wife of district attorney John Fowler (John Kerr).

Blackman launched her film career after signing with the Hecht-Hill-Lancaster production company and made her big-screen debut in 1959’s Good Day for a Hanging. She later revealed that she auditioned twice for the role of Maria in West Side Story and believed she was close to landing the part before Natalie Wood was cast.

Over the years, she also appeared in films including The Great Impostor, Twilight of Honor, Macon County Line and Moonrunners. Television audiences saw her on series such as Perry Mason, Bonanza, I Spy, Gunsmoke and Run for Your Life.

Blackman was married to actor Joby Baker from 1959 to 1961 and later to actor Rockne Tarkington from 1968 to 1970. Her son said she spent her years away from Hollywood gardening and singing locally around Calistoga. She was preceded in death by her son, Rockne Tarkington Jr., who died in 2019.

Related: ‘Peyton Place’ Actor Dies at 100