HOLLYWOOD golden age actress Jan Shepard has died at the age of 96.
Shepard was famed for starring opposite Elvis Presley in 1958’s King Creole and 1966’s Paradise, Hawaiian Style.
The star died at a hospital in California on January 17 of pneumonia brought on by respiratory failure.
As well as acting alongside Elvis, who died in 1977, Shepard had a glittering TV career.
She earned dozens of small screen credits for her roles in westerns including Rawhide, The Virginian and Gunsmoke.
Shepard made her TV debut in 1952 on Fireside Theatre – one of the first successful filmed television shows.
But her most celebrated roles came in King Creole and Paradise, Hawaiian Style.
Speaking about her first encounter with Elvis, Shepard previously told Elvis Australia: “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’.”
Shepard starred as Mimi Fisher – the sister of Elvis’ character Danny – in rock musical King Creole.
The actress hailed the part as “the break of her life”.
In Paradise, Hawaiian style, she took on the role of Betty Kohana, the wife of the business partner of Elvis’ character Rick Richards.
Shepard’s big screen credits also included 1959’s Attack of the Giant Leeches.
Away from showbiz, Shepard married actor Dirk London in 1954 and they had a son – Brandon Boyle – together.
Dirk, real name Ray Boyle, died in 2022 aged 98.
Paying tribute to his mum, Brandon told The Hollywood Reporter: “She was a good one and will be dearly missed.”
