10 Celebrity Elvis Impersonations On the anniversary of the King's death, classic imitations by Bruno Mars, Johnny Cash, Nicolas Cage, Frank Sinatra, and others.

Andy Kaufman

As a 20-year-old college student, comedian Andy Kaufman wrote a fan letter to his idol, Elvis Presley. Several years later, Kaufman had worked the King into his act. Kaufman would come onstage in his awkward Foreign Man character (the precursor to Latka on Taxi) and purposefully do bad impressions. Then he would tell the audience that he “would like to impersonate the Elvis Presley”—and then blow them away with a dead-on rendition of a Presley song. It was rare to impersonate Elvis at the time (especially since he was still alive), but Presley considered Kaufman’s the best he ever saw. Another way Kaufman imitates Elvis: There are those who think he’s still alive.


He may be a Grammy Award–winning singer-songwriter now, but at the age of 4 Bruno Mars was known as the world’s youngest Elvis impersonator. In the 1990 documentary Viva Elvis, little Bruno was asked what he admired about the King. "I like his singing and his dance and his lips," he said, dressed in a full Elvis jumpsuit. And Mars’ impression can also be seen in the movie Honeymoon in Vegas, starring another huge Elvis fan: Nicolas Cage.



Nicolas Cage


Nicolas Cage is such a big Elvis fan that in 1990 he used Presley as the inspiration for his character in David Lynch’s Wild at Heart. Cage even recorded two songs as the King—“Love Me” and “Love Me Tender.” Twelve years later, Cage took his Elvis obsession to a new level when he married Presley’s only daughter, Lisa Marie. But after three months, they checked into Heartbreak Hotel when he filed for divorce.

Say one thing for former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich, he certainly has the right hair to impersonate Elvis. In 2009, while facing federal corruption charges, Blagojevich made an appearance at a Chicago block party and performed Presley’s “Treat Me Nice”—alongside Fabio. And on his way to court before his sentencing—he was eventually found guilty of 17 corruption-related charges—Blago looked to the King’s words for inspiration. "It's in God's hands," he said, and then quoted "All Shook Up": "My hands are shaking, my knees are weak. I can't seem to stand on my own two feet." Pending an appeal, the next Elvis song Blagojevich will presumably sing is “Jailhouse Rock.”



Johnny Cash