Riley Keough: Everything to Know About Elvis Presley’s Granddaughter

Actress and model, Riley Keough is one of the most successful and visible members of the famed Presley family — outside of her grandfather, Elvis Presley, of course. As the daughter of Lisa Marie Presley, Keough has blazed a successful trail in movies and television, and in the fashion world. Most recently celebrating her birthday on May 29, the 31-year-old Keough started her film and television career in 2010, first appearing in The Runaways.

Since then, the California native has mostly worked in the independent film world and built a working relationship with Oscar-winning filmmaker Steven Soderbergh. Keough has earned a handful of awards nominations for her work, mostly for her roles in the series The Girlfriend Experience and the film American Honey. She can next be seen in Daisy Jones & the Six, a mini-series based on the ’70s music scene. In the meantime, here’s a look at what you need to know about Riley Keough.

Keough’s Father Is Lisa Marie Presley’s First Husband Danny Keough

Keough’s connection to the Presley family might not be immediately apparent because of her last name. She is Lisa Marie Presley’s daughter from Lisa Marie’s marriage to musician Danny Keough. Lisa Marie and Danny Keough also have a son, Benjamin Storm Keough, 27. 

Keough has two half-sisters. Lisa Marie shares 11-year-old twins Harper and Finley with her fourth husband, Michael Lockwood. After 10 years of marriage, Lisa Marie filed for divorce from Lockwood.

Keough Split Her Childhood Between a Privileged World with Lisa Marie and Trailer Parks with Danny

Twenty days after Lisa Marie and Danny divorced, Lisa Marie married Michael Jackson. The union between the King of Rock’s daughter and the King of Pop only lasted two years, but Keough spent time at Neverland Ranch during that time.

After Lisa Marie and Jackson split, Keough split her time between her mother and father, experiencing two very different worlds. “I grew up very privileged with my mother. But my dad didn’t live like that. And I think experiencing both sides has been helpful. My father had mattresses on the floor of his apartments,” Keough told The Guardian. “He lived in cabins and trailer parks. He just didn’t have much money.”

She later said, “My memories of growing up with him were so colorful and eccentric and fun. It was a good vibe, you know? When I was like eight I told him, ‘I want to grow up and be poor like you!’ He was eating a bowl of cereal. I didn’t realize how wildly offensive that was!”

Keough’s Acting Debut Came in The Runaways

Keough made her acting debut at 20 years old. She was cast in The Runaways, an independent film about the 1970s all-girl rock group. Keough played Marie Currie, the sister to singer Cherie Currie, played by Dakota Fanning in the film. Kristen Stewart played Joan Jett and Floria Sigismondi directed. The film was not a box office hit, but it was well-received by critics and put her on the road to stardom. In 2011, she nabbed a lead role in The Good Doctor with Orlando Bloom and Taraji P. Henson.

She Starred in 2 Steven Soderbergh Films and ‘The Girlfriend Experience’ Series

Keough’s best-known roles came in two Steven Soderbergh films. She played stripper Nora in Magic Mike, the 2012 surprise hit starring Channing Tatum, Matthew McConaughey and Alex Pettyfer as male strippers. In 2017, she worked in another Soderbergh movie, the heist comedy Logan Lucky.

Her most prominent role came in The Girlfriend Experience, a 2016 Starz series based on Soderbergh’s film of the same name. Her performance as a law student intern working as a high-end escort was eye-opening to many critics and earned her a Golden Globe nomination. The show’s second season featured different characters, though.

‘American Honey’ Earned Keough More Awards Nominations

In 2016, Keough also starred in Andrea Arnold’s ambitious road comedy American Honey, co-starring Shia LaBeouf and Sasha Lane. The film earned positive reviews and earned Keough several nominations from critics groups. She was nominated for Best Supporting Female Actor at the Independent Spirit Awards and by the London Film Critics Circle. Keough was also listed in ninth place as the Best Supporting Actress in the Village Voice Film Poll.

Keough’s other recent credits include Mad Max: Fury Road, The House That Jack Built, Under the Silver Lake, Hold the Dark and the upcoming The Lodge.

Music Is in Her Family, but Not in Her Blood

In her Guardian interview, Keough made a surprising admission. While music might be a big part of her family, it is not something she is interested in. “I played the piano, but I’m not particularly gifted. Movies felt endless to me, whereas music I could see myself getting bored of,” she said in 2017.

Instead, she liked making movies with her friends and started watching more movies and became interested in acting. “I know people say like, ‘Oh I saw Alfred Hitchcock or Citizen Kane but, for me, it was The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys with Emile Hirsch. And Moulin Rouge!” she said. “I was 12 and I was like, ‘Wow, I want to be Nicole Kidman, she made me feel so sad!’ I remember thinking how fulfilling it would be to do that, which is a big concept for a kid.”

Keough is Married to a Stuntman She Met While Making ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’

In February 2015, Keough married Ben Smith-Peterson, a stuntman she met while making Mad Max: Fury Road. The couple married in Napa, California. As Us Weekly reported at the time, the guest list was stacked with celebrities, including Zoe Kravitz, Kristen Stewart, Dakota Johnson, Cara Delevingne, Courtney Eaton and Abbey Lee. Johnson was a bridesmaid.

She Was Terrified While Making ‘The Lodge’

Keough’s movie release The Lodge is a horror movie, previously screened at the Sundance Film Festival, directed by Goodnight Mommy filmmakers Severin Fiala and Veronika Franz. The film follows a soon-to-be stepmom, snowed in with her fiancé’s two children at a remote holiday village. Just as relations begin to thaw between the trio, some strange and frightening events take place.

“I will say the score was really scary,” Keough told The Wrap. “We were there and it was dark while we were filming it, but the score really freaked me out.” The film was picked up by distributor NEON and is now streaming on Hulu.