Elvis Presley’s Favorite Dancer Reveals What Made Their Bond So Special (Exclusive)

VIVA LAS VEGAS, Elvis Presley, Ann-Margret, 1964 — Everett Collection

Elvis Presley worked with plenty of dancers during his Hollywood years, but Christopher Riordan holds a special place in that history. In an exclusive interview with ReMIND at The Hollywood Show, Riordan opened up about why he believes he became one of Presley’s favorite dancers. Riordan, an actor and dancer, worked with Presley on six films, The ’68 Comeback Special, and multiple documentaries.

His credits in Elvis films include Viva Las Vegas, Roustabout, Tickle Me, Spinout, Double Trouble, and Clambake. So, why was Riordan considered one of Elvis’ favorite dancers? According to Riordan, it was because he made Elvis laugh.

Who Is Christopher Riordan?

Courtesy of ReMIND Magazine/Karen Ruud

Riordan had already built an impressive Hollywood résumé before becoming closely associated with Presley’s movie career. He appeared in My Fair Lady and worked during an era when dancers were still a major part of big studio musicals, beach movies, and star-driven variety specials.

In his exclusive interview with ReMIND, Riordan said he had been “discovered by Fred Astaire” and was brought onto one of Presley’s films while he had two weeks off from My Fair Lady. At first, he said, he turned the job down, but changed his mind because it was two weeks’ dancer’s pay. That decision turned into a much longer connection with Presley than Riordan expected.

How Christopher Riordan Became Elvis’ Favorite Dancer

Riordan said there were “many, many reasons” Presley liked working with him, but the biggest was simple: “I made him laugh. I made him feel good. He wasn’t real happy about doing some of those films, and I just injected my sense of humor, and he also knew that I wasn’t impressed by him, and that impressed him. And from the first picture, he found out that I was raising my son by myself since he was three days old, and family was very important to Elvis, so he had a lot of respect for that.”

Riordan’s first Elvis movie experience was not smooth at the start. He said he was not treated well by the choreographer and assistant on the film and was placed in the back, even though others on set knew about his background. He recalled Presley asking why he had been put in the back, and someone nearby explained that Fred Astaire had discovered Riordan. On the last day, Riordan said Presley called out to him as he was leaving. He explained, “And he says, ‘I just want to thank you for all your hard work, and I appreciate your efforts, and I want you to know you’ll be in the next picture.’ And I said to myself, ‘The hell I will.’ Well, I ended up working with him more than anyone else.”

Check our Riordan’s website for more behind-the-scenes stories of his very long career and see if you can spot him in the gold shorts at the beginning of “Beach Shack” from the movie Spinout.